December in Amsterdam is dark, wet and about 7°C – and it has the best-lit canals of the year. The Light Festival runs right through it, Sinterklaas on 5 December is the real Dutch gift night rather than Christmas, and New Year’s Eve here is unlike anywhere else in Europe. Understanding those three things shapes the whole trip.
The weather, precisely
Rain on about 17 days and roughly seven and three-quarter hours of daylight at the solstice – sunrise near 08:45, sunset near 16:30. Snow is possible but uncommon and rarely settles; the realistic expectation is grey, wet and windy at around 7°C.
The canals freezing is a postcard, not a forecast. It has not happened reliably for years.
Sinterklaas, 5 December
This is the part visitors get wrong. In the Netherlands, the main gift-giving night is pakjesavond on 5 December, not Christmas Eve. Children receive presents from Sinterklaas, families exchange handmade rhymes and joke gifts, and it is an entirely domestic occasion.
In 2027 it falls on a Sunday. What that means practically:
- Shops close early on the 5th and the city empties in the evening as everyone goes home.
- Restaurants are quiet that night – it is not a going-out occasion.
- 6 December is not a holiday; normal life resumes immediately.
- Christmas itself is quieter and more low-key than in Britain or the United States precisely because the gift-giving has already happened.
The Light Festival
The Amsterdam Light Festival, opened in late November, runs through December to mid or late January and is the single best reason to be here in winter. Large illuminated works by international artists are sited along the canals.
- The boat route is the intended experience – covered, heated, and passing the works from the water. December weekends sell out; book ahead.
- The walking route is free and covers much of the same ground.
Christmas markets and the ice rink
Amsterdam’s Christmas markets are modest by German or Austrian standards – worth saying plainly, because visitors arrive expecting Cologne and find something much smaller. What the city does have:
- An outdoor ice rink on the Museumplein in front of the Rijksmuseum, running from roughly late November into January, with stalls and food around it.
- Smaller markets and winter fairs scattered across the centre and in Haarlem and Utrecht, both under half an hour by train – Utrecht’s in particular is often better than Amsterdam’s.
- Oliebollen stands appearing across the city from December: deep-fried dough balls with raisins and icing sugar, eaten towards New Year. They are the Dutch year-end food and the queues at the good stands are serious.
Christmas and New Year
- Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December – Eerste and Tweede Kerstdag, both public holidays. Shops shut, transport runs a holiday timetable, and many restaurants close or serve a set menu by reservation. Museums vary – check individually.
- Friday 31 December – Oudejaarsavond. Dutch New Year is genuinely loud. Consumer fireworks are legal only in a short window around midnight, and the result is a citywide, largely unorganised barrage rather than a single display. Amsterdam operates firework-free zones in parts of the centre and near animals and hospitals. It is memorable, and it is not for everyone – if you are sensitive to noise, or travelling with a nervous dog or small children, plan for it.
- Saturday 1 January – Nieuwjaarsdag, a public holiday. The city is silent until well into the afternoon, and the streets need cleaning.
Prices and crowds
Low season in the first fortnight – genuinely good value with the lights already up – then rising sharply from about 20 December through New Year. The gap between a mid-December booking and a New Year one is the largest in the Amsterdam calendar. Tourist tax of around 12.5% applies on the room rate throughout. See what a trip to the Netherlands costs.
What to pack
A hooded, windproof waterproof, warm layers, gloves, a hat and a scarf. Shoes that handle wet and cold. No umbrella. Plan the daylight: outdoor things before 16:00, everything else after.
The December 2027 calendar
- Through December – the Amsterdam Light Festival on the canals; boat route sells out at weekends.
- Through December – the Museumplein ice rink and stalls; oliebollen stands citywide.
- Sunday 5 December – pakjesavond, the main Dutch gift night; shops close early and the city empties in the evening.
- First fortnight – low-season rates with the lights already up; the best value of the month.
- Around 21 December – the solstice; about 7h 45m of daylight, sunset near 16:30.
- Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December – both public holidays; shops shut, holiday transport timetable.
- Friday 31 December – Oudejaarsavond; a loud, citywide fireworks night with firework-free zones in parts of the centre.
- Saturday 1 January 2028 – New Year’s Day, a public holiday; the city is silent until afternoon.
Read alongside
- Amsterdam in November – wetter, cheaper, and where the Light Festival starts.
- Amsterdam in January – the Light Festival’s last weeks and the lowest prices.
- Amsterdam in April – the opposite end of the year.
- Best time to visit Amsterdam – all twelve months compared.
- Amsterdam in 3 days – how to structure the days.
- Day trips from Amsterdam – Utrecht and Haarlem for better Christmas markets.
- Trip to the Netherlands cost – what New Year does to the numbers.
Frequently asked
When do the Dutch exchange Christmas presents?
On pakjesavond, 5 December, for Sinterklaas – not Christmas Eve. It is a domestic family occasion, shops close early, and Christmas itself is correspondingly quieter than in Britain or the United States.
Does Amsterdam have good Christmas markets?
Modest ones, by German or Austrian standards. The ice rink and stalls on the Museumplein are the main event, and Utrecht and Haarlem – both under half an hour by train – often do it better.
How cold is Amsterdam in December?
About 7°C by day and 2°C at night, with rain on roughly 17 days. Snow is possible but uncommon and rarely settles.
Is the Light Festival on in December?
Yes, right through it – it opens in late November and runs to mid or late January. The boat route sells out on December weekends, so book ahead; the walking route is free.
What is New Year’s Eve like in Amsterdam?
Loud. Consumer fireworks are legal in a short window around midnight and the result is a citywide, largely unorganised barrage rather than one display. Amsterdam operates firework-free zones in parts of the centre. Plan for it if you are noise-sensitive.
What are oliebollen?
Deep-fried dough balls with raisins and icing sugar, sold from stands across the city in December and eaten towards New Year. They are the Dutch year-end food, and the good stands have long queues.
When is the cheapest time to visit Amsterdam in December?
The first fortnight, when rates are still low season and the Christmas lights and Light Festival are already up. Prices climb sharply from about 20 December.
How much daylight does Amsterdam get in December?
About 7 hours 45 minutes at the solstice, with sunrise near 08:45 and sunset near 16:30.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
