Leiden Transportation

Taxi's here in the Netherlands are extremely expensive and should be used only if you have no other alternative.
Cars are very modern and comfortable and drivers very professional (they all dress in suit and tie...).

I live less than 2 km away from the station and it takes about 3 minutes to get there by Taxi. The price? Never less than 7 Eur!

A ride to the Airport will cost about 50-60 Euros if you take a normal Taxi. If you consider taking one in any case (it is only a 15 minutes train ride and costs less than 5 Eur), some companies have a fixed price of 35-40 Eur.
For instance, Taxi de Groot (071 5123300) offers the "Schiphol Service", but I have never used it myself.

Leiden itself is quite compact and walking or cycling are definetly the best options

The trainstation (Leiden Centraal) is very conveniently located just a few minutes walk from the "center".

Since Leiden is located just between Amsterdam and Rotterdam (with The Hague in between), you can easily get here from anywhere in the Netherlands. Since it is a major station, all "sneltrein" (express) will stop here.

From Amsterdam or Rotterdam it takes about 30 min. to get here, The Hague is about 10-15 minutes away.

All this obviously comes at a price. Transportation is not cheap in the Netherlands and an Amsterdam-Leiden return ticket will set you back 13.70 Eur.

Check out http://www.ns.nl for schedules and pricing.

Just a quick tip: There are two exits from the trainstation. If you get out and see the "LUMC" hospital building on your left, you are going the wrong way, the center is the other way. There is very little to see on that side anyway.

Leiden is quite compact if you stick to the center, but if you planning to go around the whole day, you might want to rent a Bicycle. It's the easiest way to move, but be careful as most bikers are quite expert and you might find the (bike) traffic a bit frightening at first.
You will be surprised that most of the times the cars will stop for you and there are even many crossings where the cars have to yield to bikes...

They can be rented at the back of the Central train station (facing the large LUMC building) for 6.50 EUR/day plus a (refundable) deposit of 45 EUR. You need some kind of ID to rent.

the buses like the trains are plentyful,quick and on time,they are easy to use,buying a ticket onboard or prior to you journey is straightforward and again the driver will almost always have wonderful english so asking a question is no problem,no pointing required.
Leidens main bus terminal joins on to the trainstation,most buses will go from there to all the major destinations all are clearly marked so getting the wrong one is not likely.

the dutch train system is very good,getting about is very easy when your used to how it works.

getting your ticket to your chosen destination can be done by using self service ticket machines positioned throughout the dutch rail system,they are easy to use and quick if you don't want to wait in line

to find out how to use these machines visit the dutch railway site for full details

leiden is blessed with an effective transport hub connecting it with amsterdam and den haag and beyond effectively,making using leiden as your base to explore the region very easy.

getting in to leiden is very very easy,just follow the signs at schiphol to the trains,get your ticket and find your platform,usually 5 or 6,grab your train and a journey time of approx 20 minutes is all it takes right to leiden centraal station,taxis are directly outside the main terminal to your left up a ramp and can whisk you quickly to your hotel or whatever.

Leiden can easily be reached by train from Amsterdam or the Hague. Around half an hour from Amsterdam. About 20 minutes from the Hague.

From the train station it is a 5 minute walk to the city centre. And along that way, you'll pass the tourist information office so that is very convenient as well.

Going to Leiden by train is very easy, because Leiden has it's own main train station. From there you can get virtually everywhere, with a possible changing of trains in Utrecht, Rotterdam or Amsterdam. You can also get to Schiphol from Leiden in no time. You can get to Amsterdam, Schiphol, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague within 45 minutes. But be sure to get off at Leiden Centraal, as there are more than 1 train station in Leiden.

The train station is also a very nice display of modern architecture.