In this guide
💡 The Short Version: April to early May is the tulip season: Keukenhof opens 18 March to 9 May 2027, with peak bloom from 15 to 30 April, and April is the driest month (39.6 mm); see tulip season. May to August are the warm months, with average highs of 17.8 to 22.5°C, and August is the wettest, at 98.6 mm. King’s Day is Tuesday 27 April 2027, and the Pride Canal Parade Saturday 7 August 2027. The Light Festival runs 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. The Rijksmuseum is open every day of the year. Or book a tour: the Keukenhof shuttle with entryad (from £29.90, GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026) covers the spring season in one booking.
Amsterdam month by month
Weather is KNMI’s 1991 to 2020 average for the station at Schiphol airport, not the city centre (knmi.nl, 1 October 2026). Highs and lows are the monthly average maximum and minimum in °C; rain is the month’s total and the days with 1 mm or more. Events and closures are from each organiser’s or operator’s own page and the tourist board’s events listing, read on 1 October 2026.
| Month | High / low | Rain | Sun | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.2 / 1.2 | 66.5 mm, 12 days | 69 hours | 1 January: the Anne Frank House opens at 12:00. The Light Festival runs to 17 January and the Museumplein ice rink to 16 January. National Tulip Day, in mid-January, is when growers put 200,000 tulips on Dam Square |
| February | 6.9 / 1.0 | 54.7 mm, 11 days | 94 hours | No public holiday and no event on this page |
| March | 10.1 / 2.8 | 51.8 mm, 10 days | 146 hours | Keukenhof opens on 18 March. Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Sunday 28 March 2027 |
| April | 14.3 / 5.2 | 39.6 mm, 9 days | 198 hours | The Amsterdam Tulp Festival runs all month, the Bloemencorso flower parade is on 17 April, and Keukenhof’s peak bloom is 15 to 30 April. King’s Day is 27 April |
| May | 17.8 / 8.6 | 53.9 mm, 9 days | 231 hours | Keukenhof closes on 9 May. 4 May is Remembrance Day and 5 May Liberation Day. The sunniest month |
| June | 20.3 / 11.3 | 64.8 mm, 10 days | 217 hours | No public holiday from Whit Monday, 17 May, until Christmas Day |
| July | 22.5 / 13.5 | 82.3 mm, 11 days | 225 hours | The warmest month, with 7.6 days of 25°C or more. Pride starts on Saturday 31 July with the Pride Walk and Pride Park |
| August | 22.4 / 13.4 | 98.6 mm, 12 days | 204 hours | The wettest month. The Pride Canal Parade is on Saturday 7 August 2027 |
| September | 19.2 / 11.0 | 84.4 mm, 11 days | 154 hours | The Amsterdam Fringe Festival runs 2 to 12 September 2027 |
| October | 14.7 / 7.7 | 86.7 mm, 12 days | 117 hours | The Amsterdam Dance Event runs 21 to 25 October 2026; the 2027 dates are not out |
| November | 10.0 / 4.5 | 85.3 mm, 13 days | 67 hours | Museumnacht is on 7 November 2026, Sinterklaas arrives on 15 November, and the Light Festival starts on 26 November. See Christmas and the Light Festival |
| December | 6.9 / 1.9 | 81.7 mm, 14 days | 58 hours | The Christmas Village on Museumplein runs 3 to 27 December 2026. 25 and 26 December are public holidays. The Light Festival closes at 21:00 on 31 December. See New Year in Amsterdam |
The weather in numbers
- Warmth: July is the warmest month, with an average high of 22.5°C. A year has 21.9 days of 25°C or more, 6.3 of them in August and 7.6 in July, and only 3.7 days of 30°C or more.
- Cold: January is the coldest month, with an average low of 1.2°C. A year has 42.8 nights of frost, 11.1 of them in January, and 5.8 days that stay below freezing all day.
- Rain: 850 mm falls in a year, on 133 days of 1 mm or more. August is the wettest month, at 98.6 mm, and every month from July to December has 81.7 to 98.6 mm; April is the driest, at 39.6 mm.
- Sun: May is the sunniest month, with 231 hours, ahead of July (225) and June (217). December has 58 hours.
Tulips and spring
Keukenhof is open from 18 March to 9 May 2027, 8:00 to 19:00, and its tickets go on sale on 15 October 2026. The park’s own bloom windows put early bloom at 18 March to 14 April, peak bloom at 15 to 30 April and late bloom at 1 to 9 May. The bulb fields outside the park are private land, and the weather decides which week they flower. Tulip season has the dates and the rules for the fields, and Keukenhof from Amsterdam compares the ways to get there.
Public holidays and what they close
The Dutch government lists these public holidays (government.nl, 1 October 2026). It says nobody has a legal right to the day off, so shops and small businesses decide for themselves.
