Amsterdam is one of the wettest cities in our December guides, and it's windy, which matters more than the temperature. The canals and lights are worth it, but you need to dress for sideways rain.
Local advice is unusually consistent: a hooded waterproof jacket, no umbrella and flat, grippy shoes. That's great news for a 40 × 30 × 20 cm free bag.
The weather in Amsterdam in December
Shoulder months for comparison
| Station | November | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Schiphol | 10.0 °C / 4.5 °C50 °F / 40 °F · 85 mm | 6.9 °C / 1.9 °C44 °F / 35 °F · 82 mm | 6.2 °C / 1.2 °C43 °F / 34 °F · 66 mm |
Source: WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI accession 0253808). Stations: Amsterdam Schiphol (WMO 6240). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Sunrise, sunset and daylight are calculated for the 15th of the month in 2026 (local time). °F and inches are converted from the metric figures. “n/a” means the station doesn’t report sunshine in this dataset.
- Cool and raw. Average highs are in single figures and lows only just above freezing (measured at Schiphol).
- Wet: about 14 days of at least 1 mm of rain in a typical December, more than Paris or London. Waterproofs aren't optional.
- Under 8 hours of daylight in mid-December, and the sun sets before 16:30.
This week in Amsterdam
The outfit plan in this guide is built from 30-year averages for December. This panel is the real forecast for the next 7 days, turned into packing tips for a cabin bag.
The live forecast needs JavaScript. Everything else in this guide works without it, and the climate-based plan above covers any December trip.
Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), adapted into packing tips.
What locals actually wear
Everything below is a summary of, or a quote from, the linked source. We don’t make up “local” style tips.
- "Locals almost universally wear a regenjas", a rain jacket, and umbrellas tend to turn inside out in the wind. The advice is to leave your umbrella at home.Source [1]: Discover Netherlands
- Wear flat, broken-in shoes for the cobbles. There are no real dress codes, so casual is fine almost everywhere.Source [1]: Discover Netherlands
- Local writers recommend a waterproof, windproof hooded coat, a windproof hat and layers, because indoors is warm.Source [2]: DutchAmsterdam.nl (Amsterdam-based authors)
- The same writers suggest grippy, water-resistant shoes and plenty of thick socks (they say 4–6 pairs).Source [2]: DutchAmsterdam.nl (Amsterdam-based authors)
3 outfit formulas
Canal walk in the rain
- Hooded waterproof, windproof jacket
- Thin packable down or fleece underneath
- Long-sleeve tee
- Dark jeans
- Grippy waterproof boots
- Windproof beanie
Tip: Wear the down layer under the rain shell. Together they replace a heavy winter coat and pack smaller.
Museum day
- Rain jacket
- Merino or cashmere crewneck
- Wide-leg trousers or jeans
- Clean leather trainers or flat boots
Tip: Museums are warm, so wear a single good knit you can stand around in.
Brown café evening
- Knit midi skirt or black jeans
- Fine knit or silk-feel top
- Thick tights
- Flat boots
- Rain jacket and scarf
Tip: No dress codes, so it's easy to look a little dressed up without packing anything formal.
Swatches are a colour guide for each formula, not product photos.
Day to night in Amsterdam
Same capsule, evening version: keep the base, swap one or two pieces. Every swap below stays cabin-bag friendly. How day-to-night swaps work →
01Canal walk in the rain → brown café evening
- Base (stays the same)
- Hooded rain jacket
- Waterproof flat boots
- ☀ Day add-ons
- Dark jeans
- Long-sleeve tee
- Packable down or fleece
- ☾ Evening swaps
- Knit midi skirt and thick tights instead of jeans
- Fine knit or silk-feel top
- Small crossbody
Pieces added to your bag: 1, a small crossbody (or empty your day bag).
02Museum day → dinner out
- Base (stays the same)
- Wide-leg trousers or jeans
- Merino or cashmere crewneck
- ☀ Day add-ons
- Clean leather trainers
- ☾ Evening swaps
- Flat boots instead of trainers
- Statement earrings
- Scarf worn loose
Pieces added to your bag: 1, statement earrings.
Preview note: placeholder links to each shop’s normal pages, with no affiliate tracking yet.
