11 Things to Do in Amsterdam in February

Amsterdam in February is a destination that will blow your mind. From ice skating to Valentine's Day plans, discover the best activities for an amazing season.

Ana Caballero

Ana Caballero

10 min read

11 Things to Do in Amsterdam in February

Amsterdam, The Netherlands | ©Adrien Olichon

February is an ideal month to visit Amsterdam, full of shows, attractions and entertainment sheltered from the winter that hovers in the streets of the city. These celebrations are usually enjoyed by tourists, but also by locals. As it is not yet the season, you can take advantage of discounted hotel and flight rates.

In fact, in February in Amsterdam there are not so many tourists, but you will find many locals at various attractions for all tastes. You will be able to get to know the city at your own pace, and without feeling like you have no room for anything. For this, I bring you this list of the best things to do in Amsterdam in February.

1. Amsterdam museums to take shelter from the cold

Exterior of Anne Frank's house| ©Daryl Mitchell
Exterior of Anne Frank's house| ©Daryl Mitchell

Another great option to schedule if you travel in February will be to visit the best museums in Amsterdam, which are beautiful, varied and for all tastes and interests. If it's too cold, you know it's always great to have an excuse to stay indoors. Here are some suggestions:

  • You can take the Anne Frank tour through the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, and get to know the environment in which the young girl lived when she was hiding from the Nazis in Holland.
  • Another good alternative is to buy tickets for the Van Gogh Museum and visit the best museum with the work of this great artist.
  • Of course, one proposal is to take a guided tour of the Rijksmuseum, which traces the history of art in the Netherlands, and has more than 8,000 works for your enjoyment.
  • There is also the option of planning a visit to the Madame Tussauds Museum, where you will see wax figures of the most international celebrities.
  • Another less conventional option that fascinates me is a visit to Electric Ladyland, one of the few museums in the world dedicated to fluorescent art and art with ultraviolet lights. I promise you will not forget this experience in a million years.

Book tickets for the Van Gogh Museum

2. Heineken Experience

Heineken Museum| ©Philip M
Heineken Museum| ©Philip M

Undoubtedly, if you travel to Amsterdam in February you must enjoy the Heineken Experience, which is a must, whenever you travel. It is an experience located inside the original bre wery of this beer.

The Heineken Museum offers an interactive tour with an audio guide that will invite you to learn about the origins, secrets and processes that lead to Heineken ending up served on the tables of groups of people around the world.

The tour lasts an hour and a half and is visited by millions year after year. For this reason, I recommend that you get skip-the-line tickets, and don't miss it for the world: you don't want to be the only person not to be immersed in this beer tour.

Book tickets for Heineken Experience

3. Visit Bruges from Amsterdam in February

View of one of Bruges' canals| ©Neil Turner
View of one of Bruges' canals| ©Neil Turner

If you want to crown your trip to the Netherlands, you should consider the possibility of taking a short hop and venture to Bruges, the queen of the neighboring country. In this Belgian city, I assure you that you will feel out of time, and you will return from your vacation with the nostalgia of a time you have not even known.

If you want to know how to get from Amsterdam to Bruges, you should read this article about it, and add the point to your itinerary.

Bruges is a small city, medieval and only three hours from Amsterdam. So you can visit it and come back in the same day. Isn't it tempting?

This is not only a dreamy option: it is a fairy tale. The attractions to see in this city are more than varied, so don't even think about it, and save a day to travel back in time to this fictional postcard.

Book an excursion to Bruges

4. Cruise along the canals of Amsterdam on Valentine's Day

Amsterdam Canals| ©Sarest39
Amsterdam Canals| ©Sarest39

What better proposal for Valentine's Day than a cruise on the canals of Amsterdam. It is a very romantic and economical plan. In addition, you will have a totally different perspective of the city and you will be able to see emblematic places and monuments at the same time that you know in detail the history of the capital of the Netherlands through the audio guide.

