April in Amsterdam - Events, weather, and travel tips
· Updated · BootsnAll
April is when Amsterdam wakes up from winter. It's usually the first month when you can expect reasonably pleasant weather most days, the bulb fields outside the city are in full color, and the month ends with King's Day, the biggest party of the Dutch year. The first half of the month is still fairly quiet. The last week is anything but.
April events in Amsterdam
King's Day (Koningsdag) - 27 April
This page used to be built around Queen's Day on 30 April. That holiday ended when Willem-Alexander became king in 2013, and since 2014 the Netherlands has celebrated King's Day on his birthday, 27 April. When the 27th falls on a Sunday, it moves to Saturday 26 April. In 2027 King's Day is on Tuesday 27 April, and in 2028 it's on Thursday 27 April.
It's still one of the biggest parties of the year. Amsterdam fills up with visitors from around the country, and almost everyone wears orange. The whole city turns into a flea market, the vrijmarkt, the one day a year anyone can sell on the street without a permit. According to I amsterdam, you can sell from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., though most of the markets get going around 9 a.m. Vondelpark is set aside for a children's market, and there are stages, parties and boats full of revelers on the canals.
The celebrations start the night before with King's Night (Koningsnacht), when the bars and clubs are packed. On the day itself, trams are rerouted around the center and the canals are jammed, so walk. Book your accommodation early if you're coming for it, and expect higher prices. If you're not coming for the party, avoid these dates. More in our King's Day in Amsterdam guide.
Easter
Easter moves around. In 2027 it falls in March (Easter Sunday is 28 March), and in 2028 it's on 16 April. Good Friday and Easter Monday are days off for many Dutch people, so it's a busy travel weekend. In Amsterdam, the museums, restaurants and tourist-oriented shops generally keep their normal schedules.
Keukenhof and the bulb fields
April is peak tulip season. Keukenhof, the enormous flower garden near Lisse, is open from 18 March to 9 May in 2027, daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets for 2027 go on sale in mid-October 2026 on Keukenhof's website, so book ahead. The fields around the garden usually peak with tulips from mid to late April, depending on the weather that spring.
On Saturday 17 April 2027 the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek flower parade winds from Noordwijk to Haarlem, with floats covered in bulb flowers. Keukenhof warns that roads in the area close from noon to 5 p.m. that day, so the garden is hard to reach after midday. Our day trips from Amsterdam and Haarlem pages can help you plan.
What happened to National Museum Weekend?
This page used to recommend the April museum weekend, when hundreds of Dutch museums offered free or cheap entry. It no longer runs in April. Its successor, Museumweek, now takes place in autumn; in 2026 it runs from 26 September to 2 October. In April, you pay normal prices, and the big museums need timed tickets booked online.
April weather in Amsterdam
Averages at Schiphol for 1991-2020, from KNMI, the Dutch weather service:
- Average high: 14 °C / 58 °F
- Average low: 5 °C / 41 °F
- Average rainfall: 40 mm / 1.6 inches, on about 9 days
- Sunshine: close to 200 hours for the month
April is Amsterdam's driest month on average, and one of its sunniest, but that's relative. You'll still want a jacket, layers for the evenings, and something for the odd shower, and the wind off the water can make it feel colder than the thermometer says. Snow is very unlikely. See our Amsterdam weather page for other months.
Getting to Amsterdam in April
Airfares from North America start climbing in April. If you book ahead, the first half of the month can still have low-season prices, while the second half, especially around Easter and King's Day, costs noticeably more. From within Europe, prices rise less dramatically, but last-minute deals get harder to find as spring demand picks up.
If Amsterdam is one stop on a longer European trip, a multi-stop ticket can be better value than a simple return. AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has built multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987, and one of its sample routes lists April to June as the best season:
Fly into London, go overland to Amsterdam and Paris, then fly home from Paris with a stop in Reykjavik on the way.
Where to stay
Early April is often your last chance for low-season rates at Amsterdam hotels and hostels. Prices rise through the month and peak around King's Day, when the city is close to full. Remember that Amsterdam adds a tourist tax of 12.5% of the room price, so check whether a quoted rate includes it.
Coming a little earlier or later? See March in Amsterdam and May in Amsterdam, or the full Amsterdam holidays and events calendar.
FAQ
Is April a good time to visit Amsterdam?
Yes, especially in the first half of the month. The weather is usually mild and fairly dry, the tulips are out, and crowds and prices haven't hit summer levels yet. The exception is the few days around King's Day.
When is the best time to see the tulips?
Usually mid to late April, though it shifts with the weather each year. Keukenhof's own gardens are planted to flower over its whole opening period, from mid-March to early May.
Is Amsterdam crowded on King's Day?
Very. Streets in the center can be shoulder to shoulder, trams are diverted, and hotels book up far ahead. Come for the party, or plan your trip for another week.