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Culinary walking tour Leiden

Discover Leiden with all your senses. On this culinary city walk, we combine the most beautiful historic spots with real Leiden flavours. From artisan chocolate to local cheese and specialty beer: every stop tells a story. Warm, surprising, and typically Leiden.

Perfect for groups of friends, families, and companies who want to experience something special together.

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Culinary City Tour Leiden: Local Flavours and Stories

A compact, atmospheric walk through the city centre of Leiden, along iconic streets, canals and hidden stories. Along the way, we will stop at carefully selected Leiden culinary addresses where you will taste, listen and experience.

Not a standard food tour, but a city experience with humour, depth and local Leiden delicacies.

The city tour

  • Private guided city tour - exclusively for groups
  • Start and departure point: Garenmarkt in Leiden.
  • Destination: the Burcht of Leiden
  • Duration: approx. 2 hours
  • Minimum group size: 6 people
  • Cost: €52,- per person (incl. VAT)
  • Including: all tastings (chocolate, cocktail, biscuit, cheese, beer + bites)

We exclusively organise city tours for groups.

Are you interested? Mail us via info@exploreleiden.nl or fill in the form below.

The culinary highlights

We begin in the city centre on the Garenmarkt, where Leiden shows its vibrant character. Via the Steenschuur and the Nieuwe Rijn, we walk towards the first highlight.

Olala Chocola Leiden

Here we taste 2 to 3 bonbons, including the notorious Goeie Mie bonbon. As the chocolate melts, you'll hear the dark tale of the Leiden poisoner Goeie Mie. We also taste the Rembrandt bonbon and a bonbon with the iconic Leiden keys.

Via the town hall, we walk to the Pieterskerk and the Rapenburg, with a view of the Academy Building – the heart of the university.

Café Frank Leiden

In this atmospheric bar, we'll sample the Leiden classic: the Leidse Henny. A refreshing cocktail with white rum, agave, and lime – modern, yet locally loved.

We continue our route along the Courthouse and share the lesser-known, sometimes macabre tales of the city.

The Leiden Biscuit

At Blauwpoortshaven we discover the origin of the famous Leiden cake. What began as a luxurious treat for the elite around 1600, grew into the well-known Leiden kletskop. Of course, there will be tasting.

Via de Apothekersdijk and the Kippenbrug we walk towards the Waag.

Bon Cheese Shop

A tasting of real Leiden "key" cheeses is ready for you at Leiden's cheese and delicatessen shop. Three varieties, each with its own character and story.

We will finish via the Oude Rijn and the Hooglandse Kerkgracht, with the Burcht of Leiden as our final destination.

Grand Café De Burcht

A fitting end: a beer tasting from the renowned Leiden Brewery Pronck. Three Pronck beers in tasting glasses, served with classic Grandma's meatballs.

Cheers to Leiden. I'm looking forward to it already…

Book a guide

We would like you to have a beautiful city tour of Leiden so that you have an unforgettable time in our beautiful historical city.

We provide private tours/ city walks for groups of 7 or more.

We can adapt city walks for large groups and/or company outings if required. We are happy to think along with you.

Send me an email at info@exploreleiden.nl or fill in the form on the right. Calling is also possible at 0629-079306 or whatsapp via the whatsapp chat at the bottom right of the page.

*Only bookings from 7 persons
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What do our guests think of the city walks through Leiden?

Marcel, you are and will always be my favourite city guide What a fun afternoon. It was really great and we heard and learned many new fun facts about Leiden Really highly recommended!

Janneke Sluiter★★★★★

What a nice guide and what a history all. I live in delft myself but Leiden is also a top city. All good things come from Leiden.

Marjan Groeneveld★★★★★

Marcel introduced us to Leiden's rich history in a very pleasant and engaging way. The city harbours countless stories and backgrounds, which we learned a lot more about thanks to him. A fun and informative tour that we highly recommend! Marije and Ernst

Ernst & Marije Vegter★★★★★

Very enjoyable and informative. Especially the local anecdotes kept everyone captivated. Marcel is a good storyteller with Leidsche humour!

Bart Vink★★★★★

Marcel told us a lot about Leiden and its history. We found Marcel to be a pleasant native of Leiden with a lot of knowledge and amusing anecdotes. Highly recommended!

Helena de Boer★★★★★

Our city guide Marcel took us on a great tour of Leiden. The tour was well-constructed, with fascinating stories about the history, hidden courtyards and fun anecdotes. Absolutely recommended.

Nicole van Waterschoot★★★★★

Explore Leiden is an official partner of Leiden & Partners, the city marketing organisation of the city of Leiden, also known as the VVV Leiden. See Leiden Visit for more information on the city of Leiden.

Recently, Explore Leiden has also joined World City Guides, an international network of Dutch-speaking tour guides. See Worldcityguides.com for more information.

Book a city guide Leiden now

Contact

Explore Leiden
Octavia Avenue 60
2314 CP Leiden
E: info@exploreleiden.nl
T: +31(0)629079306

Frequently asked questions

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