ICE* Amsterdam – a winter experience in Amsterdam!

ICE* Amsterdam is returning again to the Dutch capital from 18 November 2017 until 4 February 2018. This wintery haven is ideally located in the beautiful Museumplein, not far from Vondelpark, and is surrounded by beautiful architecture, including Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, as well as gorgeous greenery and the iconic Iamsterdam sign.

You can spend the entire day here, especially when ICE* Village opens on 20 December, wandering between the stalls, skating on the huge ice rink, and filling up on all the delicious food and drink.

Feast your eyes…

The brasserie restaurant is housed in a homely wooden chalet, the perfect place to warm yourself through after a day out in the chilly Dutch weather.

Cosy lighting, an inviting log burning stove and an authentic ski-lodge feel both inside and out create an incredibly festive atmosphere. Opt for hot chocolate with lashings of cream, poffertjes dusted with sugar, or waffles doused in chocolate. The menu is definitely catered towards colder weather. Pulled pork, croquettes, burgers, bacon pancakes, even cheese fondue, what more could you ask for?

They even do birthday parties, and you can reserve a table of 10+ online.

Get your skates on

The enormous ice rink is the central feature of the attraction. It’s inexpensive to join in, and you can rent everything you need when you arrive. Whether you’re a pro or total novice, take to the ice, and you can even use a chair to steady yourself as you get your balance. Why not book in for a skating lesson and learn the ropes even quicker? There’s games for groups, too, from ice hockey to more niche games including Rodelslalom on Ice and Jeu d’Ice. Plus, the environmentally friendly ‘Icefloo’ ice rink uses 25% less energy than standard ice rinks, meaning it’s good for the planet, too!

ICE* Village

Opening at ICE* Amsterdam for 10 days from 20 to 30 December, the ICE* Village has 56 adorable chalets that are dressed with garlands and fairy lights. There’s gifts and trinkets, Christmas handicrafts, clothes, even live entertainment. It’s free entry and in 2016 the village drew in a massive 60,000 visitors in the short amount of time it was open.

The festive food and drinks to be had are absolutely mouth-watering. Wrap up warm and enjoy them at one of the candlelit tables for a real feeling of gezelligheid. Choose from churros, crepes, sausages, gourmet street food and more. Or, in fact, don’t choose and just indulge in it all. It’s Christmas, why not?
Wash it down with a hot cider, mulled wine or beer before enjoying everything else on offer.