Do you enjoy shopping at large fashion stores and trendy pop-up shops, or do you prefer searching for hidden gems and unique trinkets in cute boutiques? You'll find it all in the historic center of Leeuwarden. Major fashion brands, the nicest boutiques, and Frisian specialty shops are spread throughout the city center. For instance, the Kleine Kerkstraat has been awarded the title of the nicest shopping street in the Netherlands multiple times, and you can wander through the city's coziest streets, such as the Naauw and the Sint Jacobsstraat. Naturally, you will find more shopping areas outside the city canals. Check the city map for more shopping!
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Every Friday, you will find the Friday market on Wilhelminaplein. You can come here for your fresh vegetables,…
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At the Leeuwarden Visitor Center, we are happy to help you make your visit to Leeuwarden as enjoyable as possible…
To the market!
Are you walking through Leeuwarden? Chances are you'll stumble upon a lively market. For instance, on Fridays you'll find a weekly market on Wilhelminaplein where you can do your grocery shopping, pick up nice gifts, or enjoy some delicious fish. On Saturdays, a large portion of these stalls are located on Nieuwestad, Leeuwarden's main shopping street. Once a month, you can shop for the best regional products at the Farmers' Market on Vijzelstraat, and during the high season, you'll find the weekly Zeldzaam Mooi market, where you can discover the finest antiques and curiosities!
Vintage Tour
Do 95% of your outfits consist of second-hand clothing? Does your interior look like it came straight out of a 70s catalog? And do you have no problem spending hours browsing for beautiful pre-loved gems? Then the Vintage Tour is definitely for you! The online tour first takes you past all the vintage shops in the heart of Leeuwarden: from blouses from the 70s to awesome Y2K low-rise jeans, you’ll find it all. Still not enough? Then depart from the Central Station towards the Zwette to continue your vintage scavenger hunt there!
The tour is free and you don't need to download a special app. Curious? Call your mom, besties, or classmates and go on a vintage tour together!
Design shopping
Are you looking for that one beautiful design item? In Leeuwarden, you can indulge yourself. You will find beautiful design shops in various locations throughout the city center, catering to both smaller and larger budgets. Design shops and boutiques are generally not located on the Nieuwestad – the main shopping street – but in the smaller streets surrounding it. The picturesque Sint Jacobsstraat and the award-winning Kleine Kerkstraat are two of those streets. Curious about the design offerings in Leeuwarden?
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Discover Lies Keramiek in the Blokhuispoort: handmade ceramics, art, workshops, and courses to learn it yourself.
Van der Velde Boeken has branches in Sneek, Drachten, Dokkum, Groningen, Harlingen, and Assen.
A ceramics studio in the historic center of Leeuwarden, located in a beautiful old townhouse. Here you will find unique…
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At Galerie 81, you can find top vintage design, vintage clothing, and modern art.
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The best men's fashion store / occasion wear in Leeuwarden, now also for women!
The city center of Leeuwarden
Discover Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden's city center is difficult to divide into fixed areas. Here, old and new are interwoven, you find history in every street, and a friendly face on every corner. Discover the city center; we'll show you the way.
The Prince's Garden
The Prinsentuin was laid out in 1648 as a pleasure garden for the Nassaus. 150 years later, the park became open to the public. Today, the Prinsentuin is an indispensable meeting place for the city.
More about De Prinsentuin
Historic city center
Leeuwarden breathes history. From a rich trading past and the Middelsee to a favorite of the Nassaus and the court city of Friesland. Although you see and feel the history throughout the city center, it is here where it all began.
More about Historic city center
Nieuwestad, Wilhelminaplein and Ruiterskwartier
Looking for major fashion chains, cute boutiques, and the coziest terraces? Then you need to head to Nieuwestad, Wilhelminaplein, and Ruiterskwartier. Here you will come across icons such as the Waag, the Fries Museum, and the Palace of Justice.
More about Nieuwestad, Wilhelminaplein and Ruiterskwartier
The Old Markets
Nowhere in the city do old and new blend together as much as on the Oude Markten. Where the gallows once stood, today you find streets full of vintage shops, cozy restaurants, and passionate entrepreneurs. Oh, and an old prison…
More about The Old Markets
station area
When you arrive by train or bus, you are warmly welcomed by the impressive LOVE fountain. These two giant heads mark the station area. But there is much, much more to see and do here.
More about the Station Area
The New City
Have you ever been to Leeuwarden? Chances are you ended up on the Nieuwestad. This long shopping street features larger chain stores such as H&M, Sissy-Boy, and our good old HEMA. The Lange Pijp, one of the old city canals, runs through the Nieuwestad. Large terraces on and along the water are regularly packed with lively hordes of students raising a toast, girlfriends having drinks, or families dining. In the middle of the Nieuwestad, you will find a striking little building: the Waag. Nowadays, you can enjoy a delicious lunch there – lovely in the sun during the summer! – but in the past, this was the place where merchandise was weighed.
The Little Church Street
At the end of the Nieuwestad, you will find the Kleine Kerkstraat. Repeatedly voted the nicest shopping street in the Netherlands, you will find beautiful boutiques, design shops, artisanal bakeries, and shops selling local delicacies. Besides the fact that you can enjoy wonderful shopping here, this little street also leads into the Grote Kerkstraat and the Oldehoofster Kerkhof. This is where the ancestress of the House of Orange-Nassau had her city palace built, and where our famous leaning tower stands.
The old markets
The Groentemarkt, the Wortelhaven, the Kelders, the Oosterstraat, and 't Naauw are – alongside beautiful, historic streets along the city canals – the ultimate vintage Valhalla. In and around these streets, you will find the best second-hand shops. Take your time browsing, and then enjoy a delicious coffee at Bagels & Beans or Anne & Max! Done shopping? Then you can easily walk across the Tweebaksmarkt to the Blokhuispoort: Leeuwarden's old prison, which has now been transformed into a cultural hub. Artisan ceramics, a silversmith's workshop, a unique restaurant, and dozens of small shops run by entrepreneurs can be found here. And you can even take a guided tour by a former guard who still has some tall tales to tell!
The Vijzelstraat
Located near one of the oldest parts of Leeuwarden, you will find Vijzelstraat. A small street with the nicest little shops. Artists, craftsmanship, and a love for vintage come together here. Once a month, you will find the Farmers' Market here: a small market with delicious and beautiful regional products.
The Zwette
The industrial estate might not be the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to shopping areas. Yet, we want to tell you about it: on the Zwette in Leeuwarden, you will find quite a few second-hand shops! From thrift stores to shop-in-shops, from genuine vintage to pre-loved gems. Do you love browsing? Then you certainly won't want to miss a visit to the Zwette!