Summer in the City: How & Where to Cool Off
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We’ve just had our first heatwave of the season in the Netherlands and we’re realising once again that being in the bright hot sun every day in summer isn’t always pleasant. That’s why we’ve created a blog about where and how to cool off in the city. Plus, we’ve added some specific tips of where to go in major cities in Netherlands and Belgium.
City Beaches, Lakes & Canals
A plunge in cool water is often a lovely quick remedy when you are overheated. Most major cities in the Netherlands and Belgium have city beaches and canals. And some also have lakes in or close to the city. Even if you’re not an avid swimmer, it’s still worth it to find some water to sit next to. Because the air is always cooler near the water than if you’re enclosed by a city of bricks and concrete that emit heat.
Recommendations:
- Strand West, Amsterdam
- Strantwerpen, Antwerpen
- De Nieuwe Meer, Amsterdam
- Brussel Bad, Brussels
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Go to Museums or Libraries
Next to finding a spot to cool off outside, finding a large airconditioned space where you can look for shelter during the hottest parts of the day can be a good choice in the summer. Luckily most major cities in the Netherlands and Belgium have some amazing museums that are worth a visit. If you want to read all of our most recommended museums, you can check out this blog for the Netherlands and this blog for Belgium. And in terms of libraries, the one that I would highly recommend is the large, modern and fully airconditioned OBA at the Oosterdok in Amsterdam where you could spend an entire day.
Recommendations:
- OBA Oosterdok, Amsterdam
- Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
- Musée Magritte, Brussels
- Museum aan de Stroom, Antwerpen
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Shaded Greenery, Urban Forests & National Parks
There is not much better than walking beneath the rustling leaves when the direct sunlight is too strong to bear. Urban forests are also often a place where you can practice some of calmer watersports like canoeing and paddle boarding (‘suppen’ in Dutch). As for the larger National Parks, most of them are not within the city, but a brief escape out of the city could do you good in the summer heat. If you want to find out more of our top recommendations for specifically woodlands in the Netherlands, you can check out this blog.
Recommendations:
- Bois de la Cambre, Brussels
- Amsterdamse Bos, Amsterdam
- Sint-Annabos, Antwerpen
- Haagse Bos, Den Haag
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Open Air-Cinema’s
The above three ideas will allow you to find a cooler spot during warm summer days. But even evenings can be quite hot as it takes a while for indoor spaces to cool off. Enter the open air-cinema. It’s become quite a trend in larger cities over the past couple of years and these cinemas are popping up left and right. They are rightfully most popular in summer and there are even open air-cinema festivals to celebrate the magic of a movie night beneath the stars.
Recommendations:
- Open Air Film Festival Amsterdam, 23 August – 2 September
- Open Air Film Festival Utrecht, 11 August – 19 August
- Cinetree Forest Filmfestival (Amsterdam), 12 & 13 augustus
- Film by the Sea Festival (Vlissingen), 8 September – 17 September
- Lumière Open Air Film Festival (Maastricht), 16 August – 27 August
- Bruxelles fait son Cinema (Brussels), 1 July -15 July
- Film op het Strand (Zeebrugge), 6 July – 24 August
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Those are my top recommendations for you to escape from the summer heat while enjoying yourself alone or together with friends this summer. Other basic tips to deal with the heat are of course also good to keep in mind like: drinking enough water, eating a salty snack from time to time, and wearing a hat or cap. Plus, the summer heat is always a good excuse to treat yourself on some ice cream :-)
Do you plan on doing one or more of these activities this summer? Or do you have your own top tips to share with the community? You can do so via this thread the forum.
Marieke, OLS Community Manager - Dutch
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