Amsterdam in July is peak visitor season for good reason. The weather is fantastic—even the rain is pleasant—and the city looks its very best.
Dutch winters are long, bitterly cold, and drizzly, so no wonder people come out to play when the sun appears. Parks and beaches are full of life, and there’s a party atmosphere everywhere. Here’s what to expect and how to join the fun during July in Amsterdam.
Peak Summer Weather
Amsterdam
July in Amsterdam is often its warmest month with up to 12 hours of sunshine a day. The weather can be erratic but temperatures average 72°F during the day and drop to 57°F at night, often with high humidity.
It’s a time for summer festivals, barbecues in the park, and hanging out at the beach—not to mention school vacations. After work, people take advantage of the long evenings to enjoy good company on restaurant and pub terraces.
There are occasional rain showers but usually not long enough to justify carrying an umbrella. Most people will just duck into a shop or café until the rain passes.
You’ll want to wear slacks or shorts, a T-shirt or other light top, with a jacket for cooler days or cloudbursts. Don’t forget your swimwear, in case the beach or sunbathing in the park appeals.
Seasonal Food
Herring
Late June through August is the season for fresh new herring, or Hollandse Nieuwe. You’ll see lines for it at street stalls, where the salted fish is best for novices served on a white bread roll with onions and pickles.
The Dutch often hold haring by the tail to eat it in bites. It’s also the norm to have the fish freshly prepared at the stall and to eat it standing nearby.
In recent years, more and more food trucks have begun to appear in summer. People want to be outdoors and no one wants to be in their own kitchen in the heat
Kibbeling
These food stalls offer everything from American to Indonesian dishes but a notable traditional snack is kibbeling. This is bite-sized pieces of cod, deep fried in batter just like the familiar British fish and chips.
Other traditional foods in Amsterdam include warm stroopwafels—wafers with a syrup filling—and poffertjes—mini pancakes with powdered sugar. Fries, with or without mayonnaise, are a given all year round.
Strawberries
You’ll see plenty of seasonal fruits, such as forest fruits, cherries, and strawberries in markets. Beschuit met aardbeien—rusk with fresh strawberries—is a traditional treat you might find in bakeries.
Strawberries ripen in spring and early summer but cherries appear in July and August. Look for them in cherry pie and in a refreshing cherry beer, kriek.
Berries and fruit such as peaches are often served with ice cream or an egg custard, called vla. Vla is prepackaged in all kinds of flavors from vanilla to chocolate, although summer ones tend to be lighter.
Special Events
Amsterdam Pride
July is a busy month for festivals in Amsterdam. These include Amsterdam Fashion Week and the start of the summer-long Vondelpark Open Air Theater.
Late July into early August is Amsterdam Pride, which is celebrated with canal parades. The Over het IJ Festival has theater and performance arts at NDSM-Wharf in Amsterdam Noord.
The Kwaku Summer Festival is a celebration of Surinamese culture, food, and music. There’s also the international contemporary dance festival, Julidans.
Music festival
For music, you’re always spoiled for choice in The Netherlands. Amsterdam Roots Festival brings artists from around the world to Oosterpark every July.
Dekmantel Festival is an electro music festival in Amsterdamse Bos and various other venues. Milkshake Festival highlights dance music at Westergas Amsterdam.
For food and drink, there’s the Taste of Amsterdam culinary festival, which involves many top restaurants, and the Amsterdam Beer Festival at Westergasfabriek.
Canal Cruises
Canal cruise
Canal cruises are perfect in warm weather, with the shade from high banks and the many bridges cooling things down. A guided tour will also orientate you for more efficient exploration of the central Amsterdam area later.
You can also rent an electric boat to potter around the canals at your own pace. The water, especially at weekends, is packed with all sorts of other watercraft, making cruising here one of the best things to do in Amsterdam with kids.
Amsterdam canal
For quieter canals, it’s now very popular to rent a stand-up paddleboard. The water has been cleaned up in recent decades but being confident enough not to fall in is a good idea.
Braver souls do swim in some of the larger docks on the IJ, but it’s wise to stick to official places. Sloterplas, where you can even go sailing, or the Amstel River—from where Amsterdam gets its name—are the most popular.
The main danger of swimming in the canals is entanglement in vandalised bikes that lie on the bottom. After long heatwaves, you can also find unpleasant and harmful algae blooms.
Outdoor Life
Vondelpark
If cycling around Amsterdam’s busy streets feels intimidating, why not find your feet in the spacious Vondelpark? In summer, it’s popular for picnics, open-air events, or just relaxing in the sun.
Rent a bike to explore it on the figure-of-eight perimeter path. There’s a restaurant and several cafés to relax in for a break.
Amsterdam Bos
At three times the size of New York’s Central Park, Amsterdam Bos or forest is perfect for hiking or picnicking. You can also swim at the natural pool or rent a canoe.
July is when rooftop bars come into their own. Canvas at the Volkshotel, A’DAM Lookout with its harbor views, and SkyLounge Amsterdam’s outdoor terrace are among the best.
Read: Best Things to Do in Amsterdam for Couples
Cool Museums
Rijksmuseum
Escape hotter days by exploring Amsterdam’s many museums, which are temperature controlled. The Rijksmuseum, with Rembrandt masterpieces such as The Nightwatch, and the Van Gogh Museum, where hits such as Sunflowers or his self portraits, are well known.
For a contemporary art museum in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk displays works by artists ranging from Piet Mondrian to Jeff Koons. Only a third of its vast collection is on show at any time, so repeat visits are essential.
