Category: Visitors Guide
Practical information about Amsterdam, for tourists, business people, other visitors, and expats.
Be sure to check this Basic Information Guide
April weather in Amsterdam is a study in contrasts. Sunny and warm one day; rainy and stormy the next.
There will be days with summer-like temperatures and days that remind you of fall.
The good news is that May in Holland often is the sunniest month of the year, with on average up to 15 hours of sunshine a day.
However, this month tends to have as many cold days as it has warm days — and there can even still be night frost, especially during the first half of the month.
March in Amsterdam is characterized by erratic weather. But the old joke that Holland has four seasons a day is more likely to make sense in March than in any other month.
Public transport in Amsterdam requires the use of an OV-Chipkaart (OV-Chipcard) — a paper or plastic credit card-size ticket with en embedded memory chip designed to be read by ticket readers on board public transport vehicles.
For most tourists, day- or multiple day tickets are the best deal. They entitle you to unlimited travel through Amsterdam – day and night – by tram, bus and metro. Ferries across the river IJ are always free.
Update: 2018 prices + all buses and trams are now cash-free. Buy your Public Transport Day- or Multiple Day Passes online right here.
The I amsterdam City Card provides lots of free and discounted goodies.
See Amsterdam museums for free, use public transport for free, get a free canal cruise
Customers overwhelmingly agree that the pass provides good value for the money.
New for 2018: the Rijksmuseum is included in the list of ‘Free Entrance’ museums.
Public Transport to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. You can travel by train, bus, taxi, Uber, hotel-shuttle, and more.
Includes cruise ship terminal transfer information.
Note: It remains necessary to alert travelers regarding rogue taxi services. Don’t fall for their tricks.
Weather information, including average temperatures and rainfall in Amsterdam. Current weather, and month by month overviews
Normally February is the coldest month throughout the Netherlands, and the coldest time of the year to spend in Amsterdam.
But it’s also one of the driest months, and there are quite a few sunny days. That said, there is a slight chance that ice skating on the canals of Amsterdam will be possible this winter.
January tends to be Amsterdam’s coldest month.
You can expect anything from gloomy days with (near) freezing temperatures to deep blue, cloudless skies with lots of sun.
Normally you can count on snow, but not this year. In fact, January 2018 ends with unusually mild weather.
December is not the rainiest month, nor the coldest. But you should expect a fair amount of precipitation — usually in the form of rain or wet snow.
Don’t hold your breath for a white Christmas, though.