There are some aspects of Amsterdam that are not very little-kid friendly – the red light district, the rowdy bachelor parties, and even some of the sites. But there are plenty of great ways you and your little ones can enjoy your time in this fantastic city. In this post I share how we spent three wonderful days in Amsterdam with young kids.
Fortunately, my husband and I had been to Amsterdam before and seen the main attractions, so I did not feel the need to fill our days with all the historic sites and museums. My husband was on a work trip and the kids and I were tagging along, so for most of our time in Amsterdam it was just me and the kids. With our kids being my excuse to simplify our itinerary, we ended up having a very fun (and dare I say relaxing?) few days in the city. And I got to see things I had not seen during previous visits.
My kids take naps on the go quite well. Each day we would take a couple hour break from activities and, while they napped in the stroller, we would stroll along the canals and quieter streets of Amsterdam. Here is how we filled our three days in Amsterdam with young kids.
Day 1 in Amsterdam
A mix of maritime history, beautiful flowers, and relaxing in the park.
Cafe Breakfast and Stroopwafels
There are a lot of great places to eat in Amsterdam. While there is no shortage of junk food tailoring to the late night crowd, healthier options are available all over town. You can find delicious juices, filling bowls of yogurt with granola and chopped fruit, and other more hearty breakfast options. We opted to fill the kids up with a nutritious breakfast and then top them off with stroopwafels and pastries. The latter were a big hit!
Stroopwafels are a Dutch specialty. Stroopwafels are two thin waffle cookies with a sweet, caramel syrup sandwiched between them. They are best when freshly made and still warm and they go great with a cup of coffee or tea.
Flower Market
My kids and I love to garden, so I though’t it would be fun to stop by the floating flower market on Singel street. This flower market is pretty touristy and sells a lot of trinkets. But it does have a wide selection of bulbs and plants. It was an easy stop after breakfast and worth checking out if you happen to be in the area. I do recommend you go early when the market is not very crowded.
A Note on Buying Bulbs in Amsterdam:
Make sure that any bulbs you buy have the official sticker/packaging required by your country’s customs agency. I recommend confirming the requirements on the websites of your government’s embassy or customs agency. If the bulbs are not properly packaged and labeled, they will be confiscated when you pass through customs.
National Maritime Museum
If you are going to choose one museum in Amsterdam to take your young kids to, I suggest you consider the National Maritime Museum. This was my first time in this museum and I was blown away by the experience. My three year old LOVED exploring the replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam, a cargo ship that once belonged to the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The interior of the ship is set up as it would have been in its glory days. You can learn about the VOC, tour the different cabins and decks of the ship, and get a sense for what life would have been like for sailors at the time. When you first enter the ship, there is a fantastic short video playing on a screen that wraps around the front of the room and shows you the 17th-century view from the ship as it sails into the port of Amsterdam. You pass other ships, merchants loading and unloading cargo, and get to see what the port used to look like. We visited the museum mid-late morning on a weekday and it was not busy at all. I highly recommend you check this place out.
After exploring the ship, make sure to head inside to the kid’s area. We were the only ones there and the space allowed for a lot of great imaginative play, especially after having been on the big ship.
Dutch Apple Pie
It is not hard for me to find an excuse to enjoy a slice of apple pie. By the time we were done exploring the Maritime Museum, it was nap time. The little ones reclined back in the stroller while I took a nice long walk back through the center of the city and over to Winkel 43 for a snack and some apple pie.
Winkel 43 is quite popular and it was packed when I got there. There was a little stand across the street that accepted takeout orders, but I managed to snag a table outdoors under the shade of an umbrella (outside it seemed to be self-seating and then eventually a waiter would find you). This worked out great because I had a stroller with two sleeping kiddos with me. I ordered a couple delicious yogurt bowls that the kids and I shared when they woke up, and then it was on to the main event. The slice of apple pie was massive and did not disappoint. My kids’ eyes about popped out of their heads when they saw the heap of whipped cream spilling over the pie. It was a great afternoon stop that re-fueled my well-rested kiddos before we made our way to Vondelpark.
Vondelpark Splash Pad and Dinner in the Park
Vondelpark is beautiful. This massive park is right in the city center and is well set up for families. In the middle of Vondelpark (on the northwest side), there is a public splash pad/pool (Kinderbadje). It is essentially a big wade pool with stepping stones that the kids loved. People park their strollers and lay out blankets in the grassy areas around the pool. There is a playground, some sand, and space for kids to run around as well. A gate encloses the entire area.
When you get hungry, you can head around the corner to Groot Melkhuis. This lovely cafe in Vondelpark has a lot of casual outdoor seating and another large, enclosed playground for the kids. You order food and drinks at the counter inside. My kids and I really enjoyed the wood-fire pizzas. The outdoor seating area is clean and it is a very pleasant place to spend a warm summer afternoon.
One of my favorite things about European parks is that they often have beer gardens and cafes in the park. Europeans really consider the whole family experience. Back home parks are full of kids running around while parents sit on benches around the edges, looking at their phones and not talking to each other. In Europe, playgrounds are a place for community and interaction. With the addition of beautiful landscaping, inviting tables, and good food and drinks, families seem to really relish their evenings at the park with their kids and friends.
Day 2 in Amsterdam
A day of amusement in the park followed by a boat ride on the canals.
Pancake Breakfast
There are many places you can go to try an oversized, Dutch pancake. We went to Pancake Amsterdam and our kids’ were thrilled when their plate-size pancakes arrived at the table. We got three different kinds: a simple pancake, one with a side of strawberries and whipped cream, as well as a bacon and apple pancake. They were all very tasty.
Poffertjes (mini pancakes with powdered sugar) are also a dutch specialty that my kids loved. You can find poffertjes throughout the Netherlands.
