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Where to go in January / Netherlands in January / Rotterdam, The Hague & South Holland / January

Netherlands · City

Rotterdam, The Hague & South Holland
in January.

Illustration of Spring flowerbeds in Keukenhof
Keukenhof flowerbeds during its spring openingDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to December.

January averages 45°F afternoons and 45°F seas, with about 16 rain days.

Afternoons
45°F
Sea
45°F
Visitor demand
38%of August peak

Historical Zuid-Holland regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft, Keukenhof and Kinderdijk; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.3/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.3/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor Europe; Netherlands-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 35°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 16 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 45°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:43Sunset 16:5835°F45°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:43 and sets about 16:58 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 16 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
35°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
45°F (7°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
8h 15m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 48°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 49% to 44% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

48°F

Typical afternoon high

49% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

44°F

Typical afternoon high

44% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

46°F

Typical afternoon high

44% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year’s Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
148°248°347°
447°547°647°747°847°947°1046°
1146°1245°1345°1445°1544°1644°1744°
1844°1944°2044°2144°2244°2344°2444°
2544°2645°2745°2845°2945°3046°3146°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 47°F (9°C) in the first week to 45°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 40–51%. Local schools are out 1–3 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–3 January 2027 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year’s Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. January averages 38% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December.

Overnight stays across Zuid-Holland do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Netherlands as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 125 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 41°F (5°C) and 48°F (9°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 8 to 20; half the years had 11–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 12 rain days1220112012: 16 rain days162013: 13 rain days132014: 20 rain days202015: 16 rain days162016: 18 rain days182017: 10 rain days102018: 17 rain days172019: 13 rain days132020: 10 rain days102021: 17 rain days172022: 8 rain days82023: 16 rain days162024: 11 rain days112025: 17 rain days172025
Rain days
16
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
1 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201144°F12
201246°F16
201341°F13
201448°F20
201545°F16
201647°F18
201742°F10
201847°F17
201944°F13
202048°F10
202144°F17
202247°F8
202347°F16
202445°F11
202545°F17

Checked against 3 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons48°F45°F47°F
Sea48°F45°F43°F
Rain days161610
Overnight demand42%38%42%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. December guide →

February: Cooler sea and fewer rain days than January. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 42% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons45°F48°F
Nights35°F38°F
Sea45°F48°F
Rain days1616
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.35.4
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.3#1245°F35°F45°F164.3Moderate season
February5.8#1047°F34°F43°F104.8Moderate season
March6.6#652°F37°F44°F105.8Moderate season
April6.1#859°F41°F48°F77.0Busy season
May6.6#565°F47°F53°F77.9Busy season
June6.8#371°F53°F59°F98.7Busy season
July6.9#174°F56°F64°F129.1Peak season
August6.6#474°F57°F66°F119.2Peak season
September6.9#269°F52°F65°F118.5Busy season
October6.3#761°F48°F60°F136.6Busy season
November6.1#952°F41°F54°F135.1Moderate season
December5.4#1148°F38°F48°F164.4Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Rotterdam, The Hague & South Holland

Rotterdam, The Hague & South Holland's weather ranks 20 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Netherlands have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Rotterdam, The Hague & South Holland.

All of Netherlands in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 38% of the busiest month and 40% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Zuid-Holland region, suburbs included. That means about 27,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 59% of them from Netherlands itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,700 more: 6 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)56
How our weather was checked3 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.6°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day7
Busiest month hereAugust · 18
Visitors as share of people present0.7%
Rank among Europe's regions this month55th percentile
Domestic share of nights59%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights6
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.7%
National hotel-price seasonNetherlands historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−22% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used3.9 million
Statistical regionNL36 · Zuid-Holland

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.