Is Leiden Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Leiden is considered an extremely safe destination for solo female travelers. The locals are generally friendly, respectful and willing to assist in any way. The city is well-lit at night and also well-policed. While it's always important to maintain awareness of your surroundings and take normal safety precautions, overall, you can expect to feel secure while exploring Leiden.

Safety rating

4.5 /5

Based on our research and crime data

4.4 /5

Based on 9 experiences from local women

Leiden is currently ranked #8 safest place in Netherlands for solo female travellers, with an overall safety rating of 4.4 out of 5. . Check the full ranking.

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How safe is Leiden?

Safety at night:Safe

Leiden, is generally quite safe at night, even for solo female travelers. Like any city, it does have areas that are less safe after dark but overall, the crime rate is low. The streets are well lit and there are often people around, even late into the night due to the city's vibrant nightlife. Nonetheless, it's always a good idea to be alert and aware of your surroundings, especially while walking alone.

Public transportation:Very safe

Leiden, is quite well-known for its reliable and safe public transportation system. As a solo female traveler, do not worry about navigating the city alone. Trams, buses, and trains are accessible and frequent, and many locals, students, and tourists use them. Incidents are extremely rare and the people are generally respectful. However, it is always important to remain cautious, especially during late at night.

Street harassment:Low

Leiden is typically safe for solo female travelers. Street harassment is not a widely reported issue. The locals are friendly and culturally respectful. However, like any other place, caution should be exercised, especially during late-night hours and in less crowded areas.

Petty crimes:Low

Leiden generally has a low risk of petty crimes such as pickpocketing, purse snatching or minor scams. Of course, it's always important to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense precautions, especially in more crowded areas or at night. Overall, this city is quite safe and people often feel very comfortable traveling alone here.

Is Leiden worth visiting?

Asmin

Netherlands

Solo travel

Leiden is a student city. It's overall very safe, but like everywhere else during the night in some places, you need to be more sharp. It has many museums and is called museum city. The botanical garden is very pretty from the end of March until the end of September. It has a cafe but you can also do a picnic. It's very pretty and located in the middle of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. You can walk everywhere, you don't need to take a bus. In 30 mins, you can be at the beach too (Katwijk or Noordwijk). There are no hostels and the food is also expensive.

Posted: May 4, 2025Experienced: April, 2025

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Is Leiden safe for women?

Safety index

4.4 /5

Based on 9 local experiences

Crime index

1 /5

Based on 9 local experiences

I have lived in Leiden for 6 months and never experienced safety issues! I feel safe at all time but never experienced that much walking alone at night. Basically, the transportation is bike which really avoids a lot of issues and contacts so I highly recommend!

Posted: March 8, 2025

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I have been living in Leiden for a couple of months now and I think it is really safe. I usually bike and walk, and I always feel safe because people don’t really care about what you wear and how you look. Also, it is a rather small city so I really feel like at home.

Posted: February 7, 2025

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Meet locals in Leiden

Iulia

About Me

Hi! My name is Iulia and I am an international student in the Netherlands, originally from Romania. I study cultural anthropology and I'm also passionate about figure skating, music and travelling. I love new experiences and I am very excited to meet like minded people!

Speaking

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Asmin

About Me

Hey hey! I'm Asmin! It's difficult to introduce myself in these few sentences, but what I can say is that I'm a daydreamer, friendly and sensible person and according to my friends I am always an amusing, caring, and alive and kicking person. I was an Erasmus student in Warsaw almost 6 years ago and in 2016 summer I worked in NJ, the USA by work and travel program, I finished my bachelor's and masters in psychology. Now I am doing second masters in clinical psychology. I'm here because traveling, meeting new people, discovering new cultures, and trying new things is my lifeblood so to say, and couchsurfing is a brilliant opportunity to achieve these. I was on couchsurfing before. Here is my profile/references: https://archive.ph/eNIEV What I Can Share with Hosts I can cook Turkish foods, we can talk about psychology and I can share my memories and experiences that I gained through my travels and anything that I feel that I know well. I can teach you some Turkish folk dance :) Amazing Things I’ve Done I left all the things and I decided to live in Poland without knowing any Polish and anyone. Well, i tried my best! Scuba diving! You will be addicted to underwater after meeting the wonderful world. It is awesome! I tread the boards 1 musical and 1 play in front of more than 200 people. I climbed the highest point of the Tatra Mountains in Zakopane aannd I didn't break my bones. It is an amazing thing for such a clumsy person like me. I hitchhiked around Europe. Oslo to Stockholm, Warsaw to Vienna, and so on. Totally 5215 km btw October '15- May'16. I attended EQC'16 (European Quidditch Cup) in Italy in April 2016. ( I broke my ribs during the games but I don't regret it. It was an amazing weekend!)

Speaking

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Stay with locals in Leiden

Asmin

Leiden

Can host for:

2 days

About me

Speaking

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Clem

Leiden

Can host for:

3 days

About me

🌞 My name is Clem! I am French, from Paris, but currently study in the Netherlands for my master in law. As you can imagine, I can’t stay in the same place for long and have the objective of visiting every European country by the time I’m 25! Only 8 to go in 4 years! I look forward to meeting girls from different backgrounds!