Anne Frank House in winter

Is the Anne Frank House open in winter?

Yes, every day from 9:00 to 22:00. The winter exceptions are 25 and 31 December (9:00 to 17:00) and 1 January 2027 (12:00 to 22:00).

There is no winter closing and no shorter winter timetable. Tickets are sold the same way all year, only on the museum's website, annefrank.org, every Tuesday at 10:00 CET for visits six weeks later. Winter dates still sell out, so the six-week rule matters as much in December as in July.

A ticket costs EUR 16.50 for adults, EUR 7.00 for ages 10 to 17 and EUR 1.00 for children up to 9 (2026, booking fee included). Our opening hours post lists every changed date up to New Year.

Is an evening slot a good idea in winter?

Yes. On regular days you can enter as late as the evening, and in December it is dark outside long before then. Use the daylight for the walk and the evening for the museum.

In December the sun sets around 16:30 in Amsterdam and rises at about 8:45; by mid-January sunset moves to about 17:00. A walking tour that starts in the early afternoon ends in the last light. Book your museum slot about two hours after the tour starts, and you go straight from the streets of Anne's story into the house where she hid.

The evening has its own mood. The Prinsengracht is dark, the windows are lit, and the Westerkerk clock marks the hours above the roofs. The museum's own advice is short: take all the time you need once you are inside.

What do you do with coats and bags?

The free cloakroom takes coats, bags and buggies. Only bags smaller than an A4 sheet can go inside, and there is no room for suitcases or large backpacks.

Winter layers add up, so travel light. The museum asks you to leave luggage at your hotel or at Amsterdam Central Station, or you may not be admitted. Photography and filming are not allowed inside, so your phone can stay in your pocket.

The route through the front house and the Secret Annex has three steep staircases up, and wet shoes on old wooden stairs need care. Wear shoes with grip. The museum café, reached only through the museum, is a warm place to sit afterwards, card payment only.

What changes in December and over New Year?

The museum closes at 17:00 on 25 and 31 December and opens at 12:00 on 1 January 2027. Tickets for those dates go on sale in November, six weeks ahead.

Christmas Eve and Boxing Day are not on the museum's list of changed dates, so the normal hours apply. Other places close or shorten their hours around Christmas, so check each museum before you build a day.

From 26 November 2026 the Amsterdam Light Festival returns for 53 days, with artworks along the canals in the evenings, according to the city's tourism site, iamsterdam.com.

Is an Anne Frank walking tour worth it in the cold and rain?

Yes, with the right clothes. The walks are outdoors, the groups are small, and the guide keeps the story moving between stops.

On the guided walk from the Westerkerk you cover two to three kilometres in two hours, from the Anne Frank Monument through the canal belt to the Jewish Quarter, with diary passages read on the way. The operator asks for comfortable shoes, water and clothing for the weather. The walk in groups of up to 15 lists an umbrella among the things to bring and ends outside the Anne Frank House, which is handy on a wet day.

Short on daylight? The small-group walk has a one-hour option from the Anne Frank Monument, close to the museum. Michael, on the Westerkerk walk in Oct 2026: "Lilli led the tour in an outstandingly knowledgeable and charismatic way, making it a truly memorable experience."

Two hours from the Anne Frank Monument by the Westerkerk to the Jewish Quarter, in English, German, Italian, Spanish or French: a winter afternoon with the whole story.

★ 4.9 · 2 hours · from $22

Explore the guided walk from the Westerkerk → Tour details

Which indoor WWII sites pair with a winter visit?

The Dutch Resistance Museum and the National Holocaust Museum, both in the Plantage district, about 200 m apart. Both close at 17:00, so visit them in the morning or early afternoon.

The Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) shows how people in the occupied Netherlands lived, adapted and resisted, through more than 130 personal stories, with a free audio tour. It is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on 25 December and 1 January.

The National Holocaust Museum, opened in 2024 opposite the Hollandsche Schouwburg memorial, tells the story of the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. The Jewish Cultural Quarter lists shorter hours on 5, 24, 25 and 31 December (10:00 to 16:00) and 12:00 to 17:00 on 1 January. A museum morning there, a walk in the afternoon and the Anne Frank House in the evening make one full winter day. Our WWII Amsterdam guide covers more places.

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