Amstelpark
Amstelpark is full of fun kid activities, but is a bit of a trek from the city center. You can get there by public transportation or on foot if you have the time. The park is quite large and has a lot of kid-friendly activities, including:
- Petting zoo with farm animals
- Playground with zip-line and climbing structures
- Mini-amusement park.
- This small, mostly self-service amusement park has a bunch of small rides and games. You buy tokens and pay by ride. My son and I got temporarily stranded in the middle of the bumper boat pond, which we found pretty comical. To use the boat, you have to put in a token and then you get some unspecified length of time to cruise around before the boat stops running. Our time ran out when we were in the middle of the pond. We were the only ones in the pond at the time, but after a short time we floated to the edge and were able to get off.
- There is food available if you need to pick up lunch or a snack. It is pretty basic, but convenient.
- Train through the park
- The train only runs every half hour or so and the line gets pretty long, so plan accordingly.
- Mini-golf
Canal Tour
A canal tour can be a great way to spend an afternoon or evening in Amsterdam with young kids. I would not say it is a must-do, but we did enjoy the experience.
We chose the Blue Boat Kids Cruise because their boats have a bathroom. The kids received a little activity booklet, cardboard binoculars, and an eye patch. Our kids were the only kids on the cruise, and the kids’ audio was a bit hard to hear and difficult for our young children to follow along with. Though the “kid cruise” experience was a little overhyped online in my opinion, it was still a pleasant experience floating down the canals, and having bathroom onboard was important for us (not all boats do).
We chose an evening canal tour because our kids tend to have the most energy in the mornings. The idea of being stuck on a boat for well over an hour while our kids are at peak energy sounds terrible.
A Note on Toddler Safety and the Canals
Bikes, cars, trams, and canals, are all part of Amsterdam’s unique and bustling atmosphere. My kids loved soaking it all in. But these things also presented some safety challenges and kept me more on guard than I would normally be. Be aware that there are very few guardrails on the canals. It keeps the views beautiful and unobstructed, but I did not take my eyes off my kids for a second due to the risk of them falling in.
Day 3 in Amsterdam
A day touring windmills and a beautiful village.
Zaanse Schans: a perfect day trip when in Amsterdam with young kids
Zaanse Schans is a heritage site that is only about 30-45 mintues north of Amsterdam by train. This recreation of a 17th century Dutch village is a wonderful place to spend a day with young kids. At Zaanse Schans you can tour historic windmills and old houses, watch live demonstrations, sample cheeses, and learn about traditional handicrafts.
To get there, catch a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans train station. From there, it is about a 20 minute walk east on Stationsstraat and then north on Hoogstraat until you reach the Julianabrug bridge. At this point you will see the windmills and village of Zaanse Schans across the water. Follow the bridge (and crowds) to the entrance of Zaanse Schans. Google maps will help you find the right train number and navigate the walk, but it is pretty simple.
I recommend you get there right when it opens because later in the morning it started to get a lot more crowded as tourist buses arrived. It is free to wander around the village, but I definitely recommend buying tickets to go inside the windmills and other buildings.
Windmills
My son really enjoyed learning about how windmills work and seeing them in action. Not all of the windmills are open everyday, but it is worth popping into at least one or two.
You can witness the production of various products (paint pigment, peanut oil, cocoa, etc.) by wind and climb to the upper decks of the windmills. We also learned how windmills, dykes, and canals were used to reclaim and transform the land that Zaanse Schans and much of the Netherlands sits on from sea to useful land.
Note, there are no bathrooms inside the windmills or most of the buildings. But there are public toilets located in a couple places, which are labeled on the map and on signs. Keep that in mind as you explore with your little ones.
Live Demonstrations
One of the highlights of our visit was watching the clog-making presentation. The live demonstrations are offered regularly, so if you just miss one, ask if there will be another. My kids really enjoyed watching a chunk of wood transform into a wooden shoe.
Past the clog making machinery and presentation area you will find a wall of beautifully painted clogs for sale. They even come in little kid sizes!
Zaanse Schans is a great way for families with young kids to learn about the past. It can get crowded and is a bit touristy, but I think it is definitely worth a visit.
Wrapping up your time in Amsterdam with Young Kids
If you have more than three days, there are endless ways you could spend them. Amsterdam has so many museums, and the NEMO Science Museum is another great option for families with young kids. If you have additional time, I encourage you to explore some more of the neighborhoods outside of the city center. Discover other parks and playgrounds and enjoy a meal or an ice cream on a quiet street off the beaten path. It is starting to become a bit of a tradition of ours to end our trips with an unscheduled park day, and we love it!
A Note about Navigating Amsterdam’s City Center with a Stroller
I am a huge fan of traveling with all-terrain strollers (see my Packing Tips for Trips with Young Kids). And we often will take our Bumbleride Indie Twin (our favorite double side-by-side stroller) with us to Europe. We have been to big cities like London and Munich, as well as smaller medieval towns, like Czesky Krumlov and Salzburg, with our Indie Twin and I have always been so happy to have it with me.
Amsterdam was, however, the first city that I have been to with this stroller that I found a little trickier to navigate. It handles the cobblestones amazingly, but being a double side-by-side, it was a little harder to fit on the narrow sidewalks (that were made even narrower by loads of parked bikes). Honestly, any size stroller will have difficulty navigating the busy sidewalks of central Amsterdam. There is just not much space and you are constantly having to hop on and off the sidewalks. We had no problems when we were outside of central Amsterdam and during our day trips to Delft and Zaans Schans, but I did want to be transparent about this struggle in the center of the city because I am always raving about the Bumbleride Indie Twin for European travel, and Amsterdam is a place that a narrower tandem double stroller may be better.
I hope this information on family-friendly activities in Amsterdam was helpful. Safe travels!
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