Autumn in Amsterdam can be a gentle transition from the heat of August to more normal temperatures, with leaves slowly changing colour, or it can start very abruptly with long periods of rain that seem to never end. In the past few years, we had nice autumns though. September and October were relatively warm and not very wet, with the city dressed in yellow and red up until the start of November. September often feels like a bonus month of summer, October is the month that turns the trees along the canals gold, and November pulls you into the cosy version of the city, the one with candles on the café tables at four in the afternoon. November is also the month when you can really feel the dreaded Dutch winter approaching: the cold rain, grey skies and short days are here to stay until March.
One of the best part of autumn is that the crowds thin out and the city settles back into its own rhythm: bikes hissing over wet leaves, café windows fogging up and golden light over the canals. Sometimes I think autumn is the best moment to visit a place, because you get to feel the city relaxing. Spring and summer are great, but there’s a lot of expanding energy in everything. Autumn brings calmer moments and calmer streets.
So, how to enjoy autumn in Amsterdam? I’ve made a list with things to do, including big festivals with fixed dates and small seasonal rituals that locals love. Some of these work in other seasons too, but they are at their best in autumn. Let’s begin!
In this guide
- Weather, honestly (and what to pack)
- 12 things to do in Amsterdam in autumn
- Eat and drink like a local in autumn
- Autumn day trips from Amsterdam
Weather, honestly
Autumn is the wettest season in the Netherlands, and the wind is a daily pain as well. You get to experience the various types of Dutch rain, from bursts that are sometimes horizontal because of the wind, to all-day drizzle. September, October and November each collect around 70–75mm on average and this is the time of year when the first named storms of the season appear. Amsterdammers have some tricks to survive this: check Buienalarm (the app that tells you when the rain starts and stops, down to the minute), rainproof cycling clothing (they wear them on top of the regular clothes to make sure they arrive dry at their destination), and more. A grey, wet day in Amsterdam is not the worst thing that can happen to you here. There are plenty of things to enjoy even on the rainiest day ever.
What to pack: a proper rain jacket (umbrellas have a short life expectancy in Dutch wind), layers you can add and remove twice a day, shoes that can handle wet puddles, and something warm for the evenings. Bring a hat, even in September. You might need it.
What to do in Amsterdam in autumn
1. Walk through the autumn colours
The trees put on a show from October to mid-November: the Canal Belt turns gold, and the colours reflect on the canals water. Walking is the best way to enjoy the autumn colours. For a concentrated dose, head to a park, like Vondelpark or Westerpark.
Apart from the canal ring (the main canals in the city centre), I have a few favourite places to enjoy autumn in Amsterdam, like: Entrepotdok, where the summer roses make place for rusty leaves, Recht Boomssloot, a small street close to Nieuwmarkt, Staalmeestersbrug with a view over Zuiderkerk tower, Stadionbuurt. But really any place in the city will probably have its autumnal charm.
2. Get cosy in a brown café
The bruine kroeg (brown café) is Amsterdam’s answer to autumn. These wood-panelled bars, stained brown by a century of smoke and conversation, are at their absolute best when it’s grey outside. Order a beer or a hot chocolate with a slice of appeltaart, and stay much longer than planned. A few classics: Café ’t Smalle in the Jordaan, Papeneiland close to Noordermarkt, De Sluyswacht (the crooked little house opposite the Rembrandt House), or Café Hoppe on Spui. It’s one of my biggest pleasures to hide in one of these on a rainy day, with a fresh mint or ginger tea and a friend to chat or just by myself, writing something. The atmosphere here is different from the hip coffee places, and many times I like this best.
3. Photograph the city in its best light
I might be biased, but autumn is the most photogenic season in Amsterdam. The light stays low and golden for most of the day, puddles turn into mirrors. Cold mornings or evenings bring mist covering the city, and Amsterdam is so romantic under a fog blanket! Autumn is also a good moment to catch a sunrise, because it happens at a civilised hour (between 07:30 and 08:30 in late October), so you don’t have to be a morning hero to get a beautiful sunrise photo.
This page includes affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra costs to you.
