Amsterdam is one of those cities that can be visited all year round, offering events and attractions at all times. There is of course a high season, favoured by a more pleasant climate, and a low season, when the city is less crowded with tourists. Let’s take a detailed look at what the Dutch capital offers its visitors throughout the year.
Spring is definitely the best time to visit Amsterdam to enjoy the spectacle of the tulips. April kicks off the high season, when good weather exponentially increases the number of tourists in the city.
It is certainly a climatically very suitable season to enjoy the city, but it is definitely not the cheapest. Hotel prices tend to rise and finding availability in hotels will not be so easy. The highlight week in April is certainly the National King’s Day Festival, where everything is tinged with orange and thousands of Dutch people and tourists flock to the squares to celebrate their sovereign.
Summer lends itself to good weather like spring, although it is easier to find slightly damp or rainy days. Although accommodation prices are also quite high during this season, visiting Amsterdam in summer will make it easier for you to enjoy all the outdoor activities the city has to offer.
Take, for instance, the Amsterdam canal cruises, or the many parks, first and foremost the Vondelpark, where you can relax in the hottest hours and find refreshment. In both summer and spring, it is easier to explore the city by the Dutch’ favourite means of transport: the bicycle. In the evenings, the city’s streets fill with people who like to spend the evening in one of the many outdoor cafés in the Leidensplein and Rembrandtplein areas.
Autumn is a good compromise for visiting Amsterdam, while still enjoying tolerable weather and trying to keep your holiday budget down. September and October are first and foremost the months of culture, so there are various initiatives involving free openings of the city’s major museums.
The Dutch capital then offers a series of events involving film, music and art. In this season the flow of tourists decreases, so it will be easier to access the attractions and experience the city at a more relaxed pace.
In fact, more and more tourists choose September to visit the Venice of the North also due to the fact that the city hosts IBC Amsterdam, one of the world’s most important trade fairs in the field of communication.
The Dutch winter is certainly not characterised by temperate weather. It is easy to find grey and rainy days, but that does not mean that Amsterdam does not retain a certain appeal. The city has a certain charm, sipping hot chocolate in a café, visiting the Christmas market on Dam Square, skating along the frozen canals, are just some of the ideas that will introduce you to a different face of the city.
In this season, fares drop and travelling in Amsterdam will certainly be cheaper, except of course for the Christmas period, where the city is one of the most popular European capitals, especially for young people, to celebrate New Year’s Eve. From Museumplein to Dam Square, there will be no shortage of organised events.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.