Winter holidays have arrived in the Netherlands! If you’re looking for exciting activities to fill your winter break with, here are some ideas!
For those who want to discover Rotterdam during the winter period, we advise starting with Christmas Carol Sing-Along at SkyWay Woudestein (location of the Grand Piano), do not forget to sign up. For those who enjoy ice-skating Rotterdam offers IJSVRIJ festival at the Square 1940, Rotterdam beginning on the 14th of December. You can enjoy an ice rink, a cosy Café and a program filled with music, theatre and activities like silent disco skating. Gloves are mandatory! IJSVRIJ festival is not the only place to ice skate in the city. You can go ice skating every day of the week at the Schaatsbaan ice rink. 400-metre track, Funbaan and Curling-alley will not leave a single person disappointed. The entrance ticket cost is 6,75€ but for students registered via the following link, the price is 3,50€. Do not forget to register! To give a final touch to this year, you can visit the Christmas Circus of Rotterdam starting from the 23rd of December.
Planning to travel across the Netherlands? Consider visiting the following destinations!
Starting from the 12th of December you can visit the Royal Christmas Fair in The Hague. 110 Christmas stalls, a genuine children’s Christmas fair, thousands of lights, glühwein in reusable ‘pfandbecher’, a diverse cultural programme, and the one and only real Santa Claus. The event will take place on the Lange Voorhout.
Fifty different stalls and an estimate of 60.000 visitors make Ice Village Christmas Market a cosy festive. It is located next to Museumplein with the Ice Amsterdam skating rink. Fortunately, the dates of the event intersect with the Amsterdam light festival, so you have the opportunity to visit both.
If you are searching for more light festivals, we recommend dropping by one of the most significant Dutch heritage - Maastricht. From the 29th of November to the 31st of December 2019 you have a chance to visit Magical Maastricht where thousands of shimmering lights in trees, monuments, and even the tiniest of shops create a great atmosphere for everyone.
For all fans of ice skating, we’ve created a list of ice rinks and ice festivals across the Netherlands: Jaap Eden Baan in Watergraafsmeer, Thialf in Heerenveen, Schaatsbaan in Rotterdam and De Scheg in Deventer. Make sure to check the working hours, book your tickets and have warm winter wear packed!