4. Autumn is when museum season starts
September is when the cultural year properly starts: the big museums open their autumn exhibitions, and the weekday crowds are thinner than in summer. There are so many museums in Amsterdam, that you could spend an entire holiday only visiting them. But I wouldn’t recommend that. Pick the ones that you are interested in and spend an afternoon browsing through. Amsterdam Museumnacht (Museum Night) happens in autumn as well: in 2026 is on 7 November. It’s a unique occasion to visit museums at night. More than 50 museums stay open from 19:00 until 02:00, with DJs between the paintings, workshops, performances.
↪ Amsterdam Museums: A Complete Guide to All Museums in the City
↪ If you plan three or more museum visits, it’s worth comparing the city passes before you arrive.
5. Peek behind closed doors on Open Monumentendag — 12–13 September 2026
For one weekend in September, dozens of monuments that are normally closed to the public open their doors for free: canal houses, hidden churches, windmills, towers. The 2026 edition (12–13 September) is the 40th, and this year the programme leans into “monuments of the future”: the city’s first skyscraper, old bank buildings, canal houses with interiors you normally never see. There will also be some dance, spoken word and evening events. It’s the best way to satisfy your curiosity about what hides behind those beautiful facades. Programme on the Open Monumentendag Amsterdam page.
6. Go mushroom spotting in Amsterdamse Bos
Amsterdamse Bos, the forest that is the closest to Amsterdam, transforms in autumn: after a few wet days the forest floor fills with mushrooms, including the fairy-tale red-with-white-dots fly agaric. You don’t need to know your mushrooms: this is only spotting, admiring and photographing. It’s not allowed to pick mushrooms in the Netherlands. You can combine the mushroom spotting walk with pancakes at Boerderij Meerzicht and order some mushroom pancakes to complete the day.
7. Visit the markets
When I say autumn, I automatically think of markets packed with pumpkins, apples, and other fruits and veggies coming straight from the field. Amsterdam has a few great farmers markets that I like to browse all year round, and my favourite will always remain the Noordermarkt. Leave the supermarkets alone for a while and go buy your food at the market, fresh and from the people who produced it.
8. Go to a festival
There are quite a festivals happening in autumn, and there’s something for everyone. Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) happens in October (21–25 October in 2026) and it takes over the city with more than 1,200 events. Even if clubbing is not your thing, the city hums during this week: there are daytime talks, art installations, open studios and free events all over town, and the people-watching is excellent. Then there’s IDFA, the biggest documentary film festival in the world, and it happens every November (12–22 November in 2026, the 39th edition). And to mention only a few others: Afrovibes, Amsterdam Storytelling Festival, Fringe, Kinderboekenweek, and Art Week.
↪ For all the main events in Amsterdam in autumn, check out: Events in Amsterdam in 2026: Your Month-by-Month Guide
I also send a monthly curated list of events in my newsletter, you can sign up below if you want to receive it.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
9. Warm up in the Hortus Botanicus
One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world (founded in 1638), the Hortus is lovely in any season. On a rainy autumn day it will provide a good respite from the cold. The tropical greenhouse fogs up your glasses the moment you walk in (OK, maybe not everyone wears glasses, but that’s a thing that stayed with me from my visits 😀 ). There’s a nice café in the old orangery for afterwards.
10. Catch Sint Maarten and the arrival of Sinterklaas
In November we already start to feel the holidays spirit slowly making its appearance. On 11 November, children walk door to door with paper lanterns, singing Sint Maarten songs in exchange for sweets — if you’re staying in a residential neighbourhood, keep a bag of treats by the door and play along. A few days later, Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat: up the Amstel from the Omval to the Maritime Museum, then on horseback through Rembrandtplein and Utrechtsestraat to Leidseplein. It’s called Sinterklaas Intocht and the date for 2026 is Sunday 15 November. It’s a beloved tradition (and also one that generated a lot of debate), but all kids are happy to attend it and meet Sinterklaas.
11. Have a little Halloween fun
Halloween is not a Dutch tradition, but Amsterdam has adopted it with growing enthusiasm: costume parties, club nights, spooky canal tours and ghost walks through the old centre. It stays modest compared to the US version, but it’s a fun way to fill a dark October evening.
↪ Haunted Netherlands: Dutch Ghost Stories, Urban Legends & Folklore
12. See the first lights of Amsterdam Light Festival — from 26 November 2026
Right at the end of autumn, the Amsterdam Light Festival brings light artworks on the canals of the city centre. And it’s just on time, as is that time of the year when the bad weather and short days start affecting people. The Light Festival is a more than welcome distraction. In 2026 it’s at the 15th edition, and starts on 26 November 2026 (running until 17 January 2027). Light artworks by artists from all over the world appear along the canals; seeing them from the water is the classic way, but the walking route is free and works just as well.
