As an immigrant, I’m often visiting family abroad over Christmas itself – but that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the holiday season in Amsterdam. Unlike in the UK, where I was born, the Christmas period doesn’t “officially” start until after Sinterklaas on 5 December (famous among foodies for its chocolate letters and pepernoten), which means the three weeks between Sinterklaas and Christmas feel like a genuinely fun build-up and not a long slog since September. Plus, I’m often home in time for that wonderful week between Christmas and New Year – now known as “Betwixtmas”. And during all this time, there’s lots of festive fun to be found in and around Amsterdam…

Christmas markets in Amsterdam

While the Netherlands isn’t known for its Christmas markets in the same way that, say, Germany is (and do check out my Aachen Christmas market guide for a good example just across the border), Amsterdam does put on its fair share of festively lit stalls, steaming glühwein and (only mildly dangerous when inebriated) ice rinks.

Amsterdam Christmas Village

The most centrally located, the Museumplein’s Christmas Village is my favourite for meeting friends for a cheeky gluhwein during the holiday season. While I’m not much of an ice skater myself, I appreciate watching the Dutch (proud of their skating prowess!) glide around and the kids holding on to the back of a chair. The stalls are also pretty good: think hipster crafts and wooden toys rather than kitschy knick-knacks.

  • Dates: 3-27 December 2026
  • Location: Museumplein
  • Website: icevillage.nl

Museumplein’s Christmas Village

Winter Wonderland in Amsterdam (Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs in Dutch)

If you’ve got kids in tow (or you’re just a big kid yourself), the Winter Wonderland (officially Winterparadijs) takes the Christmas market idea indoors and supersizes it. Held at the RAI, it bills itself as the largest winter event in the Netherlands, with an indoor ice rink (the biggest temporary one in the country, apparently), an outdoor rink, a Ferris wheel, a 40-metre swing ride and an indoor light experience called the Paradise of Lights. Food Paradise takes care of the snacks, while the Après-ski Village (21+ only) is where the grown-ups head for a drink and a singalong. Note that this is a ticketed event.

  • Dates: 17 December 2026-2 January 2027 (closed 31 December; après-ski closed 24 and 25 December)
  • Location: RAI Amsterdam, Europaplein 24
  • Website: hetamsterdamsewinterparadijs.nl

Amsterdamse Winterterras

Not strictly Christmas (it’s over before Sinterklaas arrives), but a good way to kick off the festive season: for three weekends in November, the Amsterdamse Winterterras fills a covered hall with some of the city’s favourite restaurants and bars, all serving side by side. This year it’s crossed the IJ for the first time, setting up in the NDSM wharf building in Amsterdam-Noord (reached by ferry from Centraal). The line-up includes Coba (Mexican tacos and tostadas), Camarat (charcoal-grill cooking with French and Scandinavian influences), Brasserie Van Dam (famous burgers), Amici Pizza, Spang Makandra (Surinamese) and Yuzu (Japanese yakitori), with live music on stage every day. There’s also a Mini-Terras for kids, and Sint & Friends drop by on two Sundays.

Restaurants and hotels celebrating Christmas in Amsterdam

A lot of restaurants close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so do check opening dates beforehand and book well in advance. Here are just a handful of places I know are open – not least because they’re in some of Amsterdam’s most iconic hotels that welcome guests year-round.

Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky

Right on Dam Square, the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky goes all out for the festive season, with seasonal menus in several of its historic dining rooms. The showstopper is the Christmas Brunch Series in the Wintergarden, served beneath the room’s 19th-century glass roof: generous buffets and live cooking stations (think venison rump, honey-glazed ham and mushroom Wellington), freshly shucked oysters, artisanal cheeses and a finale of Christmas desserts, with live entertainment and free-flowing drinks throughout. For something more intimate, Grand Café Krasnapolsky serves a four-course Christmas dinner, and its afternoon tea gets a festive makeover from 1 December. New Year’s Eve is equally busy, from a five-course dinner at the Grand Café to a gala in the Wintergarden and a champagne party in the Tailor Bar.

  • Christmas Brunch (Wintergarden): 20, 25 and 26 December
  • Christmas Dinner (Grand Café Krasnapolsky): 24, 25 and 26 December
  • Festive Afternoon Tea (Grand Café Krasnapolsky): 1 December-6 January
  • New Year’s Eve: five-course dinner at the Grand Café, Wintergarden Gala and a Tailor Bar party
  • Location: Dam 9
  • Website: anantara.com/en/grand-hotel-krasnapolsky-amsterdam/festive

TOZI at Park Plaza Vondelpark

Just behind the Vondelpark, TOZI is the Venetian-inspired restaurant of the Park Plaza Vondelpark, known for its cicchetti (small sharing plates), handmade pasta and an Italian-leaning bar. Its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menu is a feast of sharing plates: homemade focaccia, pumpkin with hazelnut and black truffle, yellowtail carpaccio and beef tartare to start, followed by braised beef ravioli, lobster paccheri, stuffed red mullet and veal cheek with creamy polenta, with pear and almond tart and panettone to finish. On New Year’s Eve there are two sittings, with the later one including scallops, truffle risotto, braised lamb and TOZI’s tiramisu.

