Train stations in Leiden

Leiden Centraal is the station for the old centre, with direct Intercity trains to Amsterdam, Schiphol, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

Which station to use

Use Leiden Centraal for almost every trip. The Intercity trains stop here and the old centre is a short walk away. Leiden Lammenschans and De Vink are local Sprinter stops that matter only if your address is next to one. No international train calls at any of the three, so for Brussels, Paris, Cologne or Berlin you change at Rotterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport or Amsterdam Centraal.

Trains from Leiden Centraal

The times below are for the direct Intercity, as of October 2026 on the NS timetable that runs until 12 December 2026. Fares are the lowest e-ticket price.

From Monday to Thursday in the daytime, Intercity trains to Utrecht and Rotterdam leave about every 10 minutes; on Fridays and in the evening about every 15. On Sundays, Utrecht trains leave every 30 minutes early on and about every 15 from late morning, and the Haarlem Intercity runs every 30 minutes from about 10:00.

Trains run through the night. After the last regular trains at around 01:00, NS night trains call at Leiden about once an hour in each direction, towards Utrecht via Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Centraal, and towards The Hague and Rotterdam, at normal fares. Regular service restarts at around 05:30 on weekdays.

Engineering works

From Saturday 7 November 01:00 to Monday 9 November 05:00 no trains run to, from or through Rotterdam Centraal. Intercity trains from Leiden towards Rotterdam run only as far as Delft Campus, replacement buses and metro run between Delft Campus and Rotterdam, and nothing runs on the high-speed line between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam.

On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November no trains run between Leiden Centraal and Haarlem, and replacement buses run instead. For Amsterdam that weekend, take the Intercity via Schiphol Airport.

The Gouwespoorbrug in Alphen aan den Rijn is closed to trains from 12 October 2026 to 13 July 2027, so nothing runs between Alphen aan den Rijn and Bodegraven, and replacement buses run four times an hour. The Sprinter route from Leiden to Utrecht via Woerden is cut. For Utrecht, take the Intercity from Leiden Centraal via Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Zuid, with no change. From Monday to Friday during the day, Sprinters between Leiden Centraal and Alphen aan den Rijn run four times an hour instead of two.

NS had not published its Christmas and New Year timetable for 2026 by mid-October. On the night of 31 December to 1 January, the night trains through Leiden start at about 01:00.

From the station to the old centre

Most visitors walk: it is five minutes on foot to the Beestenmarkt and ten to Breestraat. Qbuzz buses leave from the bus station directly in front of Leiden Centraal every five to ten minutes. City lines 1 and 2 reach Breestraat, in the heart of the old town, in about five minutes. The VVV tourist office is opposite the station at Stationsweg 26, open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 16:00, with a Qbuzz Store inside.

On Qbuzz buses, tap in and out with the same bank card or phone; no advance ticket is needed.

Leiden Lammenschans and De Vink

Leiden Lammenschans lies south of the old centre. Sprinters to Alphen aan den Rijn take 9 minutes and leave about every 15 minutes on weekday daytimes and every 30 minutes in the evening and at weekends. A Sprinter to Leiden Centraal takes 5 minutes, and Qbuzz city lines 1 and 2 run from the station through Breestraat in the old town to Leiden Centraal.

De Vink is on the south-western edge of the city, on the line towards The Hague, and only Sprinters stop here. They leave about every 15 minutes on weekday daytimes, and every 30 minutes in the evening and at weekends, reaching Leiden Centraal in 4 minutes and Den Haag Centraal in 14. The platform sits on the Leiden and Voorschoten border. Qbuzz lines 1, 2, 4 and 54 run from the station through Breestraat to Leiden Centraal.

Tickets

An NS e-ticket from the NS website or app carries no €1.60 surcharge. You can also pay by tapping a contactless debit card, credit card or phone at the gates. You then travel second class without a discount. If you tap in by mistake, tap out at the same station within 60 minutes and the journey is cancelled free of charge.

Rail passes and reservations

Interrail passes are valid on NS trains, and Intercity and Sprinter trains need no reservation. The Intercity Direct high-speed train between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam Centraal does not stop in Leiden, and a pass holder on a domestic journey still pays a €3 supplement for it, as of October 2026. The ordinary Intercity through Leiden carries no supplement.

Mistakes to avoid

Forgetting to tap out is the costliest mistake: with a debit card a missed check-out costs a fixed €33.30.