↪ Amsterdam Light Festival: A Winter Glow Over the Canals
What to eat and drink in autumn
Autumn is when Dutch food starts making sense. The dishes people politely call “hearty” in summer are exactly what you want when it’s 8 degrees and raining sideways.
The return of stamppot and the pumpkins
Pumpkin soup starts showing up in every café in autumn, and I definitely don’t complain about that! When the first properly cold week hits, stamppot (mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables, often served with sausage) and erwtensoep (thick split-pea soup) make their triumphant return.
Bokbier season
From early October, cafés all over the city tap bokbier, the seasonal beer the Dutch have been brewing for centuries. Brouwerij ’t IJ pours its version under the windmill, but almost every brown café will have one on tap. The season opens with the PINT Bockbierfestival, which in 2026 is its 44th edition, on 2–3 October at De Hallen Studio’s in Amsterdam-West — dozens of varieties under one roof.
Mosselen
Mussel season runs through the months with an “r” in them, and by autumn the Zeeland mussels are at their best: a big black pot, a mountain of fries, and mustard-mayo sauce.
Speculaas, kruidnoten and the first oliebollen
Kruidnoten hit the supermarket shelves famously early. They should be eaten, traditionally, in November, but they make their appearance sometimes when people still dream of summer. The street stalls selling oliebollen (deep-fried dough balls buried in powdered sugar) start appearing in November, and the first one of the season always tastes the best. I can’t wait for it!
Appeltaart, obviously
Dutch apple pie has no season, but it peaks in autumn: a thick slice, a mountain of whipped cream, a window seat, rain on the glass. Mmm… Winkel 43’s is the famous one but every local has their own opinion. My favourite apple pie is served at a place near the beach on Texel Island, and I don’t have a favourite in Amsterdam. But Winkel 43’s is a good one, so is the one served at the close by Café Hegeraad where you have no queues, or Cafe Papeneiland.
↪ A Taste of Amsterdam: Discover the City Through Its Food
Autumn day trips from Amsterdam
If you’d like going outside the city for a different scenery, there are so many places you can choose from! I picked only a few examples here.
⏺ The Veluwe. From mid-September to mid-October it’s bronst (rutting) season in the Hoge Veluwe and Veluwezoom national parks: at dusk you can hear the red deer bellowing across the heath, and rangers organise special excursions. The Hoge Veluwe also hides the Kröller-Müller Museum, with one of the largest Van Gogh collections in the world, and free white bicycles to explore the park. About an hour and a half from Amsterdam, via Arnhem.
⏺ Leiden on 3 October: Leidens Ontzet. Every year on 3 October, Leiden celebrates the end of the Spanish siege of 1574 with a city-wide party: funfairs, live music, and free herring with white bread handed out in the morning, plus hutspot on every menu. It’s 35 minutes by train.
⏺ Utrecht. Utrecht’s sunken canal wharves give it a completely different feel from Amsterdam, and they look magnificent in autumn. Climb the Dom Tower to see the city from above. 25 minutes by train.
⏺ Haarlem. Haarlem is fifteen minutes by train and trades its summer beach crowds for a cosy season of its own: the cafés on the Grote Markt, the Frans Hals Museum, and Teylers Museum — the oldest museum in the country, at its most atmospheric on a grey day.
↪ Best Things to Do in the Netherlands in Autumn: 13 Local Favourites
↪ Best Day Trips from Amsterdam: 16 Dutch Cities You Need to Visit
Amsterdam in autumn is quieter and slower than in the postcard seasons. The days shrink, the city smells like rain and fallen leaves, and everything cosy the Dutch are famous for finally starts making sense. Bring a rain jacket, plan a museum or two, and let the season charm you.
Planning your trip to Amsterdam in autumn? Check these:
- Things to Do in Amsterdam, Recommended by Locals
- Dutch Provinces: A Complete Guide to Day Trips & Hidden Gems
Stay tuned for more and follow Amsterdamian on Instagram and Facebook for more stories about life in the Netherlands, written by a real local, updated constantly.
Check out my photo book: Amsterdam Through the Seasons!
Love what you’re reading? Support my work with a small donation.
And share this post if you liked it!
