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When the 2026 visit season runs
There is no citywide open day in Amsterdam, and most schools do not publish a single fixed date a year in advance. What does hold is a rhythm. The visit and tour season builds through the autumn term, peaks across the winter and early spring, and tails off as schools approach the late August start. The city sits in the Dutch North holiday region, where the 2026 summer holiday runs from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 16 August, so the practical window for visiting before a 2026 entry is roughly October to early summer. The most reliable way to see a school is therefore to request a tour rather than wait for an advertised open morning, because several of the strongest schools run visits by appointment all year. For the term and holiday rhythm that shapes when staff are available to host, see our Amsterdam school holidays and term dates 2026 guide.
How to book at the main schools
Booking differs by school, and the table below sets out the confirmed routes at three of the most established Amsterdam options. Because availability changes term by term, treat these as the starting point and confirm the current arrangement directly with each school.
| School | How visits work in 2026 |
|---|---|
| International School of Amsterdam (ISA), Amstelveen | Offers tours of the campus and meetings with the admissions team so families can see daily life before applying. Visits are requested through the admissions enquiry page and can be tailored to the stage your child would enter, from Early Years to the IB Diploma. |
| Amsterdam International Community School (AICS), subsidised | Handles enquiries through the OpenApply platform and arranges visits as part of that process. With some year groups on a waiting pool, contacting admissions early is the best way to arrange a tour at the campus you want. |
| British School of Amsterdam (BSA) | An English National Curriculum school across two campuses near the Vondelpark. Families arrange a visit through the school's admissions team, with tours pitched to the relevant phase from age 3 upwards. |
The common thread is that a booked, personal visit beats a generic open day in Amsterdam, because the admissions team can show you the exact year group your child would join and answer the questions that decide fit. For families weighing the IB route specifically, our IB curriculum guide explains what to look for in a continuum school during a tour.
Shortlist before you tour
The school finder filters Amsterdam schools by curriculum, district and entry year, so your visits focus on schools that actually fit your child.
Use the school finderWhat to ask on a tour
A tour is most useful when you arrive with the right questions. Ask whether your child's exact year group has places for the intended start, or whether it sits on a waiting pool, because availability rather than the school's general reputation is what determines your real options. Ask how the school supports new arrivals with English as an additional language, since Amsterdam's international cohorts are highly mixed. Ask how the curriculum maps onto what your child is leaving, particularly if you are moving mid-phase between a British, American or IB system. And ask about the practicalities that shape daily life: the catchment and commute from your likely district, the lunch and transport arrangements, and the wraparound care on offer. Our guide to international school fees in Amsterdam is worth reading before you visit, so you can ask precise questions about what each fee includes.
Fitting visits around your move
Time your visits to the realistic shape of your relocation. If your move is confirmed for a 2026 start, aim to tour during the autumn or winter so you can apply with first-hand impressions while year groups still hold space. If your move is only likely, an early enquiry and a virtual tour keep your options open without committing. Either way, build a portfolio of two or three schools across both the subsidised and private tracks, because seeing them side by side is the fastest way to understand the trade-off between cost, class profile and campus. For the wider timing question, our best time to move to Amsterdam for international schools guide weighs the entry points against the relocation calendar, and our Amsterdam primary schools guide helps younger families focus their visits.
Amsterdam open days 2026: FAQ
Amsterdam schools do not share a single fixed open-day date. Most run their visit and tour season across the autumn and spring terms, with the busiest period from roughly October to March ahead of the late August start. Several schools, including the International School of Amsterdam, run tours by appointment throughout the year rather than mass open mornings, so booking a personal visit is usually the most reliable route.
The International School of Amsterdam offers tours of the campus and meetings with the admissions team so families can see daily school life before applying. You request a visit through the school's admissions enquiry page. As an IB continuum school for ages 2 to 18, ISA can tailor a tour to the stage your child would enter.
The Amsterdam International Community School manages enquiries through the OpenApply platform and arranges visits as part of that process. Because some year groups operate a waiting pool, contacting the admissions team early is the best way to arrange a tour and understand current availability at the campus you are interested in.
Yes. Most Amsterdam schools prefer that families visit before committing to an application, and a tour is the clearest way to judge fit, see facilities and meet staff. Visiting also helps you compare the subsidised Dutch international schools against the fully private schools, which differ markedly in fees, class profile and campus.