Visiting Noord-Holland in January: what's open and what a room costs

Weather and daylight

Expect 2-6°C highs, 0-3°C lows, and roughly eight hours of daylight. Rain falls on about half the days, usually as drizzle rather than downpour, and the wind off the IJsselmeer makes coastal towns like Volendam and Den Helder feel colder than the thermometer suggests. Real snow is rare in the city but the polders west of Purmerend sometimes whiten. Pack a proper waterproof, not an umbrella — Amsterdam wind snaps them within an hour. Canal skating happens roughly one winter in five; 2026 forecasts do not look promising.

Sunrise creeps from 08:48 on New Year's Day to 08:20 by month's end, and sunset shifts from 16:32 to 17:15. Plan museums for the dark hours and walks between roughly 10:00 and 15:30. The low sun angle actually flatters the gabled facades on Herengracht around 14:00 if you want photos without crowds.

Prices and what's open

The first three weeks are the cheapest of the year outside Amsterdam. Expect €85-110 for a decent 3-star in Amsterdam-Oost or Haarlem, €70-90 in Alkmaar or Hoorn, and canal-house 4-stars from €140 midweek. Texel drops to €95 for guesthouses but half of Den Burg's restaurants close for winter break in the first two weeks. The Amsterdam Light Festival runs until about 21 January and is the single best reason to come — the boat tour is worth the €25.

Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh and Anne Frank open normal hours. Keukenhof is shut. The cheese market in Alkmaar does not run in January. Zandvoort's boulevard is mostly closed, though the Circuit Zandvoort sometimes hosts winter track days. Bergen and Egmond aan Zee feel deserted, which is either the point or a disaster depending on why you came.