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 2026 | Fri 25 and Sat 26 Dec |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 Jan 2027 |
| Good Friday | Fri 26 Mar 2027 |
| Easter Sunday and Monday | Sun 28 and Mon 29 Mar 2027 |
| King’s Day | Tue 27 Apr 2027 |
| Liberation Day | Wed 5 May 2027 |
| Ascension Day | Thu 6 May 2027 |
| Whit Sunday and Monday | Sun 16 and Mon 17 May 2027 |
| Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 2027 | Sat 25 and Sun 26 Dec 2027 |
Remembrance Day, 4 May, is not a public holiday: it falls on Tuesday in 2027, and the national ceremony is on Dam Square, with two minutes’ silence across the country at 20:00 (4en5mei.nl).
The tourist board says most museums and attractions are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and on Remembrance and Liberation Day, and open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (I amsterdam, updated 11 December 2025). The two biggest museums say otherwise:
| Date | Rijksmuseum | Anne Frank House |
|---|---|---|
| 25 December | Open 9:00 to 17:00 | Open 9:00 to 17:00 |
| 31 December | Open 9:00 to 17:00 | Open 9:00 to 17:00 |
| 1 January | Open 9:00 to 17:00 | Opens at 12:00, to 22:00 |
| 27 April (King’s Day) | Open 9:00 to 17:00 | Open 9:00 to 17:00 |
| 4 May | Open 9:00 to 17:00 | Open 9:00 to 17:00 |
The Rijksmuseum opens every day of the year, public holidays included (rijksmuseum.nl). The Anne Frank House is open from 9:00 to 22:00 on other days (annefrank.org). The Van Gogh Museum is open on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December 2026 from 9:00 to 17:00 (vangoghmuseum.com). All three still sell timed tickets: see what to book before you go in Amsterdam.
Which month for what
- Tulips: the last two weeks of March to the first week of May. Peak bloom at Keukenhof is 15 to 30 April.
- The biggest street party: King’s Day, Tuesday 27 April 2027. The centre is shut to cars and crowded all day; see King’s Day in Amsterdam.
- Pride: 31 July to 8 August 2027, with the Canal Parade on Saturday 7 August; see Amsterdam Pride.
- Warm days: June to August, with 20.3 to 22.5°C on average. August has the most rain of the year, so pack for both.
- Lights and ice: the Light Festival and the Museumplein ice rink, from late November to mid-January. The days are short, with 58 hours of sun in December.
- Day trips: the Zaanse Schans, Haarlem, Delft and The Hague, Rotterdam and the other trips are on day trips from Amsterdam, and the train runs every day.
Tourist tax is 12.5% of the room price before VAT in 2026. The coalition agreement that Amsterdam’s new administration published in June 2026 plans 16% in 2027, rising by a point a year to 20% (Coalitieakkoord Amsterdam 2026-2030). Where to stay in Amsterdam compares the areas.
For a plan once you have the dates, see 3 days in Amsterdam and Amsterdam in one day; for the way in from the airport, Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal; for tables, where to eat in Amsterdam gives the closed days and which to book ahead; and for the bookings that sell out in any month, what to book before you go in Amsterdam.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Amsterdam?
For tulips, April: Keukenhof is open from 18 March to 9 May 2027, with peak bloom from 15 to 30 April, and April is the driest month at 39.6 mm. For warmth, June to August, with average highs of 20.3 to 22.5°C. For the fewest crowds and the lights, December and January, when the Light Festival runs and the average high is 6.2 to 6.9°C. These are KNMI's 1991 to 2020 averages for Schiphol.
What is the wettest month in Amsterdam?
August, with 98.6 mm on 11.6 days of 1 mm or more. October, November and December are almost as wet, at 81.7 to 86.7 mm, and December has the most rainy days, 14.1. April is the driest month at 39.6 mm. The figures are KNMI's 1991 to 2020 averages for Schiphol airport, not the city centre.
When is King's Day in 2027?
Tuesday 27 April 2027. The date is 27 April, or 26 April when the 27th is a Sunday. Most high-street shops close, trams and buses stop at the edge of the centre, and the Rijksmuseum is open. The Anne Frank House closes at 17:00.
Are the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum open at Christmas?
Yes. The Rijksmuseum is open every day of the year from 9:00 to 17:00, public holidays included. The Van Gogh Museum is open on 24, 25 and 26 December 2026 from 9:00 to 17:00. The tourist board's page says most museums close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, so check each museum's own page.
Is Amsterdam too cold for a winter visit?
The average January high is 6.2°C and the average low 1.2°C, with frost on 11.1 nights in the month and only 69 hours of sun. The Light Festival, from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, and the Museumplein ice rink, to 16 January 2027, are the reasons to come in winter.