Things to do in Amsterdam during winter

Things to do in winter in Amsterdam
Are you visiting Amsterdam during winter?
What are the best things to do? An oft-heard refrain during inclement weather while on holiday, right? In Amsterdam, however, there are so many great possibilities during the winter months, the question will never be asked.

Stay warm and cosy inside a museum

Art museums

It goes without saying, but would be remiss to omit, that each house of art in Amsterdam is a must-see at any time of the year. However, in the wintertime, you get to beat the crowds!

  • The Rijksmuseum, which dates back to the year 1800 when it was located in The Hague, started its collection with the purchase of Jan Asselijn’s The Swan, for the price of 100 Dutch Guilders (approximately 45 Euro Dollars)! Today, after various moves and renovations, the museum is located at Museumstraat 1, and boasts Rembrandt’s iconic Night Watch, as well as the Jewish Bride.
  • Speaking of Rembrandt, how about visiting the painter in his own home and studio at the Rembrandt House Museum? Familiarise yourself with the many sides to the painter’s work, including his tronies.
  • The Vincent Van Gogh Museum, unsurprisingly, offers the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world. Visit this museum, if only to view the Pototo Eaters, in which, the painter harmonises shades of the earth with potato growers, their potatoes, and their consumption of their produce. Van Gogh forces one to see the beauty of this seemingly unattractive painting when he declares that a “peasant girl is more beautiful than a lady“.
  • Are you available on a Thursday night during your winter stay in Amsterdam? Take a free guided tour of the photography exhibitions at the Foam Museum. Join workshops, create your own photographs, and derive inspiration from contemporary, as well as classic photographers.

 

Cheese and piano players

When you visit the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, you get to sample the cheese, while travelling through the time-line of cheese-making in Holland. Make sure you take the opportunity to “say cheese” by dressing up as a Dutch cheese farmer and posing for the camera!

Are you ready to show off your talent as a concert pianist, without any prior musical background? Play to your heart’s content on the large selection of piano players at the Pianola Museum in Westerstraat, a 15 minute walk from the Central Train Station. The museum is small, but hosts an intimate atmosphere, and at least 10 working automatic pianos, some of which you can also play in the conventional manner.

 

Amsterdam outdoors is so cool in winter!

Ice skating

The ice-skating season in Amsterdam runs from October to March. With no shortage of ice rinks in Amsterdam, you’ll warm up quickly!

  • Jaap Eden provides three options: a 400-metre oval-shaped outdoor rink, a section set aside for beginners, and an indoor rink.
  • Oliebotten, anyone? You’ll never regret ice-skating in the Rembrandt Plein because of the wonderful delicacies you can purchase to replenish your supply of energy while skating! Oliebotten are delicious fried-in-oil dough balls that really hit the spot if you’re not too concerned about all that oil. Skating along the compact outdoor 15 x 20 metre rink simply adds to the warm atmosphere from the beautiful lights surrounding the rink.
  • The two rinks at Ice Rink Haarlem are professionally prepared and maintained. The 400-metre oval rink is ideal for speed and endurance training. It is partially covered, giving you the best of both worlds, allowing fresh air to enter and protection when needed. A smaller, rectangular rink is provided for amateurs. It encourages beginner skaters and children by providing racks for support, to aid practising.
  • There is a chance that you may be able to walk or skate on the canals of Amsterdam. However, the temperature needs to be below 0 degrees C for at least three days, and then there is a wait of another three days to make sure that the ice is strong enough to hold the crowds! Recent trends indicate non-walkable canals, but to compensate, you can take a ferry ride instead!

Festival of Lights

The Amsterdam Light Festival #8 will brighten your days and nights from 28th November, 2019 until 19th January, 2020. This festival just might disrupt your vacation! But in a positive way. Titled by the catchy name, “Disrupt!”, this outdoors exhibition promises to display light as art in a kaleidoscope of media and locations. With an intriguing theme that focusses on building up after disruption, this festival is not to be missed.

 

See Amsterdam inside and out in winter

The Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo

The Artis is no ordinary zoo. No matter what season or elements of weather, you’ll be pleased that you came. Visit the animals in the park, come inside the planetarium, or enjoy the aquarium. For really tiny organisms, the Micropia invites you to a world of microbes. Located in the very centre of Amsterdam, the Artis will keep you busy, inside and outside, for many enjoyable hours.

Foodie tours

Were you concerned that we would leave drinking and dining out of the picture? Well, relax, we’ve left the best for last! Join an Eating Europe Food Tour of Amsterdam. Shed your tourist persona and mingle with the locals in their own neighbourhoods and eateries while sampling the authentic dishes of Amsterdam. A number of tours are available for you to learn about the likes and lives of the people. One example is “A taste of life in Harlem“, which takes you to 7 stops around the district. View this photographic medieval neighbourhood from the outside, then talk to the proprietors inside their cafes. Best of all, warm up with a piece of Dutch apple pie, and then challenge yourself to eat real Dutch herring the correct way!

 

If you are going to visit Amsterdam during winter, here might be some fantastic and fun deals for you.