If you searched “Winter Village Amstelveen” and landed here confused because the venue’s own site now says something else, you’re not losing it. The rink on Stadsplein in Amstelveen rebranded for the 2025/2026 season and now goes by Stadshart on Ice. Same square, same organiser, same outdoor rink, new name on the banners. We’ve taken our own kids skating there more than once, so here’s what it’s actually like, what it costs, and what else is going on around the ice besides skating laps.
The short version: it’s an outdoor rink right in the middle of Amstelveen’s town centre, wrapped by shops, cafes, and a covered terrace, running from late November through the first week of January. It’s smaller and calmer than the big rink on Museumplein in Amsterdam, which makes it a genuinely good pick with younger kids who need more space to wobble and fewer people to wobble into.
Winter Village Amstelveen Is Now Stadshart on Ice
The event has operated on Stadsplein, the main square in front of the Stadshart Amstelveen shopping centre, for years under the name Winter Village. For the season that opened in late November 2025, the organisers renamed it Stadshart on Ice, added a proper wind and rain-proof terrace, and started running it alongside the town’s Friday market. Functionally it’s the same event families already knew, an outdoor ice rink with a Christmas-market feel around it, just under different signage. If you’re planning ahead, it’s worth checking wintervillageamstelveen.nl directly closer to the date, since the exact dates and prices get set fresh each year and we can only vouch for what we verified this season.
Last season the rink ran from 29 November through 4 January, which lines up with the pattern we’d expect again this year, opening the weekend after Sinterklaas and closing just after New Year. The rink itself is 400 square metres, not huge, but big enough that toddlers on gliding aids and confident older kids can share the ice without constantly colliding.
Skating: hours, prices, and the practical stuff
Entry including skate hire runs €9.50 per person for a two-hour session, last season’s verified price, and that covered rental for both adults and kids, no separate child rate. Skates come in sizes 28 to 50, and there are gliding skates, the little frame-and-seat setups, for kids who are still finding their feet. If your child already has their own skates, they’re welcome to bring them, the one thing the venue rules out is Norwegian or folding blades.
Opening hours last season split the week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday it opened at 15:00, while Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday it opened at midday, all running through to 20:00. Once the Christmas school holiday started, it opened at midday every day. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve all ran shortened hours, so if you’re planning a visit around the holidays specifically, check the current calendar before you head out.
A few things to know before you go: gloves are compulsory on the ice, which the staff do check, and if your child is doing one of the lesson sessions they’ll need a helmet. Toddlers on gliding skates need an adult on the ice with them, not just watching from the side. Wednesday mornings are typically set aside for peuterschaatsen, toddler skating, which is a much quieter session than the afternoon crowd if you’ve got a two or three-year-old who wants to try skates for the first time.
Beyond the rink: what else is on for kids
Stadshart on Ice isn’t just laps around a rink. Most seasons include a run of disco skating afternoons with music and lights, usually a couple of Wednesdays in December, plus a Christmas-themed edition closer to the holiday. There’s also a steady schedule of character meet and greets on weekend afternoons, past seasons have brought in Sinterklaas’s helpers, Frozen characters, and other costumed favourites for photo moments rinkside.
Kids’ skating lessons run in blocks during the Christmas school holiday, short group sessions aimed at beginners, with skate hire included in the course price. Craft activities pop up around the square too, so it’s worth building in extra time rather than treating it as a quick in-and-out skate.
Food, shelter, and staying warm
The catering last season came from Day Tapasbar, working out of a chalet-style stand with a covered, wind and rain-proof terrace facing the rink. Expect hot chocolate, glühwein for the adults, stamppot, cheese fondue, and grilled sausages, the kind of stodgy winter food that actually makes sense after an hour on skates. There’s no alcohol served rinkside itself, the bar area is separate from the ice, which is one less thing to manage with kids in tow.
Because the whole thing sits inside the Stadshart shopping centre footprint, there are proper toilets, cafes, and shops within a couple of minutes’ walk if someone needs a break, a change of socks, or just five minutes off their feet that aren’t spent standing in the cold.
Getting there from Amsterdam
Tram 5 runs from Leidseplein in Amsterdam straight to Amstelveen’s town centre in around 25 minutes, and it’s the easiest option if you don’t want to deal with parking. Connexxion buses also connect from various points in the city into Amstelveen’s bus station, a two-minute walk from Stadsplein. By car it’s roughly 25 to 30 minutes via the A9, though that motorway has ongoing widening works through 2026 that can add time at peak hours, so build in a buffer if you’re driving during a weekend afternoon.
If you do drive, there are several parking garages right by the square, the Stadsplein and Schouwburg garages both offer free parking for the first 90 minutes, which is usually enough for a skating session plus a wander through the shops afterward.
Worth combining with the rest of Amstelveen
If you’re making the trip out from Amsterdam, it’s worth turning it into more than just an hour on skates. We’ve rounded up other things to do with kids in Amstelveen that pair well with a Stadshart on Ice visit, and if this rink has you thinking about ice skating more broadly, our guide to rinks and winter villages across the Netherlands covers the other options within reach of the city. Stadshart on Ice is also just one piece of a bigger winter calendar, our guide to Christmas in the Netherlands with kids rounds up markets, lights, and shows running the same weeks. For more ideas year-round, browse our directory of places or see what’s coming up on our events page.
A few practical tips
- Go on a weekday afternoon if you can, weekends and the school holiday period get noticeably busier.
- Bring gloves even though skate hire is included, staff check for them and you don’t want to be caught without.
- Layer up but skip the giant winter coat on the ice itself, kids fall less awkwardly in something they can actually move in.
- If your toddler is trying skates for the first time, the Wednesday morning toddler session is a much calmer entry point than a Saturday afternoon.
- Check the venue’s own site close to your visit date, hours shift around the Christmas holidays and on the days either side of New Year.
