Amsterdam vs Paris: which should you visit?

Not opinion — measurement. Month-by-month weather under disclosed thresholds, the currency picture at a dated central-bank rate, verified venue depth, and the live events calendar. Every number on this page carries its source.

city skyline under blue sky during daytime
Amsterdam
The Champs-Élysées stretching from the Arc de Triomphe toward La Défense at blue hour, rooftops glowing under a pink-streaked Paris sky
Paris

The verdict, computed

Choose Amsterdam for:

  • Weather: Amsterdam leads in Jun.

Choose Paris for:

  • Weather: Paris leads in Jul–May.
  • Sightseeing depth: 684 catalogued attractions vs 439.
  • Food scene: 16,280 catalogued food & drink venues vs 4,010.
  • Live events: 25,150 listed in the next ~120 days vs 580.

When each city wins

Measured weather favors Amsterdam in Jun and Paris in Jul–May.

City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Amsterdam Amsterdam in Jan: a shoulder month — 7° highs, 14 rain days. Amsterdam in Feb: a shoulder month — 8° highs, 13 rain days. Amsterdam in Mar: a shoulder month — 11° highs, 10 rain days. Amsterdam in Apr: a shoulder month — 13° highs, 11 rain days. Amsterdam in May: good — 17° highs, 13 rain days. Amsterdam in Jun: ideal — 21° highs, 10 rain days. Amsterdam in Jul: good — 21° highs, 15 rain days. Amsterdam in Aug: ideal — 22° highs, 11 rain days. Amsterdam in Sep: ideal — 20° highs, 12 rain days. Amsterdam in Oct: good — 16° highs, 16 rain days. Amsterdam in Nov: a shoulder month — 10° highs, 16 rain days. Amsterdam in Dec: a shoulder month — 8° highs, 14 rain days.
Month winner Jan: Paris wins — Both mixed; Paris has 13 rain days to Amsterdam's 14. Feb: Paris wins — Both mixed; Paris has 9 rain days to Amsterdam's 13. Mar: Paris wins — Paris is good to Amsterdam's mixed. Apr: Paris wins — Paris is good to Amsterdam's mixed. May: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Amsterdam's good. Jun: Amsterdam wins — Both ideal; Amsterdam has 10 rain days to Paris's 11. Jul: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Amsterdam's good. Aug: Paris wins — Both ideal; Paris has 10 rain days to Amsterdam's 11. Sep: Paris wins — Both ideal; Paris has 11 rain days to Amsterdam's 12. Oct: Paris wins — Both good; Paris has 13 rain days to Amsterdam's 16. Nov: Paris wins — Both mixed; Paris has 11 rain days to Amsterdam's 16. Dec: Paris wins — Both mixed; Paris has 11 rain days to Amsterdam's 14.
Paris Paris in Jan: a shoulder month — 7° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Feb: a shoulder month — 10° highs, 9 rain days. Paris in Mar: good — 13° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Apr: good — 16° highs, 10 rain days. Paris in May: ideal — 19° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Jun: ideal — 24° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Jul: ideal — 25° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Aug: ideal — 25° highs, 10 rain days. Paris in Sep: ideal — 22° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Oct: good — 18° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Nov: a shoulder month — 11° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Dec: a shoulder month — 9° highs, 11 rain days.

Weather: Open-Meteo multi-year normals; bands per the disclosed best-months thresholds. Winner per month = better band, then fewer rain days, then highs nearer 23.5 °C.

Your money, measured

One currency: the euro

Amsterdam and Paris share the same currency (the euro), so exchange-rate moves can't favor one over the other.

The shared currency's year

The euro is essentially flat against the US dollar over the past year — no currency tailwind either way.

