Current Date and Time in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Table of contents
Right now in Amsterdam it is:
But note that in the Netherlands, as is the rest of Europe, the 24-hour clock 1 is commonly used for official timetables, announcements, movie listings, et cetera.
This means that between the local time of 1 PM and 11:59 PM, times will be listed as 13:00 through 23:59.
In the Netherlands listed times therefore do not include the indicators ‘AM’ or ‘PM’.
In writing times are expressed in a 24-hour format.
11 am = 11:00
12 noon = 12:00
1 pm = 13:00
11 pm = 23:00
12 midnight = 24:00
In everyday conversations, however, most people will say
11 am = 11 uur (o’clock)
12 noon = 12 uur
1 pm = 1 uur
11 pm = 11 uur
12 midnight = Middernacht
The Netherlands is on Central European Time (CET), which is GMT +1 hour.
It is 6 hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern timezone, and 9 hours ahead of the U.S. Pacific timezone.2
Example:
• When it is 6 AM in New York (and thus 3 AM in Los Angeles), it is 12 noon in Amsterdam.
• At 9 PM in New York (6 PM in Los Angeles), it is 3 AM the next day in Amsterdam.
Are you coming to Amsterdam? Easily compare and book flights and hotels
Video The 24-hour clock and how it works
Daylight Saving Time in Amsterdam
The time in Amsterdam changes on different days than they do in the USA, England, and several other countries.
Daylight Saving Time starts at 3:00 a.m on the last Sunday in March, and ends at 3:00 a.m on the last Sunday in October. (Remember: the clock springs forward in the spring, and falls backward in the fall).
Telling the time in Dutch
Trivia fact: the Dutch for Telling time is klokkijken — literally: clock watching.
The Dutch have an amusing way of telling time, at least when it comes to reporting the time anywhere between a quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour.
The most potentially damaging problem is on the half hour. While “half eight” means 8:30 in England, to the Dutch it means 7:30. […]
When relating minutes before or after the half hour — that is between :15 and :45 — the time twisting increases. In such instances, the minutes are related to the half hour:
7:20 is tien voor half acht, ten before 7:30 — or for beginners, ten minutes before half an hour before 8:00.
8:35 is vijf over half negen, five past half-past eight or or for beginners, five minutes past half an hours before 9:00.
The 24-hour clock is commonly used in written form for train schedules and the like. For 17:20, vijf uur twintig or tien voor half zes are uttered instead of tien voor half achttien.
More Amsterdam Tourist Information
- Public Transport to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- Amsterdam Light Festival: Is it worth it?
- Current Time in Amsterdam
- Van Gogh Museum — Plan Your Visit
- Amsterdam Webcams
- The Night Watch by Rembrandt is not actually called The Night Watch
Notes:
- The 24-hour clock is sometimes referred to as military time ↩
- Exceptions occur in the week or so around Daylight Saving Time switches. ↩
Last updated CET (Central European Time)
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