We have been to Amsterdam with kids twice – once for a quick 48-hour visit before moving on to The Hague, and a second time for 4 days combined with a day trip to Haarlem. Let me say from the start that 48 hours in Amsterdam is not nearly enough time. There is SO much we weren’t able to fit in that we knew we needed to go back for a longer visit.
We visited Amsterdam at the end of May and in early March The weather was obviously much warmer in May, but the March temperatures still allowed us to spend much of our time outside. Both visits were around school holidays and were quite crowded, despite being the off-peak season. However, Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination, and crowds have been growing like crazy for some time. So be prepared for crowds regardless of time of year.
It also worth knowing that you can get by perfectly fine with only English. We heard more English in Amsterdam than anywhere else we’ve been in continental Europe (including Brussels where the common language of all EU countries tends to be English!). We encountered multiple stores and restaurants in Amsterdam where the employees actually spoke English rather than Dutch.
And a couple final notes to help prepare for your visit to Amsterdam. First, watch out for bikes. Amsterdam is well known as a city of cyclists, which is fantastic for so many reasons. But as a pedestrian, it can be dangerous. Pay attention to bike lanes, and in our experience, don’t expect cyclists to stop, even if you’re in a cross walk. Second, watch where you are walking when in the center of Amsterdam (old town). Without realizing it we ended up in the red light district more than once and had to divert our kids’ attention away from the women in the windows. While walking around we also had to drag them away from stores selling cannabis lollipops and other goods, and remind ourselves not to stop at the coffee shops that do not sell coffee.
How we got there: Traveling from Brussels to Amsterdam is a perfect example of the ease and affordability of European travel. It’s about 3 hours via train (SNCB) from Brussels to Amsterdam. It cost a total of 52 EUR one-way for the three of us (our youngest was only 3 years old and under 4 travel for free). It was about the same cost for our return trip from The Hague to Brussels. So if you’re visiting one country, it’s worth a quick and easy trip to the other!
Where we stayed: Hotels and Airbnbs in Amsterdam can by very pricey. On our first visit we stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station simply because I had Hilton points to use. It’s a nice hotel with scenic surroundings on the water. On our second visit we stayed at Hotel Room Mate Aitana. It’s about 15 minutes behind and to the west of the train station. We stayed there at a recommendation of a friend and because it was reasonably priced. It turned out to be a very nice hotel and, like the DoubleTree, was not too far from many places we wanted to visit. It is definitely possible to be more centrally located, depending on your plans while in Amsterdam. But being located near the train station was convenient for our purposes.
Museums
There are a huge number of museums in Amsterdam, depending on what you are most interested in and the age of your kids. Below are the ones we fit into our trips. The one major omission is the popular Rijksmuseum, dedicated to Dutch art and history. It is located next to the Van Gogh Museum, and we chose to visit this latter museum instead.
Anne Frank House Museum
One of the most well-known and must-see sites in Amsterdam is of course the Anne Frank House Museum. You have to buy tickets online in advance; currently they make tickets available six weeks in advance. Our reservations were for 9:00 am, and I highly recommend going first thing in the morning. By the time we finished, it had started to get quite crowded as additional groups were let in every 15 minutes afternoon.
The museum is as emotional and impactful as you would imagine, full of photos, videos and stories from the time. Walking through the secret annex and then seeing Anne’s actual journals are indescribable experiences. You easily need a full hour to to explore the full museum, which is overall exceptionally well done.
Also worth a visit is the Homomonument, just around the corner from the Anne Frank House. Built in 1987 in the shape of a triangle, the monument commemorates the homosexuals who were persecuted during World War II, as well as all LGBT people still persecuted today. It’s one of the oldest and largest monuments to the LGBT community.
Van Gogh Museum
If you’re a fan of post-impressionist art and Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, then I don’t need to explain why this museum is so great. The Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of Van Gogh’s work, including many of his masterpieces and self-portraits. It also features paintings from other artists who inspired or were inspired by Van Gogh.
The Van Gogh Museum is great to visit with kids and provides a free scavenger hunt at the Family Desk on the first floor. There are different versions of the hunt depending on their age. It’s a fun way to get the kids engaged in the art work, as long as you can contain their desire to run ahead to the next clue. At the end, you can turn in the completed scavenger hunt for small prize.
Make sure to factor in enough time for a proper visit to the Van Gogh Museum (and its nice gift shops). We were surprised at the end to realize we had spent 3.5 hours in the museum.
