I know that neither time period is considered the ideal time to visit Amsterdam. Certainly, December offers Christmas attractions and late October less severe weather. But for purposes of future trip planning, I wanted to get the thoughts of forum members on the pros and cons of visiting Amsterdam in these time periods. I am starting a similar thread on the Belgium forum regarding Bruges. Thanks to all in advance who would care to respond.
Posted by
Australia
1072 posts
We have been to Amsterdam in early November and mid April. There seemed no appreciable difference in the weather. Both times we stayed 5-7 days. Both times we had a little bit of rain.
Posted by
Washington DC
28055 posts
The monthly climate-summary chart in Wikipedia's entry for Amsterdam suggests that late October will probably average about 10 degrees (F) warmer (both daily high and daily low). There' aren't many hours of sunshine in the typical late October, according to that chart, but December's likely to be worse. It's a guarantee that the days will be a lot shorter in December.
Obviously, weather can vary massively from year to year, and averages do not tell you anything about the potentially uncomfortable extremes. For off-season trips I always check the actual, day-by-day, historical weather data on the website timeanddate.com, usually for the most recent five years. My question is, quite simply, "How bad could it be?" That's a question not answered by averages.
Use the pull-down box just above the graph at the right to change the month and year.