Winter in Amsterdam: 7 highlights without cold feet

If you’ve spent the summer sizzling on the beach and are finally ready for a little city trip in winter, we’ve got the perfect destination for you: Amsterdam! Yes, it’s true that the Dutch winter can be pretty grey and rainy. But if you’re looking for a little light in the darkness, you’ll find it in our capital city. Few cities put as much effort into their winter/Christmas lighting as Amsterdam. The beautiful lights shine all over the city, chasing away the winter blues with their twinkling lights. In addition, winter is the perfect time if you want to have the city a little more to yourself to discover all the corners in peace and quiet and away from the tourist crowds. With the right preparation (pack a winter jacket and scarf!) and the right activity planning, your visit to Amsterdam in winter is guaranteed to be a success!

What can I do in Amsterdam in winter, you ask? We’ve put together the 7 highlights that make our beautiful canal city particularly magical in winter! Which is your favourite? 🙂

1) Amsterdam Light Festival

In addition to all the beautiful lights in the city centre, a very special art spectacle also takes place in Amsterdam every winter: The Amsterdam Light Festival. A large number of local artists create impressive light installations that shine throughout the canal belt and are thought-provoking. This year’s theme is AI and tech – picking up on the zeitgeist and a widely discussed topic. Take a look at the guide to the Amsterdam Light Festival!

2) Stroll through the wintry 9 streets

For those who prefer to hop from one cosy café to the next, the Jordaan district is the ideal place to spend a few pleasant hours. Our famous 9 streets are also lit up in beautiful winter lights and invite you to take a little (Christmas) stroll. Whether you’re still looking for the perfect gift for Grandma or just want to do a bit of window shopping, you’re guaranteed to find what you’re looking for here. If the weather doesn’t play ball, you can stop off at one of the many cute cafés and wait for the showers to pass. If you can’t get into the winter spirit here, we can’t help you 😉

3) Christmas markets

Honestly, the German Christmas market culture is hard to beat. So if you come from big cities with huge, beautiful, old markets, keep your expectations in check.😉 But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your favourite Christmas markets in Amsterdam. The biggest is probably the “Amsterdam Winter Paradise”, a market + winter funfair that takes place from 14 December to 30 December on the grounds of Amsterdam RAI in the south of the city. There are also several smaller markets that are transformed into special Christmas markets in the winter and pre-Christmas period. If you want something even bigger and more authentic, you should head to nearby Haarlem (15 minutes by train). Haarlem is even older than Amsterdam and has one of the largest and most traditional Christmas markets in the Netherlands. However, it only takes place on one weekend a year (8 December – 11 December), so you need to plan ahead!

By the way, you can also get the typical Dutch “poffertjes” there! They are a classic (annual) market food here in the Netherlands. They are also a special little treat for young and old in this country and taste really delicious, especially in the cold weather!

4) Mulled wine – hopping

Don’t worry, if you missed the Christmas market, you still don’t have to miss out on the steaming happiness of winter. Numerous bars and cafés in Amsterdam offer homemade mulled wine at cute little street stalls and you can try your hand at it while strolling around. In the Jordaan neighbourhood in particular, there are many bars that have discovered the mulled wine business.

5) Museum visit (+ ice skating)

Museums are the classics that remain a great activity whatever the weather. Inside, the cold winter air won’t harm you and you can spend a few hours marvelling at some great works. If you’re looking for a little more winter action, you’ll find it at Museumsplein. Every year during the winter months, a beautiful ice ring is erected there (usually 🥲), which shines in the twinkling lights of the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, transforming the city into a true winter wonderland. Unfortunately, he won’t be there this year, but we have a plan B for you in the next point, which might be even cooler.

6) Ice skating on the frozen canals

Yes, you read that right. Every few years it is cold enough for the canals in the city centre to freeze over completely. It has therefore always been a Dutch tradition to get out the ice skates after the first heavy frost and go skating on the picturesque canals. Climate change and other factors are making these moments increasingly rare, but every three years or so it is still cold enough to experience the spectacle. It doesn’t get more authentically Dutch than this – why do you think we are world champions in speed skating? 😉

Caution: Take a close look at the ice and follow the behaviour of the locals. Breaking into the ice in the canals (they are only 3 metres deep) is usually not a big drama, but it is always unpleasant and freezing cold.

7) Covered canal cruise

The undisputed must-do in Amsterdam is still the canal cruise! The romantic canals can be discovered most authentically from the water and you are guaranteed to see little details in the city that you might not have noticed if you were simply walking past. Don’t worry, most of the boats are also perfectly equipped for winter and you can sit in a cosily heated saloon boat with a steaming cup of coffee or tea while you marvel at the most beautiful corners of the city. If you’d like to learn more about Amsterdam’s history and culture, take a look at our German-commented canal cruises!

If you just can’t get enough of our beautiful Amsterdam, how about a winter city tour afterwards? ❄️ You can enjoy the city in much more peace and quiet at this time of year, understand your guide better acoustically and we will be happy to make a warming coffee/tea/mulled wine stop with you on the way. 🙂

Winter in Amsterdam is a truly magical time! If you’re already in a cosy mood, all that remains is to wish you lots of fun in our beautiful canal city! ❤️