Ice Skating on the Museumplein Amsterdam at Ice*Amsterdam (2024)

FAQs

When can you ice skate in Amsterdam? ›

Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the Museumplein Ice Rink offers a delightful skating experience beneath one of Amsterdam's best museums, the iconic Rijksmuseum. Open from late November through early January, you can enjoy the picturesque views of Amsterdam's most famous landmarks while skating with your loved ones.

When the temperature drops low enough for long enough, the canals become sparkling highways through the city. Skating over Amsterdam's frozen canals is not possible every year. The temperature needs to drop to -5°C or below for 1 or 2 weeks to get natural ice (natuurijs) thick enough to skate on.

Do the canals freeze over every year? Although it certainly gets very chilly in the winter months here in Amsterdam, the canals completely freezing over each year is a thing of the past. The last time this happened was in 2021, and before that in 2012.

Ice skating is popular in North India in places like Ladakh, Kashmir and Shimla where cold weather occurs and it is possible to skate outdoors.

Remember to avoid anything too baggy or long that may get in the way of your skates. Jeans are a big no when it comes to ice skating. Tight jeans will restrict your movement and take longer to dry after a fall on the ice. Instead, stick to thermal pants and sweatpants to protect the bottom half of your body.

Teaching a young kid to ice skate is fun for both parent and child. Although most children do not express an interest in ice skating until they are at least three years old, any child who can walk can technically learn to skate.

Out of Western Europe, Amsterdam has the worst water quality. Although, this is only for canal water as the Netherlands has the cleanest drinking water in Europe. During the Dutch Golden Age, the canals were used as a place to dump anything. Whether this was garbage or sewage, it all went directly into the canals.

The skating season typically runs from early January to early March, but it is weather- dependent. The Skateway opens to the public once the surface is at least 30 centimetres thick with good quality ice. For that to happen, our ice experts need 10 to 14 days of consecutive cold weather (-10°C to -20°C).

The weather in Amsterdam in December is cold with average temperatures of around 5 °C. The colder temperatures bring with them the chances of snow and there are as many as 11 days of snowfall to be expected in December and January. Wind speeds also pick up in December which can make the temperatures feel even colder.

What is the coldest month in Amsterdam? ›

July is the hottest month in Amsterdam with an average temperature of 16°C (61°F) and the coldest is January at 2°C (36°F) with the most daily sunshine hours at 7 in June. The wettest month is November with an average of 90mm of rain..

How many people fall in the canals in Amsterdam? Around 20 people fall in the canals in Amsterdam every year. Mostly it happens to tourists being under influence or sometimes also homeless people that fall in at night. In the winter this is very dangerous as you will undercool very quickly.

Ice skating is essentially skating on ice – by moving the skates on the ice, one can move around the rink (or lake) either for exercise, leisure, traveling or various sports. Ice skating is a very generic term for four main types of sports – figure skating, short track skating, speed skating and ice skating.

Canada leads the world in estimated ice rinks per capita which provides ample opportunity for youth to learn how to skate and engage in the sport of figure skating.

When you stand on ice skates upon the ice, the ice beneath your blades experiences enough pressure that it undergoes a phase change: from the solid (ice) phase to the liquid (water) phase. This helps reduce friction further, and also helps skaters glide over the wintry surface.

Lake Louise is cleared daily of snowfall. Skating is available from mid-December to mid-April, depending on conditions. Rent skates and more at Chateau Ski and Snow Rentals.

Do I have to start at a young age, or can I start at 12? You can start figure skating at any age.

So, contrary to popular belief, no, there is no age limit in figure skating. It's never too late to start figure skating.

Mid season (mid January - end February), 50 shades of ice: the peak of Nordic skating season: the large bodies of water are freezing or have frozen (we're talking Mälaren, the Stockholm archipelago, Hjälmaren etc), and the small and mid-sized lakes are still ice-covered as well.