TOZI’s famous tonnarelli cacio e pepe

Jansz at the Pulitzer

For a Christmas meal with a bit of canal-side calm, Jansz is the restaurant of the Pulitzer Hotel, serving modern Dutch-inspired lunches and dinners alongside cosy, elegant rooms. On Christmas Day you can choose between a three-course lunch and a four-course dinner, each with a regular and a vegetarian menu. The dinner starts with king prawn carpaccio, moves on to seabass with lobster bisque and tenderloin with black garlic jus, and finishes with bread and butter pudding; the vegetarian version features roasted pumpkin with black truffle and Dutch blue cheese, and a cauliflower “risotto”. On New Year’s Eve, the four-course menu features yellowfin tuna, poached lobster and a tenderloin main.

Festive Foodie Events around Amsterdam

When the days are short, Amsterdam’s canals come to life with twinkling lights reflected in the water from 5 pm onwards. The Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual fixture that takes advantage of the winter season, but there’s more to explore outside of the city centre as well…

Amsterdam Light Festival Oyster Walk

New in 2026, the Oyster Walk teams up with the Amsterdam Light Festival for a self-guided evening stroll of around 4.5 kilometres that links the festival’s light artworks with four of the city’s restaurants. Along the way you slurp six oysters and enjoy two matching drinks, setting your own pace rather than following a guide (the restaurants on this route are De Boule de Boule, Een Vis Twee Vis, De Pizzabakkers and Petit Lou).

If oysters aren’t your thing, there’s a non-oyster version called Foodsteps, with two small bites, two larger bites and two drinks at De Boule de Boule, A Tavola, De Pizzabakkers and Cantina Caliente. Your ticket also includes six weeks of access to the Amsterdam Light Tour app, and the route and practical details are emailed four days beforehand.

  • Dates: Light Festival 26 November 2026-17 January 2027; culinary walks Thursday to Saturday evenings, except between 20 December and 6 January
  • Location: central Amsterdam (the route is emailed to you in advance)
  • Website: amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/taste
Amsterdam Light Festival

Amsterdam Light Festival

Kathmandu Kitchen

This December, Kathmandu Kitchen (the Indian and Nepalese restaurant I wrote about previously) is celebrating the 400th anniversary of De Waakzaamheid, the historic wooden building it calls home in Koog aan de Zaan, with a month of festive events. There’s something for most tastes, from a Christmas rowing race on the Zaan to a three-course Christmas dinner and a cooking workshop:

  • Sunday 20 December: Christmas rowing on the Zaan, a sprint race for rowing sloops and skiffs, with local and national teams, on the water right behind the building
  • 25 and 26 December: Christmas dinner, a special three-course menu in two sittings – a family-friendly early slot and a later one
  • Wednesday 30 December: Indian cooking workshop (Christmas edition), 18:00-22:30, cooking and dining together in the historic building
  • Sunday 3 January 2027: New Year coffee concert, with guitarist Ruben Hoeke and Edgar Koelemeijer playing pop classics
  • Location: Hoogstraat 4, Koog aan de Zaan
  • Website: kathmandukitchen.nl/locatie/koog-aan-de-zaan

Christmas High Tea in Zaandam

If your idea of a perfect Christmas outing involves a wood stove, candlelight and a very good scone, head over the water to Zaandam, where Gunpowderstudio hosts a Christmas High Tea. The studio is in a 1938 carbide building on the Hembrug site, with a tall Christmas tree under the mezzanine and candles at the big window. You start with a warm, alcohol-free winter punch and tea (including the studio’s own Gunpowder Tea blend), followed by seasonal soup with bread, mini sandwiches, a warm savoury tart, scones with cream and jam, red velvet, brownies and designer cookies baked by local makers. Only 24 guests can come per sitting, so book early.

  • Dates: Sundays 6, 13, 20 and 27 December, 15:15-17:30, and Christmas Eve (24 December), 12:00-14:30
  • Location: Gunpowderstudio, Kardoes 12, Zaandam
  • Website: gunpowderstudio.com/kerst
Christmas high tea at Gunpowderstudio

Christmas high tea at Gunpowderstudio

Planning your trip to Amsterdam

Before you can enjoy Christmas in Amsterdam, you’re going to need to get here! Below are a few trip essentials, but my Amsterdam travel planning guide covers the rest.