Whatever the age of your children, you’ll find plenty to interest them in Amsterdam. From seeing animals in the zoo to swatting up in museums, here are some of the best suggestions for activities you can enjoy as a family while visiting the Dutch capital.
Who says art can’t be interesting for the little ones? Places like the Van Gogh Museum regularly host fun, interactive activities for all ages
Take a boat tour
Many children are likely to complain if they have to walk too far, so why not get your bearings around the city when you arrive with a boat tour? Various different cruise options are available – you could try the hour-long 100 Highlights Cruise which departs several times a day from Central Station. It goes past Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk, and audio guides are available on board in several different languages.
Price: from €15.
Visit Anne Frank House
This is a great outing for older children who may have already learned about Anne Frank at school. Open every day, you can still visit the secret annexe where Anne and her family where hidden and where she wrote her famous diary. There’s a film which shows images of concentration camps which may be upsetting for some children and can be skipped if need be. The museum’s website is excellent and can help you decide what is and isn’t appropriate for your kids to see and help you answer any questions. Free audio guides are available.
Price: from €9 for adults, €4.50 for kids aged 10 to 17, free for children aged nine and under.
Introduce your older children to the history of the Shoa, by visiting the Anne Frank house
Go to the Vondelpark
Amsterdam’s most famous park has plenty to offer kids – at the Kinderkookkafé kids aged eight and up can make their own little dishes such as pizzas and simple cakes. Older kids can hire skates and it’s a great place to come to watch locals and tourists simply hang out on sunny days. There’s also a paddling pool and a huge playground, as well as wooden tree huts and rope bridges for older kids. In the summer, the open-air theatre runs children’s programmes some afternoons.
Hire bikes
Cycling is the way to get around Amsterdam – around 60 per cent of trips are made by bike in the inner city and Amsterdam is widely considered the cycling capital of the world. Even if your children are too small to cycle by themselves, many cycle shops will be able to come up with solution to allow to travel as a family on two wheels. Green Budget Bikes offers bikes where you can carry small children in a kind of basket on the front of the bike, as well as child seats and child tandems where your little one gets to cycle but you remain in control.
Price: Bike hire from around €9 per day.
Smaller children can be transported with the famous Dutch “bakfietsen”, bikes with a basket on the front
Visit the Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh’s paintings are bright, colourful and a good introduction to art for little ones, plus it’s likely that older children will already be familiar with some of his most famous works. The Van Gogh Museum is very family orientated with special family tours available in English as well as an interactive audio guide (also in English) for kids aged six to 12. You can request ‘Vincent’s Travelling Case’ free of charge which is packed with activities to help your little ones explore the artist’s work, take part in a self-guided treasure hunt through the gallery or join in a children’s painting workshop at weekends.
Price: Museum entry €18 for adults, free for under-18s.
Scary but fun for the older kids, The Amsterdam Dungeon is a great interactive way to learn more about Dutch medieval history
Go to the zoo
Dating back to 1938, the Artis Royal Zoo in the city centre is great fun for kids as they are able to get really close to the animals. As well as elephants, giraffes and other favourites, there’s also a petting zoo, planetarium, aquarium and an excellent playground. There’s also a museum of microbes and a café to refuel at. Alternatively, there are also several petting zoos around the city with everything from chickens to horses.
Price: from €20.50 for adults, €17 for under 10s and free for kids aged two and under.
The Artis Royal Zoo in the city centre is great fun for kids as they are able to get really close to the animals
Go to the Amsterdam Dungeon
For older kids only – it’s recommended for those aged 10 and up – the Amsterdam Dungeon explores 500 years of Amsterdam’s most horrible history through 12 distinct shows. Tours leave every 10 to 16 minutes and the experience begins with a descent in a ‘mediaeval’ lift complete with grinding cogs and chains. Other highlights of the immersive shows include meeting a torturer and learning about his ‘work’, trying to escape from a witch, meeting the infamous historic murderer Helena and enjoying a (non-alcoholic) drink in the Dungeon Tavern. Tours usually start from 1100 and closing times vary.
Price: from €19 per person if booked online, €23 on the door.