Best Time to Visit the Netherlands

Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash

Visit the Netherlands between April and early June, or take August if you want warmth. April averages a high of 15.5°C (59.9°F) with only 32.1mm of rain across 5 wet days, May steps up to 18.1°C (64.6°F) with 51.2mm over 6 days, and August holds 22.3°C (72.1°F) while dropping to 40.7mm over 8 days — noticeably drier than the July peak. The month to actively avoid is October, which dumped 161.3mm across 15 rainy days, roughly four times April's total.

All figures below are measured 2025 data for Amsterdam. The country is small and flat enough that Rotterdam, Utrecht and Haarlem track within a degree or two; the far northeast runs slightly colder and the Zeeland coast slightly windier.

The best months: April, May and August

April is the sweet spot on paper. Highs of 15.5°C (59.9°F) with lows of 6.8°C (44.2°F) means a mid-afternoon that feels genuinely pleasant in a light jacket and a morning that does not. The rain figure is the real headline: 32.1mm across 5 days. That is about 6mm per wet day — a shower that passes, not weather that ruins a schedule. Five wet days out of thirty also means you can expect roughly one rained-on day in six. Plan an outdoor day and you will probably get it.

May is warmer and only slightly wetter: 18.1°C (64.6°F) by day, 9.5°C (49.1°F) at night, 51.2mm over 6 days. That works out to about 8.5mm per rainy day, which is more substantive than April's showers but still spread thin. The bigger change is the low. At 9.5°C (49.1°F) you can sit outside on a terrace in the evening with a jumper instead of retreating indoors at six.

August is the surprise. July is fractionally warmer (22.5°C / 72.5°F versus 22.3°C / 72.1°F — a difference nobody can feel), but July logged 99.6mm over 13 rainy days while August logged 40.7mm over 8. That is 59mm less rain across five fewer wet days for the same temperature. If you want summer heat and long evenings, August is straightforwardly the better version of July.

March deserves an honourable mention for a specific kind of traveller. It recorded 8.7mm of rain across just 3 days — by an enormous margin the driest month of the year. Highs reach 12.1°C (53.8°F) but lows drop to 2.8°C (37.0°F), a 9.3°C swing that points to clear skies and cold nights. Cold, bright, empty and cheap. If you are here to walk canals and duck into museums rather than sit outdoors, March is excellent value.

The months to avoid: October, January and July

October is the worst month of the year, and it is not close. 161.3mm of rain over 15 days — half the month wet, averaging 10.8mm on each rainy day. That is the heaviest per-day rainfall of any month here. Combine it with a high of 14.6°C (58.3°F) and a low of 10.1°C (50.2°F) and you get the specific Dutch misery: a 4.5°C daily spread, which means grey overcast that never burns off, no warm afternoon to dry you out, and rain that arrives properly rather than in passing showers. A folding umbrella will not cover it.

January is wet in a different way. 91.8mm falls across 16 days — the most rainy days of any month, but only 5.7mm each. This is drizzle: persistent, light, all-day, the sort that soaks you slowly rather than all at once. Highs of 6.2°C (43.2°F) and lows of 1.5°C (34.7°F) mean it is cold enough to be unpleasant when damp, and daylight is short. Two days out of every three are wet.

July is not a bad month, but it is the worst-value summer month. 99.6mm over 13 days, at 7.7mm per wet day, is real rain rather than showers — and it comes at the same time as peak prices and peak crowds. You are paying the most for the wettest summer weather. August delivers the same 22°C for less.

Note what is not on this list: heat. The hottest month tops out at 22.5°C (72.5°F). The Netherlands has no hot season to avoid. Whatever you pack, you are packing for rain and wind, not for surviving the sun.

Shoulder season: cheaper but still fine

The two windows worth targeting are late March into April and September.

March–April is the strongest shoulder anywhere in the calendar. Between them the two months recorded 40.8mm of rain across 8 days — combined, that is less rain than August alone in fewer wet days than May. Temperatures climb from 12.1°C (53.8°F) to 15.5°C (59.9°F) over the two months. You are trading summer warmth for dry weather and lower prices. Be aware that late April is not quiet: tulip season and King's Day on 27 April push Amsterdam accommodation to summer rates for a couple of weeks.

September is the softer landing. Highs of 18.8°C (65.8°F) match May almost exactly, and lows of 12.0°C (53.6°F) are actually the warmer of the two — evenings stay comfortable longer than in spring. The cost is rain: 78.9mm over 12 days, versus May's 51.2mm over 6. September is measurably twice as wet as May for the same daytime temperature. It is still worth it, because prices drop and crowds thin after the August peak, but bring a proper jacket rather than assuming late-summer conditions hold.

December is the underrated one. 31.4mm across 6 days is the second-driest month of the year — drier than April, drier than August. Highs of 8.2°C (46.8°F) and lows of 3.9°C (39.0°F) are cold but not brutal, and the Christmas market season means the city is lively rather than shut. If your idea of a good trip is dry cold and short days rather than wet mild ones, December beats November (71.8mm over 11 days at a similar 10.1°C / 50.2°F).

