Leiden Bingo: Spot 30 Typically Leiden Things
Walk the city of keys, tick off the card, snap a photo of every typically Leiden thing you can find. From a stroopwafel on Breestraat to the Burcht hilltop fortress, this is a 30-item Leiden bingo that turns any walk into a treasure hunt. No fixed route. Just keep your eyes open.
Challenges (30)
Spot a Leiden haring with onions
Find a Hollandse Nieuwe herring with chopped onion at a Leiden haringkraam. Photograph the silver fish.
Spot a Leiden bitterballen plate
Find a plate of bitterballen on a Leiden café table. Photograph the line-up.
Spot a Leiden stroopwafel
Find a fresh stroopwafel in a Leiden bakery. Photograph the warm wafer.
Spot a Leiden Dutch flag
Find a Dutch flag flying on a Leiden building. Photograph the colours.
Spot a Leiden Vlaamse frites cone
Find a paper cone of Belgian-style frites at a Leiden friet stand. Photograph the cone.
Spot a Leiden Dutch upright bike
Find a classic Dutch upright bicycle parked along the Rapenburg. Photograph it.
Spot a Leiden stepped gable
Find a stepped gable on a Leiden canal house. Photograph the silhouette.
Spot a Leiden bell gable (klokgevel)
Find a bell-shaped gable on a Leiden facade. Photograph the bell shape.
Spot a Leiden cheese stall
Find a cheese stall on the Wednesday/Saturday Hooglandse Kerkgracht market or any Leiden cheese shop. Photograph the Gouda wheels.
Spot a Leiden brown café
Find a Leiden bruin café (dark wood, beer pumps). The Café De Bonte Koe is the classic. Photograph the doorway.
Spot the Burcht hilltop fort
Walk to the Burcht (the round 12th-century fortress on the hill). Photograph the circular wall.
Spot the Pieterskerk
Find the Pieterskerk on Pieterskerkhof. Photograph the gothic church facade.
Spot the Hooglandse Kerk
Find the Hooglandse Kerk on Hooglandse Kerkgracht. Photograph the gothic church.
Spot the Rapenburg canal reflection
Walk along the Rapenburg and find a still stretch with the canal houses reflected. Photograph the mirror image.
Spot the University Main Building (Academiegebouw)
Find the Leiden Academiegebouw on the Rapenburg, the gothic-Renaissance main university building. Photograph the facade.
Spot a Hortus Botanicus plant
Walk into the Hortus Botanicus Leiden (the oldest botanical garden in NL). Photograph an unusual plant, palm or the entrance gate.
Spot a Leiden wall poem (muurgedicht)
Find one of the more than 100 wall poems painted on Leiden facades (Tegen-Beeld project). Photograph the poem on the wall.
Spot a Leiden hofje courtyard
Find one of Leiden's hofjes (Sint-Annahofje, Hofje van Bakenes, Coninck van Polen). Photograph the courtyard.
Spot the Leiden Stadhuis
Find the Leiden Stadhuis on Breestraat (the post-fire 1929 rebuild facade with the original Renaissance front). Photograph the steps.
Spot a Leiden canal boat
Find a tour boat on the Rapenburg or Oude Rijn. Photograph the boat from a bridge.
Spot a Leiden 3 October (Leidens Ontzet) reference
Around 3 October find a Leidens Ontzet (Relief of Leiden, 1574) reference: posters, herring-and-white-bread stalls, parade flags. Outside the season find a 3 October souvenir or photograph. Photograph the reference.
Spot a Rembrandt reference (his hometown)
Find a Rembrandt reference in Leiden (his birthplace): the Rembrandt statue near Weddesteeg, a poster of a Rembrandt painting, a museum sign. Photograph the reference.
Spot a Leiden small archway lamp
Find a small wrought-iron lamp hanging in a Leiden archway (between Pieterskerkhof courtyards). Photograph the lamp.
Spot a Leiden street vintage shop
Walk down Haarlemmerstraat or Doezastraat and find a vintage clothing shop window. Photograph the curation.
Spot a Leiden poffertjes plate
Find a poffertjeskraam with the cast-iron pan of small puffy pancakes. Photograph the pan.
Spot a Museum De Lakenhal facade
Find Museum De Lakenhal on Oude Singel. Photograph the heritage facade with the modern addition.
Spot a Pilgrim Fathers plaque or reference
Find a Pilgrim Fathers plaque, Leiden American Pilgrim Museum sign or another Mayflower reference. Photograph it.
Spot the Korenbeurs facade
Find the Korenbeurs (former corn exchange) on the Nieuwe Rijn. Photograph the classical facade.
Spot the Visbrug bridge
Find the Visbrug, a Leiden bridge with shops on it. Photograph the bridge with the shops.
Spot a Leiden flower stall on the Wednesday or Saturday market
On a market day find a Leiden flower stall on the Nieuwe Rijn waterside market. Photograph the cascade of bouquets.
Frequently asked questions
The duration is up to the organizer when they set up the adventure. As a guideline, a focused afternoon across the Breestraat, the Rapenburg, the Burcht and the Pieterskerk ticks off most of the easy items, and stretching across a weekend (with the Hortus and Museum De Lakenhal) lets a determined group complete all 30.
Each of the 30 items is a camera challenge. When you spot the thing, take a photo and submit it; the bingo card tracks progress. Play solo, with friends or split into teams and race to tick off the most items.
Some items (a wall poem, a hofje) need targeted exploration. Sweep Breestraat and the Markt for the easy items, the Rapenburg for the university and canal-houses, the Pieterskerk square for academic charm, the hofjes and wall poems for the harder ones.
The Rapenburg, Breestraat and Pieterskerkhof hit the most items in a walking loop. Add the Hortus Botanicus, the Burcht hilltop fort and the wall poems scattered around the centre for the harder items.
Yes. Kids love spotting the Burcht, hofjes courtyards, canal boats and herring stalls; adults enjoy hunting wall poems, the Pilgrim Fathers heritage and Hortus rarities. No alcohol stops are required.