And if you are a photography lover, don't forget to bring your camera because you will be able to capture some dreamy snapshots, as you will pass by some of the most iconic places of the city such as the Magere Brug bascule bridge, the rich Golden Curve, surrounded by elegant buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries and the Red Light District.

Do not hesitate, include this plan in the list of initiatives for February, you will not regret it!

Cruise along the canals of Amsterdam

5. Postcards of snow in Amsterdam

Frozen sea in Volendam| ©Mixa
Frozen sea in Volendam| ©Mixa

In February in Amsterdam, with the cold weather, you will see some amazing postcards that few have ever seen. Not the typical snapshots of Amsterdam that you will see everywhere, but others, also dreamy. For example, the sea between Volendam and Marken completely frozen.

In this situation, I recommend you to experience something that few have experienced, since this is not the most touristic time of the region: live the experience of walking between villages, without taking the ferry due to the total freezing. You're not going to tell me that it's not a great anecdote for you to tell on your return.

If you want to live the most wintry experience possible, consider the Amsterdam Canal Cruise with tickets to the XtraCold ice bar, where everything, even the glasses, is made of ice. Mind-blowing.

Book tickets to the Amsterdam ice bar

6. Don't miss the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam

Zoo| ©Jack
Zoo| ©Jack

A good plan for the month of February, especially if you are traveling with your family, is to visit the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands. Hundreds of species from penguins and jaguars to anteaters and wolves await you there.

Opened in 1838, this zoo has several historic buildings, including its own planetarium, a library and perhaps one of the most popular is the Butterfly Garden. If you are going to Amsterdam with your family, book your tickets in advance and don't miss out on one of the favorite places of the Dutch.

Book tickets for the Amsterdam Zoo

7. Ice skating in Amsterdam

Ice skating in the city| ©EVERT ELZINGA
Ice skating in the city| ©EVERT ELZINGA

As I said, in February in Amsterdam you will find a still harsh winter. Although it will be cold inside the ice skating rinks as well, you will warm up with a bit of physical activity, with an activity more wintry than any other.

In Amsterdam there are numerous options for ice skating all day long. Even, if the temperature is low enough, you can skate on the canals of the capital itself, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you're wondering what's the point of getting out of the cold and into another equally cold room, dismiss these doubts. These are not contradictions, as what will drive the warmth in your body is movement, and you'll feel like you're in a movie as you skate around Amsterdam's incredible ice rinks.

8. Marry for a day in Amsterdam on Valentine's Day

People at the Wed & Walk| ©DennisM2
People at the Wed & Walk| ©DennisM2

February is the month of love. For this reason, I recommend that if you are traveling as a couple, take the opportunity to try the Wed & Walk experience, where you can get married for a day in Amsterdam. This incredible plan includes a change of clothes for the bride, a brief ceremony, exchange of rings and photographs. The scope of each of these elements varies depending on the plan you hire, which can be bronze, silver or gold.

In addition, you can choose the song that will play as you walk down the carpet, and guests may attend. You can keep the ring, and you will also take as a souvenir a good collection of photographs of the moment lived with your love.

Of course, what you will live here is an experience, and it is not a binding contract. If you want to get married, you will have to do it by other means. In this case, you will only live a moment to remember.

9. Chinese New Year in Amsterdam

Chinese New Year in Amsterdam| ©Bart van Dijk
Chinese New Year in Amsterdam| ©Bart van Dijk

In February in Amsterdam you can attend the Chinese New Year celebrations. These celebrations are usually held in Amsterdam's Dam Square, and around the Nieuwmarkt/Zeedijk neighborhood.

However, maybe you are looking for something quieter, and Amsterdam offers another ideal option for this: the Fo Guang Shan Holland Tempel, which is a Buddhist temple, with programming specifically designed for these dates.

Another option is to choose a gastronomic celebration. In this case, you can choose a dinner at the Sea Palace, which is the first floating Chinese restaurant on the continent. However, this is not the only option, so if you are looking for an alternative on land, you will have numerous possibilities.