What each season actually means for you

Spring (March–May): layers, not coats. With March swinging from 2.8°C (37.0°F) to 12.1°C (53.8°F) in a single day, you will start in a jacket and carry it by two in the afternoon. Waterproof outer layer, jumper underneath, and shoes you can cycle in. This is bulb season — Keukenhof runs roughly from late March to mid-May and the fields around Lisse follow the same rhythm. You will be outside most of the day: cycling, canal walks, day trips to Haarlem or the coast.

Summer (June–August): 21.3–22.5°C (70.3–72.5°F) is t-shirt weather with a jacket in the bag, not shorts-and-nothing-else weather. Lows of 14.0–15.1°C (57.2–59.2°F) mean evenings on a terrace need a layer. No air conditioning in most older Amsterdam buildings, but at these temperatures you will not miss it. Long daylight means dinner at nine and still-light canals afterwards. You will be on a bike, on a boat, or on a beach at Zandvoort or Scheveningen — the water is cold, most people paddle rather than swim.

Autumn (September–November): the transition from 18.8°C (65.8°F) to 10.1°C (50.2°F) happens fast, and the rain roughly doubles in October before easing in November. This is when a hood beats an umbrella — Dutch wind flips umbrellas, and cyclists cannot hold one anyway. Waterproof jacket, waterproof shoes, and a plan that pivots indoors. Museum-heavy itineraries earn their keep in October.

Winter (December–February): 6.2–8.2°C (43.2–46.8°F) by day and 1.4–1.5°C (34.5–34.7°F) at night in the coldest two months. Rarely freezing hard, so expect wet cold rather than crisp cold, which feels worse than the number suggests once wind is added. Insulated waterproof coat, hat, gloves. Days are short; build the itinerary around indoor anchors with walks between them. Canal skating is a genuine rarity, not something to plan a trip around.

Month-by-month

• January — 6.2°C/1.5°C (43.2°F/34.7°F), 91.8mm over 16 days. The most rainy days of the year; light persistent drizzle. Cheapest month.
• February — 6.8°C/1.4°C (44.2°F/34.5°F), 43.1mm over 7 days. Same cold as January but less than half the rain. The better winter month.
• March — 12.1°C/2.8°C (53.8°F/37.0°F), 8.7mm over 3 days. Driest month of the year by a wide margin. Cold nights, bright days.
• April — 15.5°C/6.8°C (59.9°F/44.2°F), 32.1mm over 5 days. Best overall balance. Tulips and King's Day push prices up late in the month.
• May — 18.1°C/9.5°C (64.6°F/49.1°F), 51.2mm over 6 days. Warm enough for terraces, still only 6 wet days.
• June — 21.3°C/14.0°C (70.3°F/57.2°F), 66.9mm over 10 days. Longest daylight; rain starts climbing.
• July — 22.5°C/15.1°C (72.5°F/59.2°F), 99.6mm over 13 days. Warmest and second-wettest. Poor value.
• August — 22.3°C/14.4°C (72.1°F/57.9°F), 40.7mm over 8 days. July's warmth minus 59mm of rain. The best summer month.
• September — 18.8°C/12.0°C (65.8°F/53.6°F), 78.9mm over 12 days. May's temperatures, twice May's rain, lower prices.
• October — 14.6°C/10.1°C (58.3°F/50.2°F), 161.3mm over 15 days. Wettest month by far. Avoid.
• November — 10.1°C/5.8°C (50.2°F/42.4°F), 71.8mm over 11 days. Grey and closing in, but a big improvement on October.
• December — 8.2°C/3.9°C (46.8°F/39.0°F), 31.4mm over 6 days. Second-driest month. Cold, dry, festive.

FAQ

What is the rainiest month in the Netherlands?

October, at 161.3mm across 15 rainy days. It is not just the highest total — it is the heaviest per rainy day, at roughly 10.8mm each. January has one more wet day (16) but only 91.8mm, so the rain is much lighter. If you are choosing between the two, October is the one to skip.

When can I see the tulips?

Mid-April is the reliable window. Keukenhof typically opens in late March and closes in mid-May, and the outdoor fields around Lisse and the Noordoostpolder peak somewhere in the middle of that. The climate supports it: April is warm enough at 15.5°C (59.9°F) to spend a whole day outdoors and dry enough at 32.1mm over 5 days that you are unlikely to be rained out. Book accommodation well ahead — this is the busiest non-summer period of the year.

Do I need an umbrella or a raincoat?

A raincoat with a hood, every time. Dutch rain arrives with wind off the North Sea, which turns umbrellas inside out, and if you cycle — which you probably will — you cannot hold one. Waterproof shoes matter more than most people expect: even in the drier months, a wet day like August's average of 5mm is enough to soak canvas trainers. In October, when it rains every other day at nearly 11mm a time, waterproof footwear is not optional.

Is winter worth it, or should I wait for spring?

It depends what you want. February (43.1mm over 7 days) and December (31.4mm over 6 days) are both drier than May, and both are far cheaper. What you lose is temperature — 6.8°C (44.2°F) and 8.2°C (46.8°F) respectively, against May's 18.1°C (64.6°F) — and daylight hours. If your trip is museums, food, and long walks between indoor stops, winter works and your money goes further. If you want to cycle to the coast or sit outside, wait for April.

⚠️ Climate figures are measured observations for Amsterdam in 2025 and describe one year, not a long-term average. Any single year can run warmer, colder or wetter than typical. Check a forecast close to your travel dates, and always verify visa, health and safety requirements with official sources before travel.