euro
100 10596euro: 100.0 on 4 Aug 2025euro: 100.5 on 11 Aug 2025euro: 100.9 on 18 Aug 2025euro: 101.1 on 25 Aug 2025euro: 101.3 on 1 Sept 2025euro: 101.4 on 8 Sept 2025euro: 101.7 on 15 Sept 2025euro: 101.9 on 22 Sept 2025euro: 101.4 on 29 Sept 2025euro: 101.0 on 6 Oct 2025euro: 100.0 on 13 Oct 2025euro: 100.8 on 20 Oct 2025euro: 100.7 on 27 Oct 2025euro: 99.6 on 3 Nov 2025euro: 100.0 on 10 Nov 2025euro: 100.2 on 17 Nov 2025euro: 99.8 on 24 Nov 2025euro: 100.7 on 1 Dec 2025euro: 100.8 on 8 Dec 2025euro: 101.6 on 15 Dec 2025euro: 101.6 on 22 Dec 2025euro: 101.7 on 29 Dec 2025euro: 100.9 on 5 Jan 2026euro: 101.1 on 12 Jan 2026euro: 100.6 on 19 Jan 2026euro: 102.3 on 26 Jan 2026euro: 102.4 on 2 Feb 2026euro: 102.8 on 9 Feb 2026euro: 102.5 on 16 Feb 2026euro: 101.9 on 23 Feb 2026euro: 101.2 on 2 Mar 2026euro: 99.9 on 9 Mar 2026euro: 99.3 on 16 Mar 2026euro: 100.3 on 23 Mar 2026euro: 99.3 on 30 Mar 2026euro: 99.9 on 7 Apr 2026euro: 102.0 on 14 Apr 2026euro: 101.8 on 21 Apr 2026euro: 101.0 on 28 Apr 2026euro: 101.0 on 5 May 2026euro: 101.5 on 12 May 2026euro: 100.5 on 19 May 2026euro: 100.6 on 26 May 2026euro: 100.7 on 2 Jun 2026euro: 100.1 on 9 Jun 2026euro: 100.3 on 16 Jun 2026euro: 98.5 on 23 Jun 2026euro: 98.5 on 30 Jun 2026euro: 98.9 on 7 Jul 2026euro: 98.6 on 14 Jul 2026euro: 98.7 on 21 Jul 2026euro: 98.3 on 28 Jul 2026euro: 99.7 on 3 Aug 2026euro 99.7
Currency value against the US dollar, indexed to 100 one year ago — above 100 means the currency strengthened (your dollars buy less). Source: European Central Bank reference rates, as of 2026-08-03.

Price levels (country-wide indicator)

Price levels in Netherlands run about 89% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.1× further than at home.

Price levels in France run about 84% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.2× further than at home.

Editorial daily-cost estimates

City Budget Mid-range Luxury
Amsterdam $65 $175 $450
Paris $59 $176 $470

Editorial estimates in USD per person per day, quoted from our editor-signed Amsterdam budget guide and Paris budget guide — not a measurement. Model a full trip in the cost comparison tool.

Depth of things to do

Attractions & sights
Attractions & sights: Amsterdam 439, Paris 684 in our verified catalog.
Food & drink venues
Food & drink venues: Amsterdam 4,010, Paris 16,280 in our verified catalog.
Museums
Museums: Amsterdam 90, Paris 120 in our verified catalog.
Parks & gardens
Parks & gardens: Amsterdam 48, Paris 49 in our verified catalog.

Amsterdam's catalog is led by Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Johan Cruyff Arena.

Paris's catalog is led by Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame de Paris.

Counts from the TTDI verified venue catalog (every venue carries an external identity source). Catalog density partly reflects source coverage per city.

Things to do in Amsterdam → Things to do in Paris →

What's actually on

Paris has 25,150 ticketed events listed over the next ~120 days to Amsterdam's 580 — 43.4× the live calendar.

Next up in Amsterdam

  • 4 Aug Jong Metropole Caprera Openluchttheater
  • 4 Aug Alien Ant Farm Cpunt Poppodium
  • 6 Aug Heated Rivalrave Melkweg
This week in Amsterdam →

Next up in Paris

  • 4 Aug LES JARDINS MUSICAUX 2026 JARDINS DU CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES
  • 4 Aug AQUARIUM DE PARIS - AQUARIUM DE PARIS - HAUTE SAISON AQUARIUM DE PARIS
  • 4 Aug CITE DES ENFANTS 2-6 ANS CITE DES SCIENCES ET DE L'INDUSTRIE
This week in Paris →

From the live events feed we sync daily — listings exist only where measured coverage does.

Side by side

Distance apart
430 km
Time zones
Same clock
City population
905,000 vs 2,161,000
Local language
Dutch vs French
Currency
Both use the euro

Or visit both

430 km apart, and plenty of trips pair them. One search covers the connection:

Amsterdam to Paris
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £54.61 3 h 20 min
Bus Most booked from £16.46 6 h 25 min
Flight from £79.75 1 h 25 min
Paris to Amsterdam
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £91.01 3 h 17 min
Bus Most booked from £16.46 6 h 40 min
Flight from £65.88 1 h 30 min

Lowest fares as observed on Omio in August 2025. Live prices vary.

Compare trains, buses & flights Amsterdam ⇄ Paris on Omio →

Book the connection

One search across trains, buses & flights — live times and prices for Amsterdam ⇄ Paris.

Answered from the data

Which is better to visit right now, in August?

Paris, on measured weather: Both ideal; Paris has 10 rain days to Amsterdam's 11.

Which is cheaper, Amsterdam or Paris?

World Bank PPP (country-level, not city prices) puts Paris's country at ~84% of US price levels and Amsterdam's at ~89% — an edge to Paris before you factor in season and neighborhood.

When should I pick Amsterdam over Paris?

Jun — measured weather favors Amsterdam then.

When should I pick Paris over Amsterdam?

Jul–May — measured weather favors Paris then.

Which has more to do?

In our verified catalog, Amsterdam lists 439 attractions and 4,010 food & drink venues; Paris lists 684 and 16,280. Paris also has the larger live-events calendar (25,150 vs 580 listed).

Go deeper

Amsterdam

Paris