Leiden nightlife is small, student-led and mostly on foot. About 35,000 students live in a city of roughly 127,000 people, and they set the calendar: Club Hifi runs on Tuesday and Thursday, De Kroeg on the Haarlemmerstraat stays open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday, and the Nobel pop venue turns into a club on Friday and Saturday nights. The terraces on the Nieuwe Rijn and Stille Rijn cover the early evening, brown cafés around the Pieterskerkhof cover the middle, and Wibar, outside the centre, runs techno, house and drum and bass nights, one of them listed to 05:00. Worth knowing: entry stops at 02:00 from Thursday to Saturday, so arrive before then.
Ranked by popularity. Tap a card for opening hours, door tips, getting there and tickets.
For the drinks before and after. Hours, prices and the best nights are on each page.
It is a small night in a compact centre. Most places in this guide are within a ten-minute walk of Leiden Centraal, and Nobel is five minutes away. The choice is a handful of rooms rather than a district of clubs, so one good weekend night is enough.
Students set the pace. Leiden University was founded in 1575, and with the University of Applied Sciences the city has about 35,000 students. Club Hifi is a student disco on Tuesday and Thursday, De Kroeg on the Haarlemmerstraat keeps late hours from Thursday, and the social associations such as Quintus, Minerva, Augustinus and Catena have a scene of their own. This guide covers places you can walk into.
The late end is thin. Most cafés close between midnight and 03:00. De Kroeg stays open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday and Wibar lists 05:00 on club nights. Nobel By Night has 19 club nights listed between 16 October 2026 and 19 February 2027, mostly on Fridays and Saturdays.
Club Hifi at €2.95, free with an LUF card, and De Kroeg on the Haarlemmerstraat, which describes itself as open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday.
Concerts at Nobel, rock at Rockcafé Lazaru's, blues and rock at Qbus Club and jazz at De Twee Spieghels, open since 1972.
Wibar, a warehouse club outside the centre, lists techno, house, hardcore and drum and bass nights through autumn and winter.
Einstein on the Nieuwe Rijn, Annie's floating terrace at the Oude and Nieuwe Rijn junction and The Grenare on the Stille Rijn.
Het Stadsbrouwhuis pours 30 craft beers on tap, and De Vergulde Kruik on the Haarlemmerstraat is a listed monument from 1881.
COC de Kroon calls itself Leiden's queer café, and Wibar's Ravetheef night on 20 November is billed as queer house and hard groove.
Not for you if you want a big-club weekend. Leiden has a few rooms, and on a quiet Saturday the choice is Nobel, Wibar or a late café.
First drinks on a terrace: Einstein on the Nieuwe Rijn, Annie's over the water or The Grenare on the Stille Rijn.
Dinner, or a beer at Het Stadsbrouwhuis, which opens at 15:00 on weekdays. Stadscafé Van der Werff keeps its kitchen open until 22:00.
The cafés are in full swing: De Twee Spieghels with its jazz, De Bonte Koe and the brown cafés around the Pieterskerkhof.
NEXT opens on Thursday to Saturday, Club Hifi on Tuesday and Thursday, and Wibar's club nights start.
Last entry at Nobel and De Kroeg from Thursday to Saturday. Cafés such as De Twee Spieghels close.
De Kroeg closes. Wibar runs to 05:00 on club nights, and the night train is the way out of town.
Nobel By Night lists New Wave Generation on 24 October, Lekker Dansen on 7 November, Supertrance on 14 November and Fiesta Macumba on 21 November. Those four are listed as 18+.
Basement 10 Years - Final Edition is on 14 November, Ravetheef on 20 November and an All Night Long night with free entrance on 27 November.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, 18+ with ID and a student card. Entry is normally €2.95.
A jazz and wine café since 1972, near the Hooglandse Kerk. Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster is said to have played his last concert there in 1973.
The city marks the end of the Spanish siege of 1574 every year with herring, hutspot, a funfair and parades. The 2026 edition ran on 2 and 3 October, so the next is 3 October 2027.
Einstein has a wide terrace on the Nieuwe Rijn opposite the City Hall, and Annie's has a floating terrace where the Oude and Nieuwe Rijn meet.
The main canal-side stretch: Einstein on the Nieuwe Rijn, Annie's floating terrace, Het Stadsbrouwhuis for craft beer and Club Hifi off the Breestraat.
De Kroeg, a student pub open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday, De Vergulde Kruik in a listed 1881 building, and Nobel, five minutes on foot from Leiden Centraal.
