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Photo by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Best time to visit Amsterdam
Netherlands · Europe
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Amsterdam
Tap a month for its page
- JanJAmsterdam in January: avoid
- FebFAmsterdam in February: avoid
- MarMAmsterdam in March: ok
- AprAAmsterdam in April: good
- MayMAmsterdam in May: sweet spot
- JunJAmsterdam in June: sweet spot, busy
- JulJAmsterdam in July: sweet spot, busy
- AugAAmsterdam in August: good, busy
- SepSAmsterdam in September: sweet spot
- OctOAmsterdam in October: ok
- NovNAmsterdam in November: avoid
- DecDAmsterdam in December: avoid
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
- Prices thereModerate, about 84% of the US
- MoneyEuro
- PlugsType C and F, 230 V
- DrivingOn the right
Book your trip to Amsterdam
Best in May 18°C · 8 rainy days quiet May in Amsterdam ›
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Flights
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Where to stay
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Luxury
Things to do
Driving is on the right here.
Car hire
Rent direct
Travel insurance
Check whether your bank card or home insurance already covers this trip.
If the trip needs a visa, the travel agent or visa centre usually sells the cover it asks for.
These are sites people in book with. Each opens in a new tab, on the site's own pages.
Things to do in Amsterdam
- Anne Frank House The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis.
- Rijksmuseum The largest and most prestigious museum for art and history in the Netherlands: works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and other Dutch masters.
- Van Gogh Museum This museum is dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, a late 19th-century Post-Impressionist Dutch painter.
- Royal Palace The Royal Palace is one of the three official palaces of the Netherlands.
- Begijnhof The Begijnhof is a late medieval enclosed courtyard with the houses of beguines (Roman Catholic women living in a semi-religious community).
- Amsterdam Centraal railway station Central railway station of Amsterdam
- Oude Kerk The oldest of the five main churches in the historic centre, and probably the oldest building in Amsterdam.
Tours and tickets in Amsterdam
Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank
Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (Amsterdam/Binnenstad, Amsterdam/Canal District, Amsterdam/Zuid), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.
Amsterdam in pictures
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Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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G.Lanting, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Month by month
| Month | Max °C | Rain days | Humidity | Sun h/day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6° | 11d | 86% | 3.7h | avoid | 6C max, 11 rainy days |
| Feb | 8° | 11d | 83% | 5.2h | avoid | 8C max, 11 rainy days |
| Mar | 11° | 9d | 79% | 7.7h | ok | 11C max, 9 rainy days |
| Apr | 14° | 7d | 74% | 10.1h | good | 14C max, 7 rainy days |
| May | 18° | 8d | 75% | 11.5h | sweet spot | 18C max, 8 rainy days |
| Jun | 21° | 9d | 75% | 11.9h | sweet spot busy | busier than usual |
| Jul | 22° | 10d | 75% | 12.0h | sweet spot busy | busier than usual |
| Aug | 22° | 10d | 76% | 11.1h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Sep | 19° | 11d | 80% | 8.9h | sweet spot | 19C max, 11 rainy days |
| Oct | 15° | 12d | 83% | 5.9h | ok | 15C max, 12 rainy days |
| Nov | 10° | 12d | 87% | 4.2h | avoid | 10C max, 12 rainy days |
| Dec | 8° | 12d | 88% | 2.9h | avoid | 8C max, 12 rainy days |
Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.
Weather read at Schiphol airport, 11 km from the city centre: ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.
A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.
How busy it gets
Then and now
Amsterdam's June days now average 21.2°C, 3.7°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 9 of 12 months are clearly warmer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | 4.9° | 5.1° | 8.2° | 11.2° | 15.7° | 17.6° | 19.8° | 19.9° | 17.2° | 14.1° | 9.2° | 6.4° |
| 2017–26 | 6.4° | 8.1° | 10.8° | 13.7° | 17.6° | 21.2° | 22.0° | 22.4° | 19.4° | 15.4° | 10.2° | 7.7° |
| Change | +1.5° | +3.0° | +2.5° | +2.5° | +1.9° | +3.7° | +2.1° | +2.4° | +2.2° | +1.3° | +1.0° | +1.3° |
The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.
Busy and quiet times in Amsterdam
Amsterdam experiences a relatively mild climate with a chance of rain throughout the year. Plan travel around peak flower blooming and summer outdoor events for an optimal experience.
| Busiest |
early Apr to late Jun — This is the time when the tulips bloom, attracting many tourists.
early Jul to late Aug — Summer season when families travel and outdoor events are plentiful.
|
|---|---|
| Quieter, still good |
early Mar to late Mar — The weather starts to warm up, with fewer tourists before peak season.
early Sep to late Sep — Milder weather and fewer crowds as summer tourists depart.
early Oct to late Oct — The autumn colors and cooler weather attract some visitors.
|
Written by a language model from the climate figures above. The month-by-month table is measured — ten years of ERA5 readings and published holiday calendars — and where the two disagree, the table is the one to believe.