10. Amsterdam Chocolate Festival

People at the Chocoa Festival| ©Chocoa Festival
People at the Chocoa Festival| ©Chocoa Festival

Can you think of a more wintry plan than eating chocolates? Not for me! In Amsterdam in February you have an unmissable date: the chocolate festival.

Towards the end of February in Amsterdam, every year, more than 80 stalls are set up for you to lose your mind tasting chocolates from all over the world. As for me, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I think you should imitate me, because you might regret it.

Come on, it's like traveling to Amsterdam in February with a Hansel and Gretel passport: an injection of endorphins that I can't even explain.

11. Romantic Valentine's Day dinner, with a view

A-DAM Lookout Tower| ©Bootuitjes
A-DAM Lookout Tower| ©Bootuitjes

If you're traveling as a couple in February to Amsterdam, be sure to make special Valentine's Day plans. Nothing is more beautiful than getting to know a city through the eyes of love, and that's why I bring you this recommendation: organize a romantic dinner at the A'Dam Tower, specifically in the Moon restaurant, which rotates on its axis for an hour to enjoy the best views of Amsterdam.

This tower used to be Shell, but is now available for tourists to climb to see the landscape, enjoy a delicious meal, visit interactive exhibitions and swing in height, overlooking the entire city.

Ticket prices will vary, depending on the choice of experience:

  • Ticket to enter the tower: From 14€. There are discounts for minors and for online ticket purchases.
  • A'Dam Lookout + swing: from 25€.
  • A'DAM Lookout + Moon restaurant: Depending on the type of meal you choose, prices range from 38€ to 68€.

The tower is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, and the last admissions are at 21:00.

Amsterdam weather in February

Winter in Amsterdam| ©Amsterdamming
Winter in Amsterdam| ©Amsterdamming

As I already told you, Amsterdam in February is in the middle of winter. The chances of temperatures dropping below freezing are high, so it is essential to bring plenty of warm clothes.

However, precipitation, both snowfall and rainfall, is much lower. This is great, because it is more difficult to activate walking plans when it rains. The cold is combated with good clothing, while the rain gets in the way with hair, glasses... a nuisance.

Generally, the sky will be cloudy. But don't worry: the scenery will be as fascinating as you'd expect to see. You won't see many sunny days, though. Well, maybe you don't want to: you decide whether this is a good or a bad thing.

The tourist flow in Amsterdam in February

Tourists at the skating rinks| ©Luis Villa del Campo
Tourists at the skating rinks| ©Luis Villa del Campo

Due to the weather, it is still low season in Amsterdam in February. Thanks to this, you will be able to access Amsterdam's most prominent tourist attractions without having to wait in the very long lines that are common in other seasons.

Of course, you will come across people, both locals and foreigners. However, it will not be an overcrowded city that will greet you when you arrive in Amsterdam in February.

Prices in Amsterdam in February

Paying in euros| ©cottonbro
Paying in euros| ©cottonbro

You should take advantage of low prices on hotels, flights and tourist attractions if you decide to travel to Amsterdam in February. Due to the season and the low tourist influx already mentioned, you will have access to great discounts, promotions and benefits to visit the best tourist attractions in Amsterdam.

Alternative plans to protect yourself from the cold in Amsterdam

Wax Museum entrance| ©Bootuitjes
Wax Museum entrance| ©Bootuitjes

Most of the plans mentioned in this article, such as visiting the best museums in Amsterdam, will serve to protect you from the cold when you travel to Amsterdam in February. Above all, you should consider the best museums in Amsterdam and the ice skating rinks, which are wonderful options.

Hiking and biking are also good options, as they warm you up while you can also be outdoors and look at the beautiful images Amsterdam has to offer.

Of course, the main thing you should not lose sight of is that you have to bring warm clothes for these occasions: several layers of clothing, gloves, hat, scarf and all the accessories.

Book a guided tour of Amsterdam