The free-baggage packing list
Your bag: 40 × 30 × 20 cm
Planned for 3–4 nights, using a soft backpack of about 20–24 litres made to the 40 × 30 × 20 cm size. The rule that makes it work: wear your bulkiest items on the plane. The dotted outline is easyJet’s bigger free bag.
Wear on the plane worn
In the bag 11 items
- An umbrella (locals don't bother)
- Heels on cobbles
- Anything that needs dry-cleaning after one rainy day
Liquids: going vs coming home
UK airports vary. Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast International, Belfast City, Bournemouth, Southend allow containers up to 2 litres; most others, including Manchester, Stansted and Luton, are still 100 ml.
- 100 mlAmsterdam Schiphol (AMS), in a 1 L clear bag
Pack your liquids to 100 ml for the whole trip.
Check your room first
Read the hotel, Airbnb or hostel listing, or message the host, and ask whether they provide:
- Iron or steamer
- Hairdryer
- Toiletries: shampoo, shower gel (conditioner often isn’t supplied)
- Towels, plus beach or pool towels
- Washing machine or laundry service
- Plug adapters or USB sockets
- Kettle, tea and coffee
- Slippers and a robe
- A safe
Hostels often don’t provide towels or padlocks.
Every item they provide is one you don’t carry.
No-iron packing
Pick fabrics that don’t crease. Woven cotton and linen crease; knits, merino, jersey and most polyester blends barely do.
- Hang creased clothes in the bathroom while you shower.
- Pack a small crease-release spray under 100 ml (it counts as a liquid).
- Roll clothes, and keep crease-prone pieces in a packing cube on top, not in a vacuum bag.
- Check whether your hotel or Airbnb has an iron.
Buy it there?
Adding a checked bag typically costs around £60–80 return on a budget airline. So if your bag is full, buying bulky or liquid items when you arrive is often cheaper.
Think sun cream, full-size shampoo, insect repellent, a beach towel or flip-flops.
Usually yes in this destination: Supermarkets and chemists are easy to find, at roughly UK prices.
Tick items off as you pack (your ticks aren’t saved). Liquids rules depend on your departure airport and change from time to time. Check your airport’s current security rules before you decant your toiletries (see liquids rules by airport).
Flying there on Ryanair, easyJet or Wizz?
- Flying Ryanair, Wizz Air or Transavia Basic? Your free bag is 40 × 30 × 20 cm (Transavia counts handles and wheels).
- On easyJet you get 45 × 36 × 20 cm, enough to add the trainers without a squeeze.
- A rain jacket and packable down jacket together are much smaller than a winter coat, which frees up room for extra socks.
Duty-free bag: Ryanair: extra bag allowed · easyJet: extra bag allowed · Wizz Air: extra bag allowed. It still has to fit under the seat or in a locker, and gate staff decide. Duty free and your free baggage →
Sizes come from each airline’s official page (see our free baggage reference for links). Rules change, so check your booking before you fly.
Baggage picks
The ticks compare each bag’s stated outer dimensions with each airline’s free-bag size. A struck-through name means the bag is too big for that airline. Soft bags squash a little; hard cases don’t. We haven’t tested these bags ourselves yet.
Want to fit more in? Compression cubes and packing cubes that store more in a free bag →
Pieces that fit the formulas
- QuinceWeatherproof oversized rain jacket
- QuinceLightweight down packable hooded jacket
- QuinceSupersoft fleece half-zip
- QuinceMongolian cashmere oversized crewneck
- ASOS · searchWaterproof Chelsea boots (ASOS search)
- SHEIN · searchKnit beanies (SHEIN search)
- Amazon · searchMerino wool hiking socks (Amazon UK search)
- Amazon · searchCompression packing cubes (Amazon UK search)
Preview note: these are placeholder links to each brand’s normal product or search page. They carry no affiliate tracking yet, and we don’t show prices because they change.
Sources
- Packing and weather – Netherlands essentials, Discover Netherlands
- Amsterdam weather in December, DutchAmsterdam.nl (Amsterdam-based authors)
Airline free-bag sizes: see the free baggage reference. Climate: WMO 1991–2020 normals (NOAA NCEI). Live forecast: weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), adapted into packing tips. Photos: Unsplash, credited on each image and on the photo credits page. Last checked October 2026.
