If you’ve ever fancied spending the holidays inside a picturesque Christmas card, head over to Amsterdam for a festive and wintry wonderland. Imagine strolling down the streets browsing gifts in the marketplace, scarf wrapped around your head, Christmas music floating through the air with snow lightly falling and a giant lit-up Christmas tree in the center of the square. This is one city that knows how to spread Christmas cheer!
The fabulous Christmas markets in Amsterdam are spread all over the city, with 26 different neighborhood market areas to choose from! They’re all open rain or shine and vary as far as dates- but most are open from sometime in November through a few days after Christmas. The Albert Cuypmarkt in the Albert Cuypstraat is bustling year-round, and you’ll always find a colorful array of gifts and food to choose from. But come December and the place takes on a true festive feel, transforming into a Christmas wonderland. Don’t miss it for some of the best festivity and to experience the hustle and bustle of the holiday season!
Other city center markets include Leidesplein and Koningsplein which are both full of festive gift and food stalls. There’s an ice rink at Leidesplein which is open from 2 November through the second week of January, and they have plenty of Christmas-themed activities happening throughout December!
For the very best Christmas tree, don’t miss the Bloemenmarkt- Amsterdam’s flower market. They have all varieties of trees from small to gigantic, colorful or traditional pine, and you can also get holly, poinsettias and other festive holiday plants. And right next door is the Christmas Palace, a place to buy all kinds of festive treats.
For an epic fairy-tale Christmas experience, grab some flights to Amsterdam, then head to Rembrandtplein for the Winterland Market. You’ll find massive twinkling Christmas trees, snowmen, music and tons of festive market stalls toting everything from Christmas ornaments to jewelry and all kinds of wintry comfort food- candied fruits and chestnuts, hot chocolate, mulled wine!
For a unique Christmas experience, check out the Funky Xmas Market in Westerpark. It’s a cheerful, offbeat market that’s quickly becoming a real Amsterdam institution around the holidays! Here you’ll find plenty of quirky gifts, great food, an ice rink and even a circus! Another great market to discover is the Castle Keukenhof market, where there’s an ice rink within the castle grounds and a whole garden lit up by fairy lights to be explored.
So if you find yourself near the Netherlands at Christmastime, definitely don’t miss the chance to experience Amsterdam’s magical Christmas markets!
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