Neglect the brown cafes and pink gentle district, a metropolis break in Amsterdam with youngsters is ideal for households – and that features seeing Amsterdam with toddlers. Not less than as soon as I reached the purpose have been I used to be (pretty) sure my daughter wouldn’t attempt to fall right into a canal.
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In the event you’re additionally planning to see Amsterdam with a 2-year-old, it’s not even a tough journey: there are additionally some low cost – and fast – flight routes, together with low-cost airways, a direct practice from London with the Eurostar route, or a ferry to Hook of Holland or Rotterdam
So I’ve discovered among the greatest issues to do in Amsterdam for toddlers… though you’ll be able to now not climb over the I Amsterdam signal, which was eliminated in 2018.
Take a canal cruise
A good way to see Amsterdam with youngsters and expertise the canals with out strolling, it’s one thing that appeals no matter age you’re.
However when you’re on the lookout for child-friendly Amsterdam concepts, there’s nonetheless a string of corporations to select from, together with a hop-on, hop-off canal boat, a 75-minute highlights cruise and a pancake cruise on the Pannenkoekenboot.
Pancakes are at all times going to function on an inventory of issues to do in Amsterdam with a toddler in spite of everything!
The Vondelpark
The town’s most well-known park is a beautiful inexperienced oasis, good if you end up visiting in summer time and want a shady retreat for teenagers to run off a little bit of power (or cool off from town streets).
In addition to ambling alongside the lake and down the paths, there are issues to do within the Vondelpark itself – essentially the most kid-friendly of which is the massive playground ignored by the Het Groot Melkhuis café.
For an additional quirky exercise, chek out the Kinderkookkafe, the place the children put on the aprons and create their very own meals. Adults might help when you’re visiting with toddlers or preschoolers, however it’s additionally an amazing possibility with barely older youngsters.
Sadly Ontdekhoek has now closed, a former favorite of anybody in Amsterdam with younger youngsters, ‘Discovery Nook’ had over 30 totally different experiments and actions for age 4+, designed to be achieved with out mother and father being concerned.
Journey a motorbike
One of many most secure locations to cycle, half town (perhaps extra!) appears to get round on bikes – in case you are on foot, it’s price attempting to work out the system pretty rapidly, so that you – or your toddler – isn’t wandering out in entrance of fast-moving bikes.
In the event you’re in Amsterdam with youngsters who can’t experience, renting a bakfiets – a motorbike with little trailer on the entrance – is a good way to discover, though don’t neglect to lock them up when you do cease.
Nemo Science Museum
Amsterdam’s Science Museum is geared toward kids aged six to 16, though there are as many exhibitions and experiments to entertain pre-schoolers (and fogeys) as faculty age youngsters – so when you’re questioning what to do in Amsterdam with a baby, this could positively be on the checklist.
It was one of many largest hits of our journey, with so many issues to get arms on with, together with making large bubbles, experiments with sound, displays on the human physique but additionally reveals to observe plus areas geared toward teenagers and quite a bit lot extra.
The sloping roof even turns into a seashore in summer time, with unbelievable views out over Amsterdam. Purchase a skip-the-line ticket on-line prematurely right here
Take a look at my assessment of our go to on this publish too
Amsterdam artwork galleries with youngsters
One factor Amsterdam is legendary for is its unimaginable artwork galleries – and when you’ve assumed these should be off the checklist when you’re on the lookout for issues to do in Amsterdam with a toddler, suppose once more.
A lot of the metropolis’s main museums have kids’s excursions, or different methods to make it child-friendly. In fact, when you can time a go to to tie in with youthful toddlers’ naps, you get barely longer to wander round and take in the artwork your self too.
The Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum has a guided excursions, a digital sport in addition to ideas for households together with a 1km stroll by. Some are higher for various age teams however it’s an amazing place to begin.
The Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh museum has choices galore too, together with a treasure hunt, household guided tour, household guides, and even a travelling case with totally different actions for teenagers – though once more, many are geared toward age six plus. In the event you’re forking out, you’ll be able to even get a personal family-friendly tour of the Van Gogh Museum or decide up one of many skip-the-line tickets and go at your personal tempo.
Take a look at my ideas for visiting the Van Gogh museum with a toddler the place I created a toddler-friendly treasure hunt utilizing the museum’s map and highlights – good for brief consideration spans.
The Rembrandthuis
In the event you’ve set your coronary heart on seeing the Rembrandthuis, it has a particular audioguide for teenagers (geared toward six up) whereas it’s free for beneath sixes to enter when you’re planning a brief go to. Purchase tickets with free cancellation right here.
H’Artwork Amsterdam
H’Artwork Amsterdam (previously a part of the Hermitage museum) has kids’s routes by its exhibitions, in addition to treasure hunts, in order that’s nonetheless a risk once you’re planning issues to do in Amsterdam with toddlers.
