The best time to visit Amsterdam
Tulips in April, the longest days in June, a calmer city in September, and canal lights and emptier museums in winter.
- Best months
- April–May for tulips
- Wettest
- October, 19 rainy days
- Keukenhof
- mid-March to early May
Amsterdam is not a city with one right month, and the better question is what you want to see. Tulips demand April, September gives the calmest streets, winter has its own programme of lights and quiet museums, and summer suits whoever came for the canals anyway.
Through the year
Tulips and King's Day
Keukenhof in Lisse is open from mid-March to early May, and an online ticket costs €21.50. The park blooms hardest from mid-April to the end of the month, while the bulb fields around it hold on until early May, and the exact week depends on how the winter went. Plan for the middle of that window and keep a spare day in case the weather moves it.
King's Day falls on 27 April, with the party starting the evening before. Trains keep running, but trams and most buses in the centre stand still, so the city gets around on foot or by bike. The municipality counted about 125,000 people in the centre in 2026. If crowds are not the point of your trip, pick any other day in April, and you will still get the tulips.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Long days and herring season
August averages 18.5 °C with 14 rainy days, so the rain jacket belongs in the bag even then. The upside is the herring: Hollandse Nieuwe is caught from late May to early July, just before spawning, when the fish is at its fattest. Herring price: €4–5.
Summer is also when the museums fill up. Anne Frank House tickets are sold online only, released on Tuesdays at 10 am for a visit six weeks later: €16.50. The Rijksmuseum opens daily from 9 am to 5 pm and everyone books an entry time: €25. The Van Gogh Museum sells online only, with a time slot: €25. On rooms, VAT on accommodation has been 21 per cent since 1 January 2026, up from 9, and the tourist tax is 12.5 per cent.
A calmer September, a wet October
September averages 15.8 °C with 13 rainy days, and it is the month when the canals feel like a neighbourhood again. October is the wettest month of the year with 19 rainy days, so it is the one to schedule around museums and cafés.
Amsterdam Dance Event fills the clubs for five days at the end of October, and anyone who is not coming for it should book a room early or pick another week. Keukenhof tickets for the next season go on sale from mid-October, which is a small reason to buy early if tulips are the plan.
A2 daysWhat to do when it rains.Amsterdam in 2 days →
Canal lights and quieter museums
January averages 4.8 °C, and November and December each bring 17 rainy days. The days are short, and the brown cafés fill with people who came in out of the dark, which is exactly their job.
Amsterdam Light Festival runs from late November to January, with about twenty light works along the canals. The lights come on at 5:30 pm and go off at 10 or 11 pm, and from 19 December to 3 January they stay on until 11 pm every day. The works can be seen from the street, while boats and guided walks cost extra. Museums are quieter than in summer, but they still ask for a time slot.
Where to next
Getting around Amsterdam
→The train from Schiphol runs into Centraal in about seventeen minutes, and from there one contactless card pays for every tram, metro and bus, so a short stay needs no ticket at all.
Haarlem · 17 km
→The oldest museum and the oldest hofje in the Netherlands, a quarter of an hour from Amsterdam
How well does Amsterdam suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Amsterdam
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When are the tulips in bloom and until when is Keukenhof open?
Keukenhof is open from mid-March to early May, and the peak bloom runs from mid-April to early May, depending on the winter. An online ticket costs €21.50.
What is King's Day and should I avoid it?
King's Day is 27 April. The streets fill up, trams in the centre stand still and trains keep running, with about 125,000 people in the centre in 2026. Come for the party or pick another day, because the two trips are different.
Is it worth visiting in winter?
Yes, if you like lights, quieter museums and brown cafés. The Light Festival runs from late November to January, but the days are dark early and November and December each bring 17 rainy days.
Ready for Amsterdam?
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