March is when the Dutch spring machinery starts up. Keukenhof opens in the third week, the first bulb fields colour up, the clocks go forward on 28 March 2027 – which is also Easter Sunday – and the city gains nearly two hours of evening light. About 10°C by day, and still low-season prices for most of the month.
The weather, precisely
March is unreliable rather than bad. You may get 15°C and terrace weather; you may get sleet and a north-easterly that makes 10°C feel like 3°C. The wind is the variable that decides how a March day in Amsterdam actually feels.
What is certain is the light. Amsterdam gains about two hours of daylight across March, and after the clock change the sun sets close to 20:15.
Keukenhof opens
Keukenhof, the bulb garden at Lisse between Amsterdam and The Hague, opens for its short annual season from about the third week of March to mid-May. Exact dates are announced annually and it is closed the rest of the year.
- Late March is early. Expect crocuses, daffodils and early narcissi; the tulips proper are an April event. The indoor pavilions are showing full displays from opening day regardless of what is happening outside.
- It is quieter in March than at any later point in the season, which is a real argument for going then.
- Getting there – a direct bus from Schiphol, or train to Leiden or Hillegom and a connecting bus. Combination tickets covering entry and transport are the simplest option and should be bought ahead.
The bulb fields themselves – the striped landscape people picture – are a different thing from the garden, and they are mostly an April phenomenon. In March you may catch early crocus and daffodil fields around the Bollenstreek, but not the tulips.
Easter and the clock change, 28 March 2027
Both land on the same day in 2027.
- Friday 26 March – Goede Vrijdag (Good Friday). Not a general public holiday in the Netherlands – most shops and businesses open normally, though some employers give it – which surprises visitors from countries where it is.
- Sunday 28 March – Easter Sunday, and the clocks go forward one hour at 02:00.
- Monday 29 March – Tweede Paasdag (Easter Monday), which is a public holiday. Many shops actually open – it is a big Dutch shopping and furniture-sale day – but banks and offices close and transport runs a Sunday timetable.
Easter lifts hotel rates for the long weekend and fills Keukenhof. Either side of it, March remains good value.
What else March is good for
- The museums, still quiet before the Easter and tulip crowds arrive. The Anne Frank House remains timed-entry and online-only – book it whatever the month.
- Vondelpark and the Hortus Botanicus as the first bulbs come up in the city itself.
- The Stille Omgang, a silent night-time procession through the old centre marking a medieval Amsterdam miracle, is traditionally held on the Sunday closest to 15 March. It is exactly what its name says – silent, and not a spectacle laid on for visitors.
- Day trips to Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden and Delft, all under an hour by train.
Prices and crowds
Low season until roughly the third week, then rising as Keukenhof opens and Easter arrives. The first fortnight of March is one of the better value windows of the year. See what a trip to the Netherlands costs.
What to pack
A windproof, hooded waterproof and layers you can shed – March swings hard. Gloves and a hat for the first half. Shoes that cope with wet. Still no umbrella. Sunglasses for the low spring sun, which is brighter than the temperature suggests.
The March 2027 calendar
- Around Sunday 14 March – the Stille Omgang, the silent procession through the old centre.
- Third week of March – Keukenhof opens for its season, running to mid-May; dates announced annually.
- Friday 26 March – Good Friday; not a general Dutch public holiday, most things open.
- Sunday 28 March – Easter Sunday, and clocks go forward one hour at 02:00; sunset moves to about 20:15.
- Monday 29 March – Tweede Paasdag, a public holiday; banks closed, many shops open, Sunday transport timetable.
- First fortnight – the best value of the month, before Keukenhof and Easter.
Read alongside
- Amsterdam in February – colder, drier, cheaper.
- Amsterdam in April – peak tulips and King’s Day.
- Amsterdam in May – the end of Keukenhof and the best weather yet.
- Best time to visit Amsterdam – all twelve months compared.
- Amsterdam in 3 days – how to structure the days.
- Day trips from Amsterdam – Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden and Delft.
- Trip to the Netherlands cost – shoulder-season numbers.
Frequently asked
When does Keukenhof open?
From about the third week of March to mid-May, with exact dates announced annually. It is closed the rest of the year. Late March is the quietest part of the season, but the tulips proper are an April event.
Are there tulips in Amsterdam in March?
Early ones. You will see crocuses, daffodils and narcissi in the parks and in Keukenhof’s pavilions, and possibly early bulb fields in the Bollenstreek – but the striped tulip fields are April.
How warm is Amsterdam in March?
About 10°C by day and 3°C at night, with rain on roughly 15 days. It is an unreliable month: it can deliver 15°C or sleet, and the wind decides how it feels.
When do the clocks change in the Netherlands in 2027?
On the last Sunday of March – 28 March 2027, which is also Easter Sunday. Sunset moves to about 20:15.
Is Good Friday a holiday in the Netherlands?
Not a general public holiday. Most shops and businesses open normally, unlike in many neighbouring countries. Easter Monday, Tweede Paasdag, is the public holiday.
How do you get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam?
A direct bus from Schiphol, or train to Leiden or Hillegom with a connecting bus. Combination tickets covering entry and transport are simplest and should be bought in advance.
Is March a good time to visit Amsterdam?
The first fortnight is good value with quiet museums; the second half brings Keukenhof, Easter and rising prices but much better light. Either works – they are different trips.
How much daylight does Amsterdam gain in March?
About two hours across the month, and after the clock change on 28 March the sun sets close to 20:15.
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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.