NEMO Science Museum
Our kids love visiting science museums, so we were really excited to go to the NEMO Science Museum. It is five floors of hands-on activities and learning about everything from electricity to space to bodies as well as a huge Rube Goldberg machine on the first floor. NEMO also has free lockers available, including large ones to store strollers or in our case backpacks, since we were going to the train station immediately afterward.
Luckily we bought our tickets in advance, as there were signs up announcing they were sold out the day we arrived. This might have also contributed to the museum being extremely crowded. It was a true test of the kids’ patience to have to wait in lines for nearly all of the activities. Since we went to NEMO on the last day of our trip, when our scheduled was light, we let the kids spend as much time as they wanted exploring. In the end, we were in the museum for four hours before we had to leave, both for our sanity and to get to the train station on time. The museum is located conveniently close to the train station, making it a great final day activity.
Tulip Museum
The Tulip Museum feels like one of those quintessential Dutch attractions. Because of course they have a museum dedicated to tulips. We actually didn’t go into the museum, but we did visit the gift shop which is fantastic. It has everything you could want related to tulips, including specific bulbs that are allowed to be taken back to the United States and Canada. It’s a great place to stop for a good quality souvenir from Amsterdam.
Houseboat Museum
If you’re going to visit a museum dedicated to houseboats, is there a better place to do it than Amsterdam? The Houseboat Museum, or Woonbootmuseum, is a quirky, quick, affordable and fun stop.
It took us 30 minutes to walk around this former cargo ship, which was turned into a houseboat and then more recently into a museum. We had fun learning about the history of this specific houseboat as well as about houseboats in Amsterdam in general. Given that it’s a small space, I can happily report there were only a couple other people in the museum at the same time as us. This allowed us to go at our own pace and never feel crowded or rushed. And there is a bench up on the deck of the boat where you can sit and enjoy the canal view. There is also a small playground directly across the street for an added activity.
Sights & Activities
Like with museums, there are an endless number of things to see and do in Amsterdam. The below are certainly just the tip of the iceberg, but are all things we would recommend to others visiting Amsterdam.
Canal District
We spent a lot of time just wondering along the Canal District, the whole of which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, full or gorgeous canals and bridges. We passed the Torensluis Bridge (bottom right picture), the oldest bridge in Amsterdam still in its original state, built in 1648. It was packed with outdoor seating and customers from nearby cafes.
We followed the canals for scenic views all the way to Seven Bridges (right picture). From here you can see – you guessed it – seven bridges on the Reguliersgracht canal. It’s a pretty spot from the street, but it’s hard to see all of the bridges at that height. For the best views, you would want to be on a boat in the water.
A bit further along is the Magere Brug, or skinny bridge, over the River Amstel. This unique and narrow bridge is open to pedestrians and bikes only, so you can take your time admiring it (and make sure to do so at night! More on this below).
Within the Canal District is an area called the 9 Streets, or De 9 Straatjes. This is a picturesque neighborhood along and intersecting with four canals. It’s full of small cafes and unique shops, including some great vintage stores.
Canal boat tour
Taking a boat trip along Amsterdam’s canals is another must-do when visiting the city. There are a number of canal boat ride operators at the Damrak waterfront near the train station. We only had to wait in line a short period of time until the next free boat. They didn’t overcrowd the boat, and the four of us had plenty of space at the front to move around without the kids bumping into other people. The tour went on both wide and narrow canals, past the zoo (where the tour guide helped us spot animals), and on busy sections through town where there was more boat traffic. Our ride was about 30 minutes long – the perfect amount of time to keep the kids’ interest.
Narrowest houses
There are many narrow houses in Amsterdam, as they were built at a time when taxes were assessed based on the width of the building’s façade. There are two record-holders in Amsterdam for the narrowest house, though for slightly different reasons.
First is the one at Singel 7 (left picture), which has the narrowest façade in Amsterdam at just over 1 meter / 3 feet wide. Just wide enough to fit a door. This is actually the back of the house and apparently the front is much wider. It’s so cute squashed between the neighboring houses. Then there is the house at Oude Hoogstraat 22 (right picture). It is the actual narrowest house in Amsterdam at 2 meters / 6.5 feet wide. It also has a slight lean to it which only adds to the character. The house is now open to the public as a tea room.
Bloemenmarkt
Located in the Canal District is Amsterdam’s iconic – and the only – floating flower market. Open since 1862, the Bloemenmarkt sits along the Singel canal. If you didn’t find something to buy at the Tulip Museum (and even if you did), the Bloemenmarkt should be next on your list. Its stalls are overflowing with colorful tulips and flowers, both fresh cut and bulbs, as well as a plethora of Dutch souvenirs.
