Bookstores in Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden, Friesland has 9 bookstores on the map. That's 9 bookshops mapped around Leeuwarden, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide. Give yourself an hour minimum — bookshops are the one errand that always takes longer than planned.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Leeuwarden (within about 25 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include De Lektuurhal and Ljocht, plus Boekenpassage De Rode Loper. If a bookshop's missing from Leeuwarden's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Leeuwarden bookstore lineup
9 in Leeuwarden, plus 19 more around Leeuwarden below:
De Lektuurhal
Bookstore0.1 km from Leeuwarden
De Lektuurhal is Bookstore on 10 Over de Kelders, Leeuwarden.
10 Over de Kelders, Leeuwarden, 8911JE
Ljocht
Bookstore0.1 km from Leeuwarden
Ljocht — Bookstore, found on 11 Kelders in Leeuwarden. Also worth knowing about Ljocht: it has a website with more detail.
11 Kelders, Leeuwarden, 8911JC
Boekenpassage De Rode Loper
Bookstore0.2 km from Leeuwarden
Boekenpassage De Rode Loper — Bookstore.
De Toverlantaarn
Bookstore0.3 km from Leeuwarden
De Toverlantaarn — Bookstore, found on 119 Nieuwestad in Leeuwarden. Also worth knowing about De Toverlantaarn: it has a website with more detail.
119 Nieuwestad, Leeuwarden, 8911CP
Boekenvoordeel
Bookstore0.4 km from Leeuwarden
Boekenvoordeel — Bookstore, found on 102 Nieuwestad in Leeuwarden.
102 Nieuwestad, Leeuwarden, 8911CX
Van der Velde
Used bookstore0.5 km from Leeuwarden
Van der Velde is Used bookstore on 57-59 Nieuwestad, Leeuwarden. Van der Velde also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
57-59 Nieuwestad, Leeuwarden, 8911CJ
Phone: +31 58 213 2360
Afûk
Bookstore0.7 km from Leeuwarden
Afûk is Bookstore on 3 Boterhoek, Leeuwarden. Afûk also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo 13:00-17:30; Tu-Fr 09:30-17:30; Sa 10:30-17:30; it has a website with more detail.
3 Boterhoek, Leeuwarden, 8911DH
Hours: Mo 13:00-17:30; Tu-Fr 09:30-17:30; Sa 10:30-17:30
Bruna
Bookstore1.6 km from Leeuwarden
Bruna — Bookstore, found on 76b Tijnjedijk in Leeuwarden. Also worth knowing about Bruna: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-19:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00.
76b Tijnjedijk, Leeuwarden, 8936AD
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-19:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 12:00-17:00
ReadShop
Bookstore2.2 km from Leeuwarden
ReadShop is Bookstore on 3 Pieter Sipmawei, Leeuwarden. ReadShop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3 Pieter Sipmawei, Leeuwarden, 8915DZ
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00
Phone: +31 58 203 7118
What the map tells us about bookstores in Leeuwarden
3 of the 9 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
5 have websites listed. Worth a look for events — readings and signings get announced there first.
The Leeuwarden bookstore crawl
Making a day of it in Leeuwarden? Work this order: De Lektuurhal on 10 Over de Kelders, Ljocht on 11 Kelders, Boekenpassage De Rode Loper, De Toverlantaarn on 119 Nieuwestad, Boekenvoordeel on 102 Nieuwestad, Van der Velde on 57-59 Nieuwestad, Afûk on 3 Boterhoek, and Bruna on 76b Tijnjedijk. That's the bookstore crawl in one sensible loop, no backtracking. 1 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Leeuwarden
Browsing in Leeuwarden? A little strategy helps:
- Check the sale shelf rhythm at De Lektuurhal. Shops clear shelves on cycles. Ask when the next cull happens — that's when the bargains land.
- Browse by serendipity, buy by list at Ljocht. Keep a want-list on your phone for the hunt, but let the shelves surprise you too. The best finds are never the planned ones.
- Check the cookbook section. Cookbooks are the most browsed and least bought section, which means the used shelf is full of barely-touched gems.
- Don't overlook the classics wall. Every shop has one. Cheap editions of the books everyone claims to have read — your chance to actually read them.
