Sinterklaas in Amsterdam: the arrival of St Nicholas and its traditions

The arrival of Sinterklaas in Amsterdam (intocht)

2026 dates

There are two arrivals, one after the other:

• Saturday 14 November 2026: the national arrival, broadcast on television, takes place this year in Grave, in North Brabant. A different town hosts it each year.
• Sunday 15 November 2026: the arrival in Amsterdam, organised by the Sint in Amsterdam foundation. This will be the 88th edition.

The route

The arrival always begins on the water and continues on foot and on horseback through the centre. The organiser publishes the detailed route and times a few days before the event, on its Sint in Amsterdam website. To help you get your bearings, here is how the 2025 event unfolded, which the 2026 announcement broadly follows:

• On the water, in the morning: the boat procession sets off at around 10am, passes the Omval (in the south-east of the city, on the Amstel) at around 10:15am, sails up the Amstel, then reaches the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), where Sinterklaas comes ashore at around 11:30am.
• On horseback, in the afternoon: the procession sets off again from the Stopera (city hall and opera house, on the Waterlooplein) at around 1pm, passing through the Rembrandtplein, the Utrechtsestraat, the Frederiksplein and the Weteringschans.
• Arrival at the Leidseplein: the procession reaches the Leidseplein at around 2:15pm, and Sinterklaas arrives there at around 3pm to address the people of Amsterdam. The celebration ends at around 3:30pm.

The 2026 times will be confirmed by the organiser: check them the week before.

Tips for attending

• Arrive early: the best spots, along the Amstel, near the Maritime Museum or along the procession route, are taken well before the procession passes.
• Choose just one moment: it is hard to see both the arrival by boat and the procession on horseback, because the crowds make getting around slow. With young children, a stretch of the afternoon route, such as the Utrechtsestraat, is often easier than a packed square.
• Transport: trams are diverted in the centre while the procession passes. Come on foot or by metro, and check the GVB transport app on the day.
• Dress warmly: in mid-November it is often cold and damp on the quays. Our guide to the best time to visit Amsterdam gives temperatures month by month.

The Pieten

Sinterklaas travels with his Pieten, helpers who hand out pepernoten to children. The traditional figure of Zwarte Piet, with his face painted black, has been the subject of a long debate in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, since 2016, the arrival has featured only "roetveegpieten", Pieten whose faces are simply marked with streaks of soot, as if they had come down the chimney.

St Nicholas, patron saint of Amsterdam

St Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop of Myra, is the patron saint of sailors, merchants and children, and of Amsterdam. The city's oldest church, the Oude Kerk, was consecrated in 1306 under his patronage. Opposite Central Station, the St Nicholas Basilica, completed in 1887, is also dedicated to him: it is the main Catholic church in the centre.

The celebration is an old one. At the Rijksmuseum, Jan Steen's painting "The Feast of St Nicholas", painted around 1665-1668, already shows a Dutch family on the morning of the presents: the little girl clutches her doll, while her brother cries over his shoe, which contains nothing but a birch rod.

Sinterklaas traditions

• Putting out a shoe (schoen zetten): between the saint's arrival and 5 December, on certain evenings children leave a shoe by the fireplace or the door, with a carrot or some hay for Sinterklaas's horse. The next morning, they find a small treat inside.
• Present evening (pakjesavond): on the evening of 5 December, the eve of St Nicholas's Day, families exchange their presents. Often there is a knock at the door and a sack of presents is waiting on the doorstep.
• Poems: each present comes with a poem, signed "Sint", that gently teases its recipient.
• Surprises: among adults, names are drawn to decide who gives a present to whom, and the gift is then wrapped in a "surprise", a homemade object in papier-mâché or cardboard that alludes to the recipient.

After 5 December, Sinterklaas leaves and the city moves on to Christmas: our guide to Christmas in Amsterdam takes over from there.

Seasonal treats

From mid-November to 5 December, bakeries and supermarkets fill up with specialities that are almost only found at this time of year:

• Kruidnoten and pepernoten: kruidnoten are small, crunchy, round brown spiced biscuits, often wrongly called pepernoten. Real pepernoten are softer, square and pale, flavoured with aniseed.
• Chocolate letters (chocoladeletters): everyone receives the initial of their first name in milk, dark or white chocolate.
• Speculaas: biscuits spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, sometimes shaped into large figures (speculaaspop).
• Banketstaaf: a long puff pastry filled with almond paste, which also comes in the shape of a letter (banketletter).
• Marzipan: almond paste figures, often shaped like fruit, animals or pigs.
• Taai-taai: a soft honey gingerbread flavoured with aniseed, cut into figures.

These treats make good travel souvenirs: supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo sell them at low prices. Our guide to what to bring back from Amsterdam has more ideas.

Sinterklaas with the family in Amsterdam

• At Muiderslot: in previous years, the castle, half an hour from the centre, has offered St Nicholas activities in November and early December, with the saint's bedroom and the present room. The 2026 programme is announced on the Muiderslot website.
• By boat on the canals: throughout the season, you can explore Amsterdam's canals on a covered, heated boat, a pleasant outing when it is cold.
• In the shopping streets: around Dam Square and the Royal Palace, the Kalverstraat and the Nieuwendijk line up their seasonal window displays, and the department stores sell chocolate letters and wrapping paper.

For more ideas for outings with children, see our guide to Amsterdam with children.

At a glance

Dates checked in October 2026 with the Sint in Amsterdam foundation and the city's events calendar; detailed 2026 route and times to be confirmed by the organiser.