Best time to visit Leiden
Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.
How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.
Compare with another destination
Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.
Tours in Leiden
6 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Leiden).
- 1
Discover Leiden From Pilgrims to Painters in Historic Key City - 2
Historical Private Tour of Delft and Leiden including Transfer - 3
Historical Leiden: Private Walking Tour with a Local Guide - 4
Private Netherlands guided day tour from your Hotel - 5
Discover Leiden with a self-guided Outside Escape city game tour! - 6
Private Tour of The Hague and Leiden including Transfer
Last refreshed 2026-06-18.
Similar climatesThe Hague99% · Delft98% · Haarlem98%
Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Leiden (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Leiden's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.
Month-by-month
| Month | Temp °C | Feels °C | Rain days | Rain h | Rain h/day | Humidity | Wind km/h | Sun h | UV | Interest | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3–7 | 3 | 14 | 178 | 12.7 | 82% | 28 | 91 | 1 | Quiet | 3 |
| Feb | 4–9 | 4 | 15 | 174 | 11.6 | 79% | 31 | 106 | 1 | Quiet | 4 |
| Mar | 4–10 | 7 | 14 | 156 | 11.1 | 71% | 25 | 178 | 2 | Quiet | 5 |
| Apr | 5–13 | 9 | 11 | 143 | 13.0 | 64% | 24 | 231 | 3 | Quiet | 6 |
| May | 9–17 | 14 | 12 | 140 | 11.7 | 67% | 22 | 279 | 4 | Quiet | 6 |
| Jun | 13–21 | 19 | 12 | 127 | 10.6 | 64% | 21 | 274 | 5 | Quiet | 8 |
| Jul | 14–21 | 20 | 17 | 198 | 11.6 | 69% | 23 | 271 | 5 | Quiet | 6 |
| Aug | 15–22 | 22 | 14 | 159 | 11.4 | 67% | 22 | 266 | 5 | Peak | 7 |
| Sep | 13–20 | 19 | 12 | 161 | 13.4 | 70% | 21 | 213 | 3 | Busy | 7 |
| Oct | 10–16 | 13 | 18 | 205 | 11.4 | 79% | 25 | 141 | 2 | Moderate | 5 |
| Nov | 6–11 | 8 | 18 | 211 | 11.7 | 82% | 25 | 98 | 1 | Peak | 4 |
| Dec | 4–8 | 4 | 17 | 209 | 12.3 | 86% | 26 | 65 | — | Moderate | 3 |
UV Index in Leiden by Month
UV index in Leiden peaks at 5 (moderate) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in December.
Best months in detail
June
8/1013–21°C (feels 19°C) · 12 rain days (127h) · 274 sun hours · 64% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 7 (high)
August
7/1015–22°C · 14 rain days (159h) · 266 sun hours · 67% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 5 (moderate)
September
7/1013–20°C (feels 19°C) · 12 rain days (161h) · 213 sun hours · 70% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 3 (moderate)
Every month
Show the other 9 months in detail
January
3/103–7°C (feels 3°C) · 14 rain days (178h) · 91 sun hours · 82% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)
February
4/104–9°C (feels 4°C) · 15 rain days (174h) · 106 sun hours · 79% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)
March
5/104–10°C (feels 7°C) · 14 rain days (156h) · 178 sun hours · 71% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 3 (moderate)
April
6/105–13°C (feels 9°C) · 11 rain days (143h) · 231 sun hours · 64% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (moderate)
May
6/109–17°C (feels 14°C) · 12 rain days (140h) · 279 sun hours · 67% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate)
July
6/1014–21°C (feels 20°C) · 17 rain days (198h) · 271 sun hours · 69% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 7 (high)
October
5/1010–16°C (feels 13°C) · 18 rain days (205h) · 141 sun hours · 79% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 2 (low)
November
4/106–11°C (feels 8°C) · 18 rain days (211h) · 98 sun hours · 82% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 1 (low)
December
3/104–8°C (feels 4°C) · 17 rain days (209h) · 65 sun hours · 86% humidity · Moderate crowd
Frequently asked questions about visiting Leiden
When is the best time to visit Leiden?
June is the highest-scoring month (8/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 13–21°C (12 rainy days). The top three months by score are June, August, September.
What is the worst time to visit Leiden?
December is the lowest-scoring month (3/10). Typical conditions: 4–8°C (17 rainy days).
When are crowds lowest in Leiden?
Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in February and peaks in November. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.
Which months in Leiden have good weather but fewer tourists?
June (climate 8/10, crowd index 10) and April (climate 6/10, crowd index 11) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.
What is the UV index in Leiden by month?
UV peaks at 5 (moderate) in June and is lowest in December at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan 1, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 3, May 4, Jun 5, Jul 5, Aug 5, Sep 3, Oct 2, Nov 1, Dec —.
What is the UV index in Leiden in June?
June is the peak UV month in Leiden, with a daily-peak UV index of 5 (moderate). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.
How high can UV get in Leiden on the sunniest days?
Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 5 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 7 (high) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: March, June, July. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.
Is air quality in Leiden bad for travelers?
PM2.5 (fine-particle pollution) exceeds the WHO sensitive-group guideline (15 µg/m³) in 8 months: January, February, March, April, May, September, November, December. The worst month is March with a typical-day mean of 13 µg/m³ (moderate); on the worst 10% of days PM2.5 reaches 27 µg/m³ (unhealthy) and higher. People with asthma, heart conditions, or sensitive children may want to avoid these months or limit outdoor activity. Source: CAMS via Open-Meteo.