Vondelpark
Every city has its large park, and Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s. It’s located just south of central Amsterdam, near the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, making it a perfect place for kids to run off some energy before or after a museum visit. It includes a number of playgrounds for various ages, as well as many ponds, trees, flowers and wildlife.
Amsterdam at night
Amsterdam at night is simply stunning. The sight of the canals reflecting the lights of the bridges and surrounding buildings is unbeatable. Just remember that in late spring and summer, you’ll have to wait fairly late for the sun to go down. It was around 10 pm when the sun finally set when we were there in late May. The Magere Brug is one of my favorite nighttime spots. The bridge is gorgeously illuminated with 1,200 tiny lights at night. If there is anything you make sure you see, it’s Amsterdam at night.
Playgrounds
We have had a fantastic experience with playgrounds in Amsterdam, all of which were run by neighborhood associations. They are well-kept, clean, safe/fenced-in and most importantly a lot of fun with plenty of space to run around. The ones we have played at are in various locations around Amsterdam, providing an opportunity to easily fit them into any itinerary.
Speeltuin UJ Klaren (left picture) – Located south of central Amsterdam and near the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. It’s the oldest playground in the Netherlands, according to the website. The playground is huge, with plenty of space to run around and lots of equipment and sand to play in. If you’re looking for something even closer to the museums, there is a playground on Museumplein, the park leading between the museums.
Speeltuin De Waag (middle picture) – Located to the east of central Amsterdam. It is situated in a courtyard surrounded by apartment buildings, making it feel very residential and contained. It also includes equipment appropriate for a variety of ages.
De Noorderspeeltuin (right picture) – Located in the Jordaan neighborhood toward the west of central Amsterdam. It has fantastic wooden equipment that our kids used as an obstacle course, traveling nearly the full length of the playground. Jordaan is a beautiful area, so the walk to and from the playground was enjoyable as well.
Food
Breakfast (especially pancakes)
You can’t go to Amsterdam and not eat a lot of pancakes. Or more specifically Dutch pannenkoeken, which are a bit thicker than crepes. And there are no shortage of places to eat then. We tried the Pancake Bakery in the Jordaan neighborhood. You enter through a tiny door and into equally charming restaurant space. It features a fantastic assortment of delicious savory and sweet pancakes. The server also provided us with coloring books and pencils for our kids, which I love.
We also tried Pancakes, one of the top ranked places for pancakes in Amsterdam. There are multiple locations around the city, and the Westermarkt location is conveniently located next to the Anne Frank House. While they also have a variety of pancakes, I went for the poffertjes, which are small Dutch pancakes covered with butter and sugar. They were as amazing as they look and sound.
Beyond pancakes, De Bakkerswinkel is fantastic. They have a few locations in Amsterdam; we stopped at their Centrum location. The atmosphere and service were great and the food was even better (if a bit pricey). Our kids were particularly fond of the French toast. Another restaurant to try for breakfast or lunch is Winkel 43 in Jordaan. It apparently has the best apple pie town. Unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to eat here, as there was always a long line out the door. One other place to recommend for breakfast is Bagels & Beans. They have many cafes around the Netherlands, including one conveniently located across from our hotel, Room Mate Aitana. The bagel sandwiches are delicious, as is the coffee.
Everything else
Any trip to Amsterdam with kids must include a stop at Corner Bakery. While they have some breakfast and lunch items, the reason to go is the freak shake. The impressive milkshakes include a donut on top, adorned with candies, sprinkles and whipped cream. The kids didn’t know where to start. The milkshakes were ridiculous but oh so good. It’s a lot for one kid to eat and drink, so expect some leftover for the parents. We have had to wait in line both times we’ve gone to Corner Bakery, so consider making a reservation if you can.
We’ve also been to a few good restaurants for dinner that are worth mentioning. In the 9 Streets area, we ate at La Condesa Taqueria, an amazing Mexican food restaurant. They have a limited menu, but I cannot say enough good things about their tacos. We try to eat at a Mexican restaurant in every city we visit, and La Condesa Taqueria might be my favorite.
Another night we stumbled upon Hasta la Pasta, a tiny restaurant on a very narrow street in the old town. It had good pizza and lasagna and is worth a visit if you’re in central Amsterdam. And finally, located near our hotel at the Room Mate Aitana is Café Restaurant Hoogendam. It has small plates and a mix of street food, so each of us were able to get a couple things that we liked. Interestingly, just a couple minutes away is a cute floating playground called Playground Meeuw.