The Grenare has a terrace on the Stille Rijn, and NEXT, a three-floor nightclub on the Langebrug, opens Thursday to Saturday from 23:00.
Café Frank and Bar Olaf for cocktails, De Bonte Koe with its tiled interior, De Uyl van Hoogland and the jazz café De Twee Spieghels.
Rockcafé Lazaru's on the Nieuwe Beestenmarkt, its sister bar De Hut van Ome Henne with a Saturday disco night, and Qbus Club on the Middelstegracht.
Stadscafé Van der Werff by the station, COC de Kroon on the Langegracht and Wibar, a warehouse club outside the centre.
Alcohol is for 18 and over by law, and sellers ask for ID when in doubt. Club Hifi is 18+ and asks for ID and a student card. Nobel's club nights are 16+ unless the listing says otherwise, and anyone 18 to 25 can get a NIX18 wristband at the bar by showing ID. Wibar's June 2026 night was 18+. Smoking indoors is banned, and at Nobel smokers cannot enter after the doors close.
Cafés and bars are free. Club Hifi costs €2.95 on a normal night and nothing with an LUF card. Wibar charged €12.50 for a June 2026 night and has free-entry nights, such as 27 November. Nobel prices each night separately, and lockers cost €2.
The centre is walkable. NS Nachtnet calls at Leiden Centraal, and the weekend night bus N40 runs to Zoetermeer. A taxi costs at most €4.31 to start, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute in 2026. Nobel is cashless, so bring a card.
| Student night at Club Hifi (normal price) | €2.95 |
| Club night at Wibar (June 2026 ticket) | €12.50 |
| Wibar All Night Long, 27 November 2026 | Free |
| Locker at Nobel | €2 |
| Taxi start fare (maximum) | €4.31 |
| Taxi per kilometre (maximum) | €3.17 |
| Taxi per minute (maximum) | €0.52 |
| Single-use paper chip-card ticket surcharge | €1 |
Club Hifi at €2.95, or nothing with an LUF card, then the walk home. We found no published drink prices, so add your own rounds.
A Wibar ticket at €12.50 and a €2 locker if you go to Nobel. Drinks come on top.
The €12.50 ticket and €2 locker, plus a taxi start fare of €4.31 and the per-kilometre charge at the end. Drinks and distance are extra.
Nobel stops letting people into club nights at 02:00 from Thursday to Saturday and at 01:00 from Sunday to Wednesday under municipal rules. De Kroeg also closes its doors at 02:00 while the party runs to 04:00.
Nobel takes only debit and credit cards for tickets and the bar. Lockers need €2 in coins or a locker token.
Club Hifi asks for ID and a college card, and the LUF card gets you in free on regular parties.
De Kroeg takes borrel and pub crawl bookings by email, Het Stadsbrouwhuis recommends reservations, and De Vergulde Kruik rents the Rembrandtzaal for up to 100 guests.
Not every Nachtnet service runs every night, so look at the NS app before you commit to a late finish.
It is outside the centre, so check the route on 9292 before you set off.
Leiden University was founded in 1575 by William I of Orange as a reward for the city's defence during the Spanish siege.
Every 3 October the city marks the end of the 1574 siege. The evening of 2 October and the day of 3 October are the most important, with a funfair, hutspot and herring.
The university describes the Minerva society as more than 205 years old and the oldest student meeting place in the Netherlands.
De Twee Spieghels has run since 1972. Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster reportedly gave his last concert there on 6 September 1973, and the café holds a tribute evening every year.
Most cafés close between 00:00 and 03:00. De Kroeg stays open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday and Wibar lists 05:00 on club nights. Entry stops at 02:00 from Thursday to Saturday at Nobel.
The Haarlemmerstraat and Breestraat area for student nights and late cafés, the Nieuwe Rijn and Stille Rijn for terraces, and the Pieterskerkhof area for cocktails and brown cafés.
Yes, in practice. Club Hifi opens on Tuesday and Thursday, and De Kroeg is open until 04:00 from Thursday to Saturday.
Walk if you are in the centre. NS Nachtnet calls at Leiden Centraal, the weekend night bus N40 goes to Zoetermeer, and a taxi costs at most €4.31 plus €3.17 per kilometre in 2026.
Club Hifi is €2.95, Wibar charged €12.50 for a June 2026 night and has free nights, and Nobel and NEXT set prices per night. Cafés are free.
18+ for alcohol. Club Hifi is 18+ with ID and a student card, and Nobel's club nights are 16+ unless stated. Bring ID.
See which clubs and bars are open right now, who is playing and where to get tickets. Live in four cities, with more on the way.
