The weather
The Netherlands has an oceanic climate and there is some rainfall every month. When planning your trip to Amsterdam it is therefore advisable to check which month offers the most favorable weather. Unfortunately, we never know for sure; the weather here is very changeable!
The seasons are divided as follows:
Spring (March 21 to June 20)
Summer (June 21 to September 20)
Autumn (September 21 to December 20)
Winter (December 21 to March 20)
Best time to travel to Amsterdam
The best time to travel to Amsterdam is from May to October. Despite the fact that there is still rain, we sometimes have wonderful sunny weather in the Netherlands for weeks on end. During this period, temperatures rise to between 20 and 30 degrees. To make sure that you have a favorable weekend or favorable week, we recommend that you check the weather forecast in advance.
National holidays
When planning your visit to Amsterdam, it is useful to know what the national holidays are. On King’s Day, the city is completely turned upside down, which can be great fun, but perhaps not what you had in mind. There are also days when the shops have adjusted opening hours.
Stores are usually closed on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day. On all other holidays, adjusted opening times often apply in Amsterdam. The supermarkets are always open – with adjusted times.
New Year January 1, 2021
Good Friday April 2, 2021
Easter April 4, 2021
Easter April 5, 2021
King’s Day April 27, 2021
Liberation Day May 5, 2021
Ascension Day May 13, 2021
Pentecost May 23, 2021
Whit Monday May 24, 2021
Christmas Day December 25, 2020
Boxing Day December 26, 2020
Emergency numbers
When visiting a city or country, it is always useful to have the emergency numbers at hand. For your own safety and health, as well as that of another.
National emergency and emergency number: 112
National police number (not urgent): 0900 8844
Luggage storage
Before checking in or after checking out at your hotel, it is not nice to carry your luggage with you all day. It may be that the hotel does not offer storage, or that it is not convenient in terms of location to leave your belongings there.
In that case it is useful to keep your luggage in a central storage place. We share two options below.
1. Lockerpoint
Lockerpoint can be found on the Damrak, in the middle of the center and close to Central Station. You rent a locker here and do not pay per item. Depending on your luggage, you can often store several trolleys in a locker.
To rent a locker you can book in advance online at Lockerpoint or rent the locker at the location itself. Also handy: every locker has a power point to charge your phone.
2. Central Station
It is also possible to rent a locker at Amsterdam Central Station. You have two sizes here, a small and a large one. The costs for the first 24 hours are € 7.50 for a small safe and € 11.00 for a large safe. You can of course also use it longer, but you pay a supplement for this per 24 hours.
More info? Check the website of the train operator for information on luggage at the train station.
Opening hours shops
In the center of Amsterdam you can shop 7 days a week. The shops are usually open from 10 AM to 7 PM, with an exception here and there. The shops open a little later on Monday and Sunday. Shopping night in Amsterdam is on Thursday, on this day the shops are open until 9 PM.
If you want to visit a particular store, especially outside the city center, check the store’s website to be sure.