Does anyone know if King’s Day in Amsterdam affects shop openings that day? We are planning a day trip to Delft on the 26th of April and want to make certain that all will be open in Delft that day. Thank you for your help!
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2557 posts
Since King’s Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, most shops in Delft and elsewhere will be closed.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2726 posts
We were in Amsterdam for King’s Day a few years ago. The shops there were closed but some restaurants were open. A couple of the museums were open and so that’s what we did that day. I can’t really convey how crowded Amsterdam is on King’s Day. It’s hard to walk around the city due to the hundreds of thousands of people milling about.
Make sure you give yourself adequate time to get to the train station - walking was slow, given the crowds.
It was a fun event to get to experience - at least in Amsterdam.
Posted by
1180 posts
King’s Day is everywhere if you are in the Netherlands, so you can expect Delft to be packed. We arrived in Delft as part of a Rick Steves tour late afternoon on Kings Day last year. . Packed and partying and orange everywhere. I can’t tell you if any shops were open because we didn’t really leave the square where our hotel was which only had restaurants. A restaurant graciously accommodated us (we were on our own to eat) in spite of being packed to the gills. We had come from a small town earlier that day where it was party central with a few shops open. I’d say the only thing guaranteed is happy orange wearing crowds. I’ve heard/read the best place to visit on Kings Day is Keukenhof Gardens perhaps but that may be because everyone is too busy celebrating everywhere else.
Posted by
The Netherlands
1760 posts
Kings Day is our national holiday. It’s celebrated everywhere in the country, not just in our capital. Just like the 4th of July is celebrated everywhere in the USA.
So no, not all will be open. You don’t mention what you want to visit in Delft, but museums and larger shops have websites on which they publish their opening hours, so you can look for yourself.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2152 posts
In April 2024 we were in The Hague on King’s Day and visited the Mauritshuis ( home of The Girl with the Pearl ). We made our reservations online before leaving home. The Hague wasn’t especially crowded and we had no problem navigating around and finding dinner without reservations. Yard sales and lots of orange were the only distinguishing features we noticed. I believe their big celebration is the evening before. Would like to visit Amsterdam on that day but haven’t made it yet. I’d guess public transportation could be crowded. Just FYI if you may consider an alternative.