What Amsterdam is like
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. It is known for the canals that cross the city, its impressive architecture, museums and art galleries, its notorious red light district, and more than 1,500 bridges. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- Amsterdam has one of the largest historic city centres in Europe, with about 7,000 registered historic buildings. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- The locals spend their summer days in Amsterdam uncorking bottles of red wine in the Vondelpark. Every district in Amsterdam has at least one park, but the Vondelpark stands out for its size and convivial atmosphere. More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS IATA) (15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of the city.). This airport is among the five busiest in Europe for passenger traffic, serving over 66 million passengers in 2024. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- It might surprise some visitors, but Amsterdam is one of Europe's safest cities. It has an overall easy-going, laid-back feel and crime is not common. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Amsterdam, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.
Getting there
By rail from the airport (AMS), by train: Nederlandse Spoorwegen trains.
Lines that stop at the airport's terminals, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); the operators' own timetables have the times and fares.
How far Amsterdam is depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from London
- from Frankfurt
- from Hamburg
- from Paris
- from Birmingham
- from Manchester
- from Bristol
- from Berlin
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Amsterdam, flying or not.
Like a local in Amsterdam
On arrival
- Paying — Debit and credit cards, mostly contactless, are the norm, and some shops are card only ('pin only'). Not every shop takes every card, credit cards especially, so ask if unsure and carry a second card or some cash.
- UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
- Tipping — Not necessary, as service is included in prices; 5 to 10% is a generous tip for good service.
Getting around Amsterdam
Tap a contactless bank card or phone (OVpay) to check in and again to check out on trams, metro, buses and trains. On GVB trams, buses and metro you pay at most €10.50 a day; GVB day tickets in your phone wallet are the alternative.
- Apps — Rides: Bolt, Uber. Maps: Google Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: WhatsApp.
Amsterdam's city centre is quite compact, and pretty flat, so you can easily get to most tourist destinations on foot. From Amsterdam Centraal, most areas in the city centre can be reached within half an hour. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Amsterdam, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ferries from Amsterdam
- Veer F3: Amsterdam Buiksloterweg → Amsterdam Centraal Station · about 5 min
- Veer F3: Amsterdam Centraal Station → Amsterdam Buiksloterweg · about 5 min
- Veer F9: Amsterdam Sluisbuurt → Amsterdam Sporenburg · about 8 min
- Veer F9: Amsterdam Sporenburg → Amsterdam Sluisbuurt · about 8 min
- Maasvlakte II → Hoek van Holland · about 45 min
- Zonneveer Noorden - Meije · about 1h 00m
- Hoek van Holland - Harwich · about 7h 30m
- Newcastle - IJmuiden · about 15h 30m
Crossings within 60 km, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Times are typical where the map records them.
Help
- Emergency — 112 (any emergency).
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.
Your embassy — : how to reach your embassy or consulate abroad. A guess from your city, : a city is not a passport.
Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 3 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.
Sources (22)
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands/getting-help
- holland.com/global/tourism/getting-around/information/tipping-and-cash
- iamsterdam.com/en/travel-stay/getting-around/public-transport-in-amsterdam
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Netherlands
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Amsterdam
- uber.com/global/en/cities/amsterdam
- bolt.eu/en/cities
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp
- developers.google.com/maps/coverage
- apple.com/ios/feature-availability
- htm.nl/en/travel/ultimate-tourist-guide-for-traveling
- htm.nl/en/tickets-and-subscriptions/ovpay/betaalpas
- htm.nl/en/tickets-and-subscriptions/ovpay
- ret.nl/en/home/travel-products/ovpay.html
- ret.nl/en/frequently-asked-questions/tickets/ovpay/checking-in-and-out/which-payment-methods-can-i-use-to-check-in-and-out.html
- corporate.ret.nl/nieuws/vanaf-vandaag-in-en-uitchecken-met-de-betaalpas-of-creditcard-in-bus-tram-en-metro-bij-de-ret
- u-ov.nl/en/Tickets/OVpay
- u-ov.nl/products
- over.arriva.nl/ons-nieuws/ovpay
- contact.gd.qbuzz.nl/hc/nl/articles/35553770669085-Wat-is-OVpay
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286608
- nipl.com/uploads/NIPL_Press_Release_Worldline_and_NPCI_International_to_empower_mobile_payments_for_Indian_tourists_in_Europe_9f55d714b9.pdf
Before you go
Type C and F plugs at 230 V. Drives on the right. The currency is the Euro. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Global Affairs Canada: Exercise a high degree of caution. US State Department: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Entry rules for British travellers. Entry rules (Global Affairs Canada). Entry rules (US State Department). Everything for Netherlands: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.
A guide, not advice: entry rules change and depend on your passport and your trip, so check the official page before you book.
Around Amsterdam
Also in Netherlands
- Utrecht best May, Jun, Sep
- The Hague best May, Jun, Jul
- Rotterdam best May, Jun, Jul
- Arnhem best Jun, Jul, Aug
- Groningen best May, Jun, Sep
- Maastricht best May, Jun, Jul
Nearby
Routes through here
Kind of place
Amsterdam is in Netherlands, Europe. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
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