I’m arriving in Amsterdam Saturday for four days before heading to Bruges and Brussels.
The forecast is calling for rain EVERYDAY of my trip.
We are not huge museum people and will just get wet more but am looking for any tips or ideas or knowledge of weather there.
Does it rain all day? Is it more likely to rain in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
Should we plan to do certain activities at certain times?
I’m sure we’ll have a great time regardless but looking for any advice or ideas.
The Rijksmuseum is worth a visit to see the building itself, beautifully restored.
We had rain one day in Amsterdam. We just made do. I wished I had rain pants or a longer rain coat. I like a cap or visor under the hood of my rain coat. I always have a couple bags to put my purse in. Have a ziplock bag to put your map inside if you use one. I do not bring an umbrella because I'm usually carrying my map and phone for navigation and I don't have enough hands.
Weather forecasts are rarely accurate this far in advance.
If I use the weather app on my iphone, it always shows rain. But, in my 5 most recent trips to Europe (2021 – 2023) I have only had one full day of rain and a few days with some light rain for a short time.
I suggest using Meto Blue for weather. You can get the app for your phone:
https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/week/amsterdam_netherlands_2759794
But again, the forecasts won’t be too accurate until a few days out. Always a good idea to bring a raincoat and umbrella.
Have a nice trip!!
We had 48 hours of nonstop rain in Venice this past May. Full- length raincoats are optimal, but even those can only handle so much wet. The street vendors cropped up selling 5 euros long ponchos ( with arms) that worked perfectly, and also 5 euros rain boots that went over our shoes, as the puddles were huge. Even the rain boots held up for two days. Don't forget to bring plastic bags for your suitcase and backpacks. The hotels supplied umbrellas, but these were ineffective in the wind.
You can still ride the canal boats and do food and/ or beer tours.
Also, we applied waterproof spray to all our walking shoes. It seemed pretty effective. Good luck!
“ Weather forecasts are rarely accurate this far in advance”
This, a 1000 times this. No weather forecast can rightfully say it’s going to rain for 4 days starting Saturday. There is absolutely no point in worrying about it now.
Also, I’m not even sure what weather forecast is saying this. None of the Netherlands-based weather forecasts predict this kind of weather.
If this is what you are checking, please stop using it or it will stress you out.
It always shows rain. I think because it can’t predict that far in advance, it figures it will just show rain.
We’ve been in Ireland for the last 7 days and it has rained every day now, sometimes unusually hard, not “a soft day, but one for the ducks” as we were told. And from the radar it looks as if that weather has been flowing eastward. A good raincoat, rain pants and waterproof shoes…..rain shouldn’t stop your enjoyment, just have the right clothes.
a decision I am making right now - do I prefer some rain (in England where I live) or roasting alive in southern Europe? I'm coming around to exploring parts of northern Germany that I don't know yet rather than returning to favourite places in the south.
Sometimes rain and cool temperatures can be better.
I like to have a few bookstores in mind for if the weather turns bad.
The comments about not considering forecasts for five days hence are correct. You can't know with any degree of certainty this far out if it will rain. You say you "are not huge museum people." Is it museums in general? Or art museums specifically? I ask because on my last trip, I went to the Museum of the Canals and found it fascinating to see a bit about how Amsterdam was built and grew. Likewise the Museum of Dutch resistance isn't what most people think about when they think of a museum. There is also the Anne Frank House. It is a museum and history lesson, but certainly not art. An alternative is many of the fine historic churches in Amsterdam. Bon Voyage!
Oh dear...Amsterdam, then Belgium? Definitely take a lightweight raincoat and (recommended) rain pants, plus shoes that can stand a bit of water. I've been to Belgium @20 times, and the rain gear is now just standard equipment. I don't even bother to look at the forecast because it's sure to change before the end of my trip. My lightweight stuff folds up small and fits into my day pack. If it's not needed because I have a lovely sunny day, then great. But if it is needed I'm prepared with the right clothes to continue with my plans for the day. I've spent too much money to be there and not do everything I wanted because of a bit of weather!
I’m just pointing out that while Weather.com was cited as being wrong (and I was using that as my primary site), the other sites mentioned here now are reflecting rain everyday from Saturday - Wednesday as well.
Appreciate all the ideas. Waterproof spray for shoes definitely is interesting.
I’m sure we’ll have a great time in the rain but it still looks like rain for a week straight in Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels.
Waterproof spray for shoes definitely is interesting.
I have used this on my shoes on my past 2 trips (including NL and BE) and it really does work. https://www.kiwicare.com/en-us/products/kiwi-protect-all-waterproofer
