Amsterdam on an Sunday what's open, what's closed?
 

Going to be in Amsterdam for a few days in mid-April. We will be spending a Sunday in the city, do a lot of stores and restaurants close down for a Sunday or do they all remain open?

Are any of the major sights closed on Sunday?

Figure I would ask you all since many of you have been....any suggestions will be happily absorbed!

leechie

Pretty much everything is open on a Sunday in Amsterdam. All the museums, most shops and all restaurants are open.

Yup Sunday is now, alas, in Amsterdam and many larger Dutch cities, just another day - no impact for tourists except that museums may not open as early as on weekdays.

Sunday is only just another day in tourist centres Pal. There are strict rules regarding Sunday opening still.
Utrecht, for instance, is not open for business as usual on most Sundays in the year.

The only thing in Amsterdam not open on Sunday are the churches! (Most are never open and have been converted to other uses IME).

Hetismij - thanks for the correction - Amsterdam is not Holland, in so so many ways.

In nice weather a walk thru Vondel Park on a nice Sunday is a trip in itself - people watching at its best and most bizarre.

<i>The only thing in Amsterdam not open on Sunday are the churches!</i>

LOL. You nailed it Palenque.

Thanks all! This was one of my main concerns and now I feel better.

Only two long months to go....

I should have mentioned that Keukenhof will be open. Mid April might be a little bit early to see many tulips in bloom but you have a chance. See my photos at http://tinyurl.com/y8hltjl.

Note that most shops being open is only true for (most of) the center and the museumquarter. But it sounds like you'll be staying in these areas anyway. Also, most shops won't open before 12:00 and will close at 17:00.

Vakantie has it right. Shops, museums, cafes and restaurants will be open in the center, but mostly not in the other areas.

In the center, Kalverstraat which has the stores of all the major brands and anything around the Dam will be open.

But even the more popular areas outside of the center will be more restricted. For example the galleries in the Jordaan or the smaller boutiques in the Negen Straatjes are mostly closed.

Also many restaurants are closed for dinner on Sunday, so it might be worth choosing one that's open before you arrive in Amsterdam.

Many find the very secular culture of Amsterdam delightful and a wonderful, refreshing contrast to the increasingly inconsiderate religiosity of America -- which is real cause for an "alas" I think.

zeppole - that is why i was astounded when, actually in Haarlem, i was accosted on a main pedestrian street by a nice looking young gal who was passing out Jesus Saves material and proselytizing about Christianity - the very secular culture of Holland - at least cities like Amsterdam and Haarel i find nice too so this was kind of a shock

My son was born and raised in France and he is appalled at how many times he is innudated here by others proselytizing their Christian religion as the only way to Salvation, etc.

People with religious convictions who might close down a business for the day being described as "inconsiderate"...now that's a new one...

well dukey it's often not folks who own the shops that close them on Sunday - it often the law - even in Holland except for in some tourist areas and around Christmas - otherwise the normally lively pedestrian shopping zones in Dutch towns become totally dead. So it's culture as a whole imposing the ban - even on store owners who may want to open

In France all hypermarches i believe must close on Sundays and as a result Saturday shopping is really mobbed - with shoppers having only that day to shop - so having shops closed on Sunday could well be IMO inconsiderate

I would not criticize shop owners who want to close to close for whatever reasons-but a forced closing i oppose - let the consumer decide when they shop - when they can shop IMO

Now unions in France are adamant against Sunday opening of the 'large surfaces' as they call the hypermarches - because they feel it will upset the traditional family-oriented Sundays - even though that tradition IME is fading quick and when they can, like on Sundays before Christmas they shop in droves. Union workers do not want to be forced to work on Sundays. But if the U.S.is an example workers here want to work on Sundays - because they get overtime for so doing.

At my local Kroger store every holiday when they are open (every one except Christmas Day) all the old-timers are working - just to get the double time pay. Same would happen in France IMO - pay overtime and no one will be forced to work on Saunday)

No disputing though that forced closing of stores on Sunday is an inconvenience if not inconsiderate of the consumer IMO

Amsterdam has recently declared that shops throughout the whole of the city can open on Sundays, not just the areas designated as tourist areas.

There is nothing inconsiderate, nor inconvenient, about closing on a Sunday. We are completely used to it and cater for it. The fact that one day a week is quiet is very nice. Consumers here accept it, and in Utrecht even voted against regular Sunday opening.
I hate being in places on a Sunday when it is business as usual and the roads and pavements are packed.

We regularly get assorted 7th Day Adventists and Jehovha's Witnesses (often Americans for both) toting for business on a Sunday going door to door. A polite no thank you usually suffices.

