It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021)[1] in an area of 565.09 square kilometres (218.18 sq mi).

The first evident inhabitants were the Turduli Oppidani,[3] a Celtici tribe (akin to the Lusitanians), who established a settlement near (around 7 km) present-day Leiria.

The name "Leiria" in Portuguese derives from 'leira' (from the medieval Galician-Portuguese[5] form 'laria', from proto-Celtic *ɸlār-yo-, akin to English 'floor(ing)', Old Irish 'làr' 'ground, floor', Breton 'leur' 'ground', Welsh 'llawr' 'floor') meaning an area with small farming plots.

In 1142 Afonso Henriques gave Leiria its first foral (compilation of feudal rights) to stimulate the colonisation of the region.

He also built a royal residence in Leiria (now lost), and lived for long periods in the town, which he donated as feud to his wife, Elizabeth of Portugal (Rainha Isabel).

This palace, with elegant gothic galleries that offered wonderful views of the town and surrounding landscape, was totally in ruins but was partially rebuilt in the 20th century.

John I also sponsored the rebuilding in late gothic style of the old Church of Our Lady of the Rock (Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Pedra), located inside the castle.

Towards the end of the 15th century the town continued to grow, occupying the area from the castle hill down to the river Lis.

The municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, Marinha Grande to the west, Alcobaça to the southwest, Batalha to the south, Ourém to the southeast, and Pombal to the north and northeast.

The city of Leiria has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

[6] Administratively, the municipality is divided into 18 civil parishes (freguesias):[9] Gonçalo Lopes took office as the Mayor of Leiria on 26 August 2019, after the resignation of his predecessor.

Nearby is the Church of Saint Peter (Igreja de São Pedro), the site of the city's annual music festival.

Leiria is home to the Museu da imagem em movimento (Museum of the Moving Image)[12] as well as Portugal's restored first paper mill, Moinho do Papel (The Paper Mill),[13] the Theatre Miguel Franco in the Mercado de Sant'Ana (Saint Anne's Market)[14] and the Theatre José Lúcio da Silva[15] are venues for theatrical, musical, cinematic and dance performances.

The city was the principal residence of the Portuguese king, Denis, who wrote lyric poetry in the troubadour tradition, and briefly the home of the modern realist writer Eça de Queiroz, whose first novel, O Crime do Padre Amaro ("Father Amaro's Sin"), published in 1875, is set in the city.

In October 2012, Leiria opened the city's "Centro Cívico", a modern architecture building, designed to have social impact on the community.

In here, there's senior classes and Associação Fazer Avançar runs SPEAK, with support from EDP and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, among others.

The city has several cultural entities like Leiria's Public Library Afonso Lopes Vieira, Arquivo, Ateneu, Leirena and O Nariz (theatre groups), Associação Fazer Avançar, FADE IN, Metamorfose, ECO and many others which make Leiria a culturally vibrant city, offering the busiest calendars of events.

The nearby village of Cortes is known for "Migas", a dish of corn bread with spinach, garlic and olive oil which is eaten as an accompaniment to fish or meat.

The bus service, called Mobilis, is composed by 9 lines connecting surrounding neighbourhoods and parishes of Leiria with the city centre.

This includes two bus loops and a specific line (uMob) that connects the city centre with Campus 1 and 2 of the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.

[34][35] Since 2013 Leiria has had a chess academy (Academia de Xadrez) offered as an activity for young people by the Corvos do Lis.