January and February in Amsterdam: what to expect
According to the 1991-2020 averages of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), measured at Schiphol, January afternoons peak at around 6 °C and nights drop to about 1 °C; February is barely milder, with a maximum of 7 °C. Average rainfall is 67 mm in January and 55 mm in February, and there are roughly ten days of frost each month. Snow is rare and seldom settles for long. The wind, frequent in winter, makes the cold feel sharper by the water and on a bike.
Daylight is the main thing to plan around. On 1 January 2027, the sun rises at 8.47am and sets at 4.39pm; on 28 February, it rises at 7.27am and sets at 6.18pm. January averages only 69 hours of sunshine over the whole month, February 94. Plan walks and photos around the middle of the day and keep museums, cafés and cinemas for late afternoon.
On the plus side, the city is calmer than in any other season, and hotels charge their lowest prices of the year in January and February, outside the school holidays. In the Netherlands, the winter holidays for the North region, which includes Amsterdam, run from 20 to 28 February 2027: museums and ice rinks are busier that week. To compare with other seasons, see our guide to the best time to visit Amsterdam.
Events in January and February 2027
The last evenings of the Amsterdam Light Festival
The Amsterdam Light Festival carries on after the holidays until Sunday 17 January 2027. The light artworks are lit every evening from 4.30pm to 11pm along the canals of the centre. The walking route, about 4.5 km long, is free; festival cruises start from €29.75 per adult. In early January, once the Christmas holidays are over, the quays and boats are much less crowded than in December: it is the best time to do the route on a weekday, as soon as night falls.
National Tulip Day, 16 January 2027
Every January, Dutch tulip growers open the season with Nationale Tulpendag. For the 2027 edition, on Saturday 16 January 2027, they set up a pop-up garden of 200,000 tulips on the Museumplein, where everyone can pick a free bouquet of up to ten stems. The garden opens at 1pm and closes once all the flowers have been picked; the organisers expect a wait of about an hour and do not guarantee tulips for every visitor. Arrive before opening time. Only the bags provided on site are allowed.
The tulip fields themselves only bloom in spring: our guide seeing tulips in Amsterdam explains when and where to see them.
Ice rinks
Two ice rinks are open at the start of the year:
- The Museumplein ice rink stays in place until Saturday 16 January 2027, at the foot of the Rijksmuseum, with a restaurant serving hot drinks and meals.
- Jaap Eden IJsbaan, Radioweg 64, 1098 NJ Amsterdam, in the east of the city, is a 400-metre artificial ice track open to the public until 21 March 2027. Public sessions vary from day to day and can sell out: tickets are sold in the rink's online shop, which publishes the actual times.
December's ice rinks and the Christmas markets are covered in our guide Christmas in Amsterdam.
Chinese New Year on the Nieuwmarkt
Lunar New Year falls on Saturday 6 February 2027 and opens the Year of the Goat. In Amsterdam, it is celebrated around the Nieuwmarkt and the Zeedijk, the small Chinatown in the centre, with lion and dragon dances passing shops and restaurants, music and ceremonies at the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Buddhist temple on the Zeedijk. The festivities are free and outdoors; the 2027 programme had not yet been published in October 2026. Our guide to the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood presents the area and its best addresses.
Events at a glance
| Event | Dates | Location | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Light Festival | Until 17 January 2027, 4.30pm-11pm | Canals of the centre | Free on foot; cruise from €29.75 |
| Museumplein ice rink | Until 16 January 2027 | Museumplein | Paid (online tickets) |
| Nationale Tulpendag | Saturday 16 January 2027, from 1pm | Museumplein | Free, 10 tulips maximum |
| Chinese New Year | Around Saturday 6 February 2027 | Nieuwmarkt and Zeedijk | Free |
| Jaap Eden IJsbaan | Until 21 March 2027 | Radioweg 64 (East) | Paid (online tickets) |
Dates and prices checked in October 2026 on the organisers' official websites. New Year's Eve, Museumnacht and carnival are not in this table: the first is covered in our guide New Year's Eve in Amsterdam, the second takes place in November, and carnival is hardly celebrated in Amsterdam, mainly in the south of the country.