I agree with hetismij's sentiments about Sunday closing. When I lived in Haarlem the whole town, except for cafes and most restaurants, was locked up from 18h Saturday to noon Monday. I think that Haarlem has one shopping Sunday a month now but only in the central shopping area. Sunday is a time to relax.

leechie, If you get really lucky with a warm sunny Sunday I suggest taking the train over to Zandvoort an Zee. Fresh air, beach, casino, and plenty of cafes. Rent a bike and pedal south through the dunes or north along the coast.

We have about a 7 hour layover in Schiphol (en route to Rome)a couple of Sundays from now. I understand the train station runs right under the airport. Is it feasible to catch a train and wander around , even for an hour , in central Amsterdam? I haven't been there in 34 years and just want to see what I remember....

Rick

rs899, yes, you should have enough time for a trip into Amsterdam and a wander around.

Allow enough time to get back to Schiphol and go through security. Unlike for non Schengen flights, where security is at the gate, for Schengen it is done centrally and the queues can be quite long.

You will need to buy your train ticket at the kiosk, rather than from a machine unless you have Euro coins.

hetismij-

Thanks. I'll give it a try, if Martinair gets me to AMS close to schedule. They don't have a very good record on promptness, so maybe having 7 hours to kill will be a good thing.

Rick

Spaarne-You say Mid-April may be too early for tulips. What is the best time to view them IYO? We arrive April 30 (very early) and are staying until May 8. We are hoping this is the prime time for flowers at Kuekenhof.

Lear8118, two things.

Firstly tulips. Spring is cold so far, after a cold winter. It may (hopefully will) warm up soon, but we still have night forsts and had snow on Monday again. Normally when you are here would be peak time, but this year it is hard to predict. All bulbs are late this year. You will see some tulips, but whether they will be at their peak is hard to say.

Secondly where are you staying? April 30th is Koninginnedag (Queens day) and Amsterdam will be packed, even very, very early. The trains into Amsterdam will be crowded and the streets too. Trams may or may not be running, and many streets will be closed to all traffic. The same will apply to any town or city to a lesser extent.

The trains into Amsterdam will be crowded and the streets too. and not may not be running IME - will not be running

the past few years all trains into Centraal Station i understand have been cancelled on Queen's Day - to me one of the very finest citywide street festivals i have ever witnessed - do not avoid it and go out of your way for it

But back to the trains -i was on a train at Centraal Station one Queen's Day and the mob scene was terrifying - unbelievable overcrowded trains - lots of young folk, each seemingly carried a case of Heineken off the train - descended from the train cars -it was like those old Volkswagen beatles ads - unfathomable number of people kept coming out of the train - the stairs and escalators were so mobbed - i can see why they scrub trains on Queen's Day.

Lear8118,

Well, you know that farmers depend on the weather. hetismij writes that it is still snowing in Holland. My friend in Haarlem wrote yesterday that it turned cold again. Meanwhile up here in mid-Michigan it is about 50F and my tulips (bulbs from Holland over the years) are about 2" out of the ground and the snow drops are blooming. Do you shoot craps?

The last time I was over there was end of April 2008. I shot a lot of pictures. My Keukenhof photos are at http://tinyurl.com/y8hltjl. As you can see the weather was beautiful and many of the tulips were two feet tall and in bloom.

As for April 30, Queen's Day, see my photos at http://tinyurl.com/yln3hrp. It was also a beautiful day and Amsterdam was mobbed. We took the train to and from Haarlem. It was SRO. We stood behind a Dutch punk and his punkess drinking from a bottle of rot gut booze which he finished and then threw the bottle on the floor of the train car. I advised him through his soaking wet eyeballs that that was not safe for other passengers. He picked it up and threw it on the tracks as he got off the train.

The Amsterdam trams in the city center were not running. Heck, you couldn't even ride a bicycle in town. Woe is a Dutchman if not on a bike. Since you are arriving very early Lear8118 you probably won't have a problem getting to your hotel (which? where?), but as hetismij indicates you never know. Ask your hotel for preferred transport.

Queen's Day should get you over jet lag -- right now!

We are hoping too walk to the southern canal belt where out hotel is (@ 1 mile) w/o too much trouble since were using backpacks?! I emailed Schipol and they said trains would be going to Centraal Station that day. Hope they are correct. We s/b arriving at Centraal @ 8 a.m. We figured we'd arrive in the chaos that day walk around a bit and call it an early night due to jet-lag. The best laid plans... we'll see.

The trains will be running at that time. They only stop running to Centraal if it gets seriously congested, which it hasn't done the last couple of years, and then only later in the morning or early afternoon.
If your hotel is walkable from Centraal you won't have too much of a problem, but do be alert - it is the pickpockets favourite day in Amsterdam.

"southern canal belt" What is that?

You might be walking for an hour, maybe more if you get lost. Do you have the name and/or address of your hotel? If the trams are running that would probably be a better way to go. Check with your hotel.