Good to know
We searched about 25 km around Leeuwarden — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Leeuwarden can take a while to appear. If you spot one of the 9 that's closed, or a great bookstore we missed, the fix is to update the map itself — that's where this guide reads from.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 9 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Worth the trip: more bookstores around Leeuwarden
19 more within about 25 km of Leeuwarden — here are the 15 nearest:
Bruna
Bookstore12.0 km from Leeuwarden
Bruna — Bookstore, found on 5 Hoofdstraat in Grou.
5 Hoofdstraat, Grou, 9001AM
Boekhandel Burgum
Bookstore12.8 km from Leeuwarden
Boekhandel Burgum is Bookstore on 46 Schoolstraat, Burgum.
46 Schoolstraat, Burgum, 9251EC
Christelijke Boekwinkel Levend Water
Bookstore16.4 km from Leeuwarden
Christelijke Boekwinkel Levend Water is Bookstore on 68a Haadwei, Damwâld. Christelijke Boekwinkel Levend Water also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
68a Haadwei, Damwâld, 9104BH
Bron Evangelische Boekwinkel
Bookstore17.0 km from LeeuwardenRun by Stichting "De Bron"
Run by Stichting "De Bron", Bron Evangelische Boekwinkel is Bookstore, found on 17 Zuiderkade in Franeker.
17 Zuiderkade, Franeker, 8801MJ
De Grote Beer
Bookstore17.0 km from Leeuwarden
De Grote Beer — Bookstore, found on 30 Dijkstraat in Franeker. Also worth knowing about De Grote Beer: the map lists its hours as We-Sa 10:00-17:30; it has a website with more detail.
30 Dijkstraat, Franeker, 8801LV
Hours: We-Sa 10:00-17:30
Friso
Bookstore17.0 km from Leeuwarden
Friso — Bookstore, found on 2 Heechein in Akkrum. Also worth knowing about Friso: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
2 Heechein, Akkrum, 8491EM
Phone: +31 566 651 969
de Boektiek
Bookstore19.1 km from Leeuwarden
de Boektiek — Bookstore, found on 12 Hoogstraat in Dokkum. Also worth knowing about de Boektiek: the map lists its hours as We,Th 12:00-17:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-17:00.
12 Hoogstraat, Dokkum, 9101LJ
Hours: We,Th 12:00-17:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-17:00
Van der Velde
Bookstore19.2 km from Leeuwarden
Van der Velde is Bookstore on 3 Grote Breedstraat, Dokkum. Van der Velde also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3 Grote Breedstraat, Dokkum, 9101KH
Phone: +31 519 292 688
Bruna
Bookstore20.8 km from Leeuwarden
Bruna — Bookstore, found on 11 Oosterdijk in Sneek. Also worth knowing about Bruna: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
11 Oosterdijk, Sneek, 8601BP
Phone: +31 515 412 997
Van der Velde
Bookstore20.9 km from Leeuwarden
Van der Velde is Bookstore on 36 Kruizebroederstraat, Sneek. Van der Velde also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
36 Kruizebroederstraat, Sneek, 8601CM
Phone: +31 515 423 900
ReadShop
Bookstore21.5 km from Leeuwarden
ReadShop is Bookstore on 9 Boschplein, Sneek. ReadShop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
9 Boschplein, Sneek, 8607CD
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00
Phone: +31 515 221042
B. IJlstra
Bookstore21.5 km from Leeuwarden
B. IJlstra — Bookstore, found on 20 Eems in Drachten.
20 Eems, Drachten, 9204JX
Boekenvoordeel
Bookstore22.5 km from Leeuwarden
Boekenvoordeel — Bookstore, found on 14 Noorderbuurt in Drachten.
14 Noorderbuurt, Drachten, 9203AM
Tov!drachten
Bookstore22.5 km from Leeuwarden
Tov!drachten is Bookstore on 12 Oosterstraat, Drachten.
12 Oosterstraat, Drachten, 9203BB
Van der Velde
Bookstore22.6 km from Leeuwarden
Van der Velde is Bookstore on 5 Raadhuisplein, Drachten. Van der Velde also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
5 Raadhuisplein, Drachten, 9203CZ
Phone: +31 512 544 440
Bookstore listings for Leeuwarden: 9 in Leeuwarden and 19 more nearby mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.