Skating on the canals: rare and not to be improvised
The image of frozen canals full of skaters is part of Amsterdam's legend, but it only comes true during long, intense cold spells, which have become rare. It takes several days of continuous frost, day and night, for the ice to become thick enough. During the last notable cold spell, in February 2021, the city closed several locks and banned boats on some canals to let the ice form.
If it happens during your stay, do not venture onto the ice on your own initiative: wait until you see locals skating in large numbers and follow the city's instructions. Most winters, the canals do not freeze enough for skating: count on the ice rinks instead.
Canal houses, out of the cold
In cold weather, the grand merchants' houses of the canal ring offer an indoor visit, in drawing rooms still furnished as they were in their owners' day. Two of them are about ten minutes' walk from each other, so you can see both in the same morning.
- Museum Van Loon, Keizersgracht 672: a house from 1672 where the Van Loon family lived from 1884, with its state rooms, basement kitchen and garden. The museum only accepts card payments. On Saturdays and Sundays at 11am, a guided tour (in Dutch on Saturday, in English on Sunday) costs €5 on top of the ticket.
- Museum Willet-Holthuysen, Herengracht 605: a grand house built in the late 17th century, bequeathed to the city in 1895 by Louisa Holthuysen, widow of the collector Abraham Willet, with its 1860s drawing rooms and a French-style garden visible from the main floor.
| House | Address | Opening hours | Adult ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museum Van Loon | Keizersgracht 672 | Daily 10am-5pm, closed 1 January | €17.50 |
| Museum Willet-Holthuysen | Herengracht 605 | Daily 10am-5pm (12 noon-5pm on 1 January) | €15, free up to age 17 |
Prices checked in October 2026. Both houses are free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card. For other houses open to the public, read our guide to canal houses to visit in Amsterdam.
A trip to the cinema
When night falls before 5pm, a film is the obvious outing. The Tuschinski cinema, Reguliersbreestraat 26-34, between the Muntplein and the Rembrandtplein, opened on 28 October 1921. Commissioned by the cinema owner Abraham Icek Tuschinski, it blends Art Deco, Art Nouveau and the Amsterdam School, from the entrance hall to the large auditorium with its balconies. Run by Pathé, it was granted the title of royal theatre (Koninklijk Theater Tuschinski) for its centenary in 2021. It shows recent films, often in the original language with Dutch subtitles; choose a screening in the main auditorium to make the most of the decor.
In the west of the city, the Filmhallen cinema at De Hallen, housed in a former tram depot, screens arthouse films, documentaries and classics. Our guide to Amsterdam's cinemas covers the other venues and explains how to find films in their original language.
Hot food and warming up
Winter is the season for the heartiest Dutch dishes: erwtensoep, a thick split pea soup, and stamppot, potatoes mashed with vegetables and served with a smoked sausage. Our guide what to eat in Amsterdam describes these specialities and where to try them. Oliebollen, on the other hand, are mostly sold in December, around New Year's Eve.
For an indoor meal with plenty of choice, the Foodhallen at De Hallen bring together around twenty street food stalls and several bars, open daily from 12 noon to 11pm. The building's covered passage is open from 7am to 1am. Arrive before 6.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, when tables are in high demand.
In late afternoon, do as the locals do and step into a brown café, with dark wood panelling and steamed-up windows, for a beer or a Dutch gin (jenever). Several historic addresses, such as Café Hoppe on the Spui, are described in our selection what to do in Amsterdam when it rains. Beer lovers will find more ideas in our guide to Amsterdam's craft breweries.
Practical tips for a winter trip
- Dress in layers: a waterproof coat with a hood, more practical than an umbrella in strong wind, a hat, gloves and closed shoes that can handle the rain.
- Take care cycling in frosty weather: cycle paths, bridges and tram rails become slippery. When it is icy, take the tram or walk.
- Plan your days around the daylight: outdoor sights and canals between 10am and 3pm, museums and cinemas afterwards.
- Budget: take advantage of low prices in January and February to book a well-located hotel, but check that the tourist tax is included in the price shown.
Further reading
If you arrive before the end of the year, our guide Christmas in Amsterdam covers December's markets and lights, and New Year's Eve in Amsterdam explains how to see in the new year. For a rainy day, pick from our selection what to do in Amsterdam when it rains, and to plan a longer stay, follow our itinerary Amsterdam in 3 days.