There’s even an immersive Van Gogh and Rembrandt expertise, with under-fives going free if you wish to convey the artwork to life in Amsterdam for toddlers
Nationwide Maritime Museum
With the Dutch as soon as within the forefront of exploring the globe, studying extra in regards to the seafarers of the Golden Age goes to seize even the quick consideration span of a toddler – who doesn’t fancy imagining themselves on deck searching for out new worlds?
One of many highlights is the life-size reproduction of the Dutch East India Firm ship Amsterdam, which you’ll go searching to be taught extra about life aboard, together with colonial historical past.
It’s included in entry to the Nationwide Maritime Museum subsequent door, with loads of hands-on choices, a Doris the Diver exhibit aimed age 2+, to not point out an interactive life-size board sport and an exhibition on whales, in addition to a 60-minute audio information which is useful to select the higlights. A lot for all ages, when you’re visiting Amsterdam with youngsters who’re older too.
Wereldmuseum
This Museum of World Cultures is targeted on folks from across the globe , so it’s nice for capturing youthful youngsters’ consideration, in addition to introducing them to another cultures and what connects us all.
The previous Tropenmuseum mixed with two different Dutch museums to turn out to be the Wereldmuseum in 2023, and the Wereldmuseum Junior is among the extra uncommon Amsterdam kids’s points of interest to maintain in your checklist too.
The main target is about getting arms on: seeing, touching, experiencing and collaborating with the intention to get even the youngest guests excited about preserving an open thoughts in regards to the world, how we’re all linked and matters together with local weather change.
It’s additionally locations like this which make me say an emphatic sure to anybody asking, is Amsterdam good for households?
Purchase tickets with free cancellation, together with entry to the Wereldmuseum Junior
Artis Royal Zoo
You’ll be able to’t beat a day animals when you’re a toddler – and this zoo, in one of many greener leafy components of central Amsterdam has greater than 900 totally different species of animals.
Together with an aquarium and a petting space, you’ll be able to spot every thing from giraffes to gorillas, to not point out elephants, lions, lemurs, penguins and extra.
There are actions and talks all through the day, and you may take a guided tour, however half the enjoyable is ambling round at your personal tempo watching the animals. Whichever you select, there’s lots to entertain anybody visiting Amsterdam with child or toddler right here.
You may as well head in to the planetarium as a part of your go to. The aquarium, which can be usually included within the ticket worth, is at the moment closed and attributable to reopen in spring 2026. Get skip-the-queue tickets, with free cancellation as much as 24 hours beforehand when you purchase on-line.
Take a look at my assessment of our go to to Artis Royal Zoo with a toddler
Uncover Amsterdam Noord
Hop on the free ferry which runs to Amsterdam Noord, one of many metropolis’s largest inventive hubs.
As soon as an industrial space, wander round and also you’ll uncover road artwork galore – good when you’re on the lookout for issues to do with youngsters in Amsterdam that may go well with toddlers and older siblings, as even littler ones will love the brilliant colors.
It’s one other excellent spot to cycle, or when you’ve acquired a youthful toddler in a buggy, to stroll as they watch the world go by.
Go to the KattenKabinet
Amsterdam specialises in some very quirky museums, and when you’ve acquired a small animal lover within the household, the KattenKabinet – or Cat Museum – is a enjoyable possibility.
Devoted to all issues cat, there’s artwork that includes a string of cats, together with works by Picasso, Rembrandt and Toulouse-Lautrec, but additionally varied different cat-themed objects from posters and drawings to photographs and sculptures, together with historical Egyptian cat statues.
Better of all, there are a number of real-life cats who dwell there. If in case you have toddlers who wish to seize, it’s price realizing that they don’t at all times wish to be petted or stroked, so it’s price setting any expectations (and preserving a brief rein on enthusiastic small cat lovers).
Amsterdam with toddlers… issues to postpone till they’re older
And when my daughter’s older? There’s an extended checklist of issues to do in Amsterdam for teenagers when you’ve left the toddler years behind too, to not point out an entire string of nice day journeys from Amsterdam with youngsters.
A go to to The Anne Frank Home is certainly for older kids, however nothing brings latest historical past fairly as vividly to life as this desperately shifting place.
Or on a lighter notice, there are quirky museums and points of interest galore in Amsterdam – dive in to immersive artworks at Nxt Museum, the STRAAT Road Artwork Museum
For extra tips about one of the best issues to do in Amsterdam with youngsters, take a look at my household information to town, one of the best day journeys from Amsterdam, in addition to my assessment of the I Amsterdam card…
*First printed 2014, up to date 2024*
PIN FOR LATER: THINGS TO DO IN AMSTERDAM WITH TODDLERS
Most important picture/Rijksmuseum/Nationwide Maritime museum photographs courtesy Depositphotos, all others copyright MummyTravels
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