The NEMO Science Museum, designed by architect Renzo Piano, looks like a ship rising from the water. Near the Central Station, it’s a cool refuge for anyone who loves exploring science, technology, and human behavior.
Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Dam Square
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam on Dam Square was originally the City Hall during the Dutch Golden Age. Its vast rooms and rich decor reflect the wealth the city merchants brought in from their trade worldwide.
More unusual museums include the Canal Museum—Het Grachtenhuis—and the National Maritime Museum. Both offer great insights into the history of this fascinating city.
Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is not to be missed, if you can find tickets in this peak season. Booking a tour is one way to bypass the long line to enter.
The Rembrandt House Museum is a glimpse into an earlier, more peaceful era. Built around 1606, it was Rembrandt’s home and studio.
Summer Shopping
Muntplein
Amsterdam is an ancient city and, for many good reasons, most of the older buildings are not air conditioned. It’s also a place where small shops dominate, rather than department stores.
While shopping in Amsterdam won’t guarantee you a place free from heat, it’s certainly a refuge in rain showers. Browsing is free and you’ll be in the shade, at least.
Good areas for popular chain stores include Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk, the two main pedestrianized shopping streets. The Nine Streets—De Negen Straatjes—is a charming area in Amsterdam Centrum full of boutiques, vintage, and designer stores.
Shop in the Nine Streets
PC Hooftstraat is an upmarket shopping area with designer brands. On scenic Utrechtsestraat, just outside the main canals, you’ll find many independent shops and specialty stores.
A more hip area is Haarlemmerstraat, full of concept stores and unique boutiques. Don’t forget the infamous Red Light District also has some quirky and unusual shops for unique souvenirs.
Outdoor Markets
Cheese
The Albert Cuyp Market is among Europe’s largest street markets, with hundreds of stalls for everything from fruit to souvenirs. In times gone by, it was said to be the place to buy back your stolen bike, but it’s now much more respectable.
The Bloemenmarkt, with its colorful flowers, is at its height in July. There are also several cheese markets for fans of Edam and even better cheeses.
Noordermarkt
Noordermarkt in the Jordaan neighborhood is a market for organic farmers on Saturdays and vintage clothing on Mondays. Ten Katemarkt in the Oud-West area is a good, less crowded alternative to the Albert Cuyp market.
Dappermarkt in Amsterdam East is a market that reflects the diverse nature of multicultural Amsterdam. It has some 250 stalls selling everything from street food to clothing.
Day Trips
Zaanse Schans
If you have at least three days in Amsterdam, you can escape the heat of the city by taking an excursion to see the windmills of Zaanse Schans. This museum-village has a collection of old wooden houses reassembled from all over the region.
There are 11 windmills of various types, such as a paint mill, plus a clog warehouse, many shops, and a bakery. Book a boat tour to take it all in or join a guided e-bike tour.
Frans Hals Museum
In Haarlem, the Frans Hals Museum is a highlight, while the Golden Streets—Gouden Straatjes—are famed for shopping. The many historic buildings include the Teylers Museum of art, natural history, and science, dating to 1778.
The compact city of The Hague—Den Haag—is nearer the coast, so there is a good chance of cooling breezes. It’s worth visiting just to see The Mauritshuis, famed for Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring, but also has lots more to offer.
Busy Beaches
Kijkduin
For locals, July in Amsterdam is a time for the beach. A tram ride from The Hague is the wonderful beach of Scheveningen, with a long line of cooler-than-cool beach bars. Beyond that is the much quieter, more unspoiled beach at Kijkduin.
There’s another long North Sea beach at Zandvoort, backed by dunes where horses and Highland cattle graze. To its north is Bloemendaal, with another lovely beach and a nature preserve to ride a rented bike to.
Strand IJburg
You can find beaches without even leaving Amsterdam. Strand IJburg, popular for picnics and barbecues, is at IJburg near the end of the Tram 26 line.
Strand West is a permanent city beach on the IJmeer in the Westerpark area. It’s a big beach with volleyball and lots of other fun, although you can’t swim here.
Quiet Neighborhoods
De Pijp
July brings peak crowds to much of central Amsterdam but you don’t have to walk far to find somewhere quiet. Explore some of Amsterdam’s best neighborhoods and you’ll find there is plenty on offer.
Beyond the Albert Cuyp market, De Pijp is full of lovely streets, with great cafés and local charm. The Sarphatipark has English-style landscaping, while Gerard Doustraat is a street jammed with independent boutiques and design shops.
Jordaan
The Jordaan’s narrow cobblestone streets and maze of canals offer plenty of peaceful, scenic corners. Check out the Houseboat Museum—Woonbootmuseum—and the 17th-century Protestant church Noorderkerk.
Take the free ferry to Amsterdam-Noord to wander among creative spaces, street art, waterfront restaurants, and green parks. The A’DAM Lookout has spectacular 360° views of Amsterdam, while the Eye Film Museum has a similarly panoramic restaurant.
A highlight of Oud-West, beyond the Vondelpark, is the Westergas cultural complex. This former gasworks is now buzzing with galleries, restaurants, and regular events.
Oosterpark
Amsterdam-Oost has the Oosterpark and the Brouwerij ‘t IJ, a craft brewery beside a landmark windmill. The Tropenmuseum is a fascinating anthropological museum set in a beautiful, historic building.
The Plantage area is where you’ll find the Artis Zoo, and Hortus Botanicus, the botanical garden. One of the world’s finest city zoos, Artis is noted for its conservation efforts worldwide.
Read: Amsterdam Travel Tips
Amsterdam
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