Europe - Amsterdam on Queen's Day 2013?

Mrs. jacknyoc and I are making plans for a long weekend (Sat-Tues) in Amsterdam next April (26-30 April 2013)...tying it in with a week in London... and we just realized those dates coincide with the Queen's Day holiday and celebration.

We don't spend much time in the heavy touristy areas or get into the big celebrations. But we would want to visit restaurants and taking in some of the sites walking through some of the neighborhoods. Perhaps we would spend a day in the countryside (most likely that Sunday, 28 April). We've been in Paris for Bastille Day and have found it very manageable, as long as we stayed away from select touristy areas like the Arch D'T and Eiffel Tower.

We heard from a couple of people that Amsterdam will be very, very busy and chaotic on that Monday and Tuesday, and likely much of the weekend, and that we won't be able to enjoy most of Amsterdam due to the crowds and partying. They suggested we think twice about going.

Given our interests and the things we want to do, and our experience in Paris, are we making a mistake going to Amsterdam at that time?

And, if we go, can we assume there will be a reduced transit schedule for the rail service from Centraal Station to the airport on 30 April?

Thank you.

I have found myself in Amsterdam on Queen's Day, unwittingly so and it is something I will forever be wary of.
Steets are packed with crowds, canals are packed with boats loaded with boozing people.
Coincidentally it was the day we were supposed to leave and we had to walk to where the taxi could pick up as it could not get anywhere close to our hotel (thankfully the hotel bellboy took care of lugging our stuff)

Amsterdam (all other Dutch cities, such as Rotterdam) will be very, very, very busy on the 29th/30th. Queens day is a public holiday in The Netherlands so everyone makes the most of it :)

As I used to live in Rotterdam, I would give my left arm to be in AMS on Queen's Day, however, from a tourist perspective it may not be what you are expecting :D

Funny thing on queens day many people have garage or stoop sales

This is all very helpful. let me add a couple of additional points and ask a couple more questions, if you don't mind.

We would be in AMS Friday afternoon and flying out of AMS mid-morning Tuesday, which is Queen's Day. Given the comments here, it seems most of the activities would begin Monday afternoon/evening and continue into Tuesday (probably literally). Would the weekend prior be busier than normal given the up-coming Holiday? Would we experience trouble getting a train from Centraal to AMS? We plan to stay in Jordaan, at either a B&B or on a houseboat, and will be able to walk to Centraal Station, so that shouldn't be a problem having to catch a tram or a taxi.

I guess it seems to me that as long as the entire Friday to Tuesday period we're there is not chaotic partying and we can still have much of the time to enjoy the quieter parts of town, the canals, neighborhoods, etc., I'm will to deal with the Monday evening-Tuesday morning party.

Is that a reasonable understanding of what to expect during our visit? If you believe the party will in fact go on from the weekend thru Tuesday, that would be good to know and will impact our plan. Anything else I'm missing?

Thank you, all.

I think you should try to find out from someone local if people are going to take the Monday off and make a long weekend of it. If so the boozing and assorted mayhem may well last from Friday night straight to Tuesdsay.

I can't remember on what day of the week Queen's Day was when I was there, I do remember that the previous days were fairly normal aside from the Dam being turned into a fairground with rides and such.

The weekend before will definitely already be a little busier in Amsterdam, as there are some tourists who come from abroad for it, though in most other cities you won't notice much yet. It's predominantly a Dutch party however so the weekend should still be fine as far as visiting restaurants, etc. Monday afternoon until Wednesday morning, from the sound of it, you will want to avoid however.

Keep in mind though that it is quite a spectacle, and perhaps you will enjoy watching/participating in the festivities? :cool::cool: