A Guide to Leeuwarden

Do also check the reviews to see what other people thought of our walking tours. We’ve been the best rated tour of Leeuwarden since 2013. Check our reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook and Trustpilot. Our tours are also recommended by Lonely Planet! And we really like it if you leave a review after you’ve joined a walking tour.

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
  
 Based on 736 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 FC_Amstelveen 
 
September 3, 2026
 
 
 Verified 
With (Top)Guide (Henk) to Leeuwarden you"ll have a Top City Tour With Henk Leutscher as our TopGuide to Leeuwarden we and our guests had a top experience exploring the jewish past and present in the capital of Friesland (NL) Leeuwarden, during which our interest in the the former jewish life was presented in a truly complete overview. During the city walk many still recognizable traces of the rich jewish life before WW2 and the very special memorials recognizing the emptiness left after the shoah were shown, Added with the many personal stories about so many jewish inhabitants, that never came back, presented by our guide Henk enriched our knowledge about Leeuwarden. Henk proved that in visiting a city and its history with a well knowledgeable guide your visit becomes a trip never to forget.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Arno V 
 
August 12, 2026
 
 
 Verified 
Interesting discoveries Christina was very knowledgeable and took us to hidden places that we normally not would have seen.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Nick P 
 
June 25, 2026
 
 
 Verified 
A brilliant guide Henk took us round parts of the town we would not have found by ourselves. His English was perfect and he had an amazing knowledge of the detailed history of Leeuwarden, after 13 years’ experience as a guide. He was also very entertaining — and thoughtful guiding us to shady places where we could be comfortable (older people in a heat wave).
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Moni Public 
 
June 21, 2026
 
 
 Verified 
Don't miss this tour! just now New When in Leeuwarden, don't miss this tour! Tour guide Henk took us on a journey in his beautiful city, showing us the highlights and street art. Peppered with humor and wit, it was a tour to remember!! He also gave tips onthings to do after the tour, of which we did take advantage. Don't miss this introduction to Leeuwarden 👊🏻🦁
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Hélène J 
 
April 18, 2026
 
 
 Verified 
Great tour! This was a terrific tour! Henk was a very enthusiastic guide, sharing gems of stories on Leeuwarden that we would never have known about had we not taken this tour. Highly recommend!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor  
 
  
 
 
 Talia M 
 
November 16, 2025
 
 
 Verified 
Highly recommended tour Wonderful free walking tour. Kimberly is a very knowledgeable tour guide. We've enjoyed ourselves very much. Thank you
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
  
 Based on 1497 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Louise Buckley 
 
September 5, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Walking Tour in Leeuwarden Leonie was our guide on the walking tour (free) today. Leonie was a wealth of information and her history teaching background came in very handy. This is a great trip to do at the start of your stay in Leeuwarden as it includes a snapshot of some items that you can explore further if you so desire. Booking is easy through the very helpful staff at the visitor centre and we booked the English guide at 12 noon on a Saturday. It’s the only time for English unless you book a private guide. Hearing the stories in your own language makes sure you don’t miss out on all the extra information.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Ramona Serrano 
 
June 21, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
When in Leeuwarden, don't miss this tour! Tour guide Henk took us on a journey in his beautiful city, showing us the highlights and street art. Peppered with humor and wit, it was a tour to remember!! He also gave tips onthings to do after the tour, of which we did take advantage. Don't miss this introduction to Leeuwarden 👊🏻🦁
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Tom Everest 
 
April 26, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Highly recommended. Zenon was a great tour guide and gave the history of the city while taking us to parts of Leeuwarden that we would not have seen or understood otherwise. Really helped to make sense of the place and brought it to life.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Norma Elgersma 
 
April 21, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Leonie gave a great walking tour sharing lots of info about Leeuwarden. Would highly recommend! This was Mara Hari’s house.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Joost van Nes 
 
January 31, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
We had a great english speaking tour (the leeuwarden free tour) our guide (Kevin) was great and very knowledgeable. He threw in some history fun facts because he knew we liked it. Overall great experience and guide, definitely worth doing. We will be doing the dutch version very soon.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The walking tours in Leeuwarden start next to the entrance of the Leeuwarden Visitor Centre, at Heer Ivostraatje 1. This is at the foot of the Oldehoofsterkerkhof, the square in front of the Oldehove (the leaning tower).
At the starting point, you’ll find not only the tourist information centre but also public toilets, a poetry stone and the best view of the Oldehove. From the restaurants De Skeve Toren and De Hofdame, you can see the starting point for the walking tours. Have a look at our video below or use google maps. You can also download our own map to find your way in Leeuwarden.

A Guide to Leeuwarden organises walking tours in Leeuwarden. We have been doing this since 2013, offering accessible public Free Walking Tours as well as customized private tours for both groups and schools. Because we believe that the best introduction to Leeuwarden is a personal tour with one of our guides.

What to expect on our walking tours

Our walking tours last 1.5 hours and you’ll always be accompanied by an enthusiastic guide. On our public walking tours (Leeuwarden Free Tours) and our Leeuwarden Private Tours, our guides always aim to provide a good mix of remarkable buildings, famous Leeuwarden residents, hidden gems and the finest street art. Along the way, our guides will stop to tell you the most fascinating stories. These stories are informative, but also entertaining and often told with a touch of humour. We see it as the best introduction to Leeuwarden.
These tours are accessible to a very wide audience. With us, you won’t be overwhelmed with facts, dates and too many details. A good guide knows how to dose their information. We tell great stories and are also happy to answer any in-depth questions.
Our guides love being around people. They prefer to tell historical stories that focus on people. But they also show you the Leeuwarden of today. There’s a good chance you’ll also get a tip for a fun cultural activity, where to find the most beautiful mural, or where to find the latest coffee shop.

Leeuwarden is the capital of Friesland, former home of the royal Orange-Nassau family, and Cultural Capital of Europe in 2018. Our local guides would love to share the beauty of Leeuwarden with you on their walking tours. To prepare your trip, we already share some maps and our best tips.

Maps of Leeuwarden

Check the maps we have created for Leeuwarden. At the end of every tour we will also hand you one on paper.

The best tips about Leeuwarden

On our tours we will give you plenty of tips for your stay in Leeuwarden. But we already gathered some on our website.