Recommendations for what to do in Amsterdam with kids

Milky_Mocha

Hi there
We have a day trip booked for Amsterdam in July.
2 kids age 8 and 6. What fun things are there to do and what cool restaurants? We land at Schipol about 9:30 in the morning and return on a 7:55pm flight.
Thanks.
MiM

MasterPoo

As a 15 year old who was into Art I LOVED the Van Gogh Museum, I will be going back as an adult.

I've also heard bike rides along the canal's are supposed to be great on a Summers day, and they hire them out, so try that.

Or a leisurely boat ride for lunch?

http://www.scarymommy.com/amsterdam-with-kids/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands/amsterdam/travel-tips-and-articles/67580

and then there is the Red Light District, hahaha, I KID I KID....(that's a joke btw, as I will assume you WILL be a responsible adult!)

You've given me a great idea for a day out in the Summer, thanks!

eDicky

Escape the central touristy shopping and museum areas, which will be tiring and boring for the kids, to the Flevoparkbad - water, swimming and making friends with local kids (and parents...):
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/what-to-do/families-and-children/swimming-pools/flevoparkbad
Tram no. 7 eastbound to end of the line, Flevopark, or...

McKneff

The way to see Amsterdam properly is to go on one of the Hop on Hop Off boats but buy your ticket getting onto the boat, don't buy any from the agents of shops. They can rip you off enormously.
Expect it to be expensive, I really woulnt do any shopping there, it is expensive tat. The good stuff is even more expensive tat






There is always the Zoo but you can go to zoos in England lol.

pendragon_arther

Take them into one of those coffee shops and taste those lovely cakes. I don't know what was in them but they made me want to giggle all the time.

Milky_Mocha

Wow, some amazing replies! I knew it would be a good idea asking on here. Thank you.
Lunch on a boat sounds great. Will definitely do that. We are huge fans of bike riding and will do that too, especially if they hire out the bike and safety helmets. And I believe cycling in Amsterdam is way safer than here.
Swimming we'll save for when we return for a longer trip as we don't want to carry costumes, goggles, flip flops, swim caps, moisturiser and things.
In the mean time I looked on trip advisor and saw what was described as a team escape game. Nowhere seems to give many details but reviews are all amazing. One in particular, called Sherlocked, had some very enthusiastic reviewers. Youngest participant I've seen so far was 10 years old so I'm still unsure as to whether my six year old will enjoy it, even though she's competitive and loves puzzles and challenges. might leave that one for a year or three.
Thanks again all and have a fantastic weekend.

totallybored

McKneff wrote: »

Expect it to be expensive, I really woulnt do any shopping there, it is expensive tat. The good stuff is even more expensive tat

I have to disagree with you there. Hema and Xenos sell excellent tat at reasonable prices I now have a Hema near me in London but it's nowhere near as good as the huge ones in Holland. When I was there at Xmas I bought lovely Chinese crockery in Xenos that matched some I have from John Lewis and they were about a third of the price.

jonesMUFCforever

Go to NEMO - from memory straight out of central station turn left over a bridge where the floating chinese restaurant is (and where the Botel used to be).
Full of things for kids to do and with a sand pit on the roof with a bar for the adults to relax whilst having a birdseye view of the city.

Mojisola

Many bikes in Holland don't have brakes - you have to pedal backwards instead. If that would be a problem for the kids, look around for a hirer who has bikes with brakes.

http://awesomeamsterdam.com/articles/20/the-complete-guide-to-bicycling-in-amsterdam

pandora205

I took mine to Amsterdam when they were a bit older and they had a great time. Things we did were: go on a canal cruise that went into the harbour as well as along the canals, visited Van Gogh museum then dipped into the Rijksmuseum (which they preferred as they were v impressed with the huge Dutch masters), visited a diamond factory, shopped in the flower market and nearby small shops (bought bulbs, strange Chinese bits and Christmas decorations), visited the Anne Frank house (but yours are probably a bit young), and also Rembrandt's house (which they would enjoy as its full of stuffed animals and other curios). We didn't hire bikes as the weather was a bit mixed but would have gone to Vondelpark to do this had it been sunnier. They also enjoyed hopping on and off trams and buses (the boat cruise was free with this).

The best simple guide book that I found was the Dorling Kindersley Top 10 Amsterdam, as it gives simple instructions and ideas for seeing the city.

PS If you come into Amsterdam by train from Schiphol airport, it's a spectacular introduction. The trains pass the harbour, and the one we caught was a very modern double decker, so we got a fab view as we came into the city.

elisebutt65

http://www.tunfun.nl/index.php/ I took my son here when he was about 9. He loved it. Trampolines, ball pits adventure play all built into an old traffic underpass so totally weatherproof & a great cafe. I just sat & had a coffee & read a book for a few hours whilst he let off steam,,