This Bike-Filled City Is Surprisingly Great for Family Vacations

Amsterdam may have a reputation for rowdiness, but you’ll spot plenty of PG scenes here: children piled into bakfietsen (cargo bikes), colorful public art installations and toddlers feeding ducks in the park ponds. The Dutch capital is a city built for living, not just for partying, which is why visitors of all ages can easily tap into its charms.

Take it from this born-and-raised Dutchman: Even with young travelers in tow, there’s no need to sacrifice sightseeing plans in Amsterdam. You can still poke around an old masters exhibit, sip a genever in a brown café (pub) or drift along the canals—and take advantage of the city’s walkability, excellent public transport system and kid-friendly activities. Whether you’re traveling with toddlers or teens, with a little planning, you’ll find Amsterdam becomes surprisingly manageable for everyone involved.

The Main Attractions

The Rijksmuseum may be known for its Dutch Golden Age art, but it also has plenty for children, from scavenger hunts to themed costume plays. (Photo courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam/Erik Smits)

Go Museum Hopping

Amsterdam’s museums are among Europe’s best, but making children behave in a room full of priceless art can sometimes feel impossible. Fortunately, many of the city’s major institutions have figured out how to help. At the Rijksmuseum, a trove of Dutch Golden Age art, you can sign up for guided tours that reach far beyond the Rembrandts and dive in to fascinating tidbits of Holland’s spice-trading heyday (pirate tales included) and stories behind Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” painting. There are audio-assisted scavenger hunts that send little ones through galleries in search of surprises, and on weekends and local school holidays, the museum’s activities calendar fills with craft workshops and themed costume plays.

Farther down the Museumplein square, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam zeroes in on modern art, but keeps young visitors engaged with a free audio tour that guides them through the permanent collection, while raising hard-hitting questions such as “What is art?” (helpful, when they’ve just gazed at a plain blue canvas). There are also free coloring pages and frequent pop-up events that offer a hands-on approach to self-expression through sketching and dress-up games.

Dedicated to cultures beyond the Netherlands, the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam often hosts kid-friendly activities like Chinese lantern-making workshops and Greenlandic cooking classes. (Photo courtesy of Wereldmuseum Amsterdam/Kaka Lee)

In the old-timey Oosterpark neighborhood, the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (formerly known as the Tropenmuseum) introduces children to cultures beyond the Netherlands, and through its collection of more than 450,000 artifacts and photographs, shows how families across the world eat, dance and pray. An ever-changing roster of kid-friendly activities fuse education with fun, and could include Chinese lantern-making workshops or Greenlandic cooking classes.

Cruise the Canals

Avoid the crowds along the canals by taking to the water on a family-friendly cruise.

One way of sidestepping the crowds along the canals is to take in the sights from the comfort of a cruise. Blue Boat’s family-forward sailings come with booklets, coloring pencils and pirate-themed binoculars, and let young passengers tune in to an audio guide voiced by a pair of cartoon characters. Rather than the usual commentary peppered with historic dates and architectural jargon, they’ll hear tales of old trading ships and bridge-keepers’ secrets.

If the weather is pleasant and you’re traveling with older kids, rent a kayak or pedal boat. You can glide past gabled houses and pass under historic bridges at your own pace, and dock for a break at one of the many canal-side cafés as you please. Pedal-boat rental company Stromma, which operates stations across the city, has mapped out an interactive treasure hunt starting from its pier near the Rijksmuseum, leading you past the city’s crooked houses and waterfront landmarks via clues and riddles.

Explore a Shipyard Turned Street Art Scene

The STRAAT Museum features more than 180 wall-spanning works by street artists from around the world. (Photo courtesy of STRAAT Museum)

For a side of Amsterdam without tour groups and souvenir boutiques, hop on the free IJ ferry, which leaves from behind the Central Station and gets you to the NDSM-Werf in the Amsterdam-Noord district in about 10 minutes. Over the past decade, the hangars of this former shipyard have been recast as galleries and creative hubs, while the disused cranes and containers along the waterfront have become canvases for eye-popping graffiti.

The STRAAT Museum, housed in one of the cavernous industrial halls, gives street art the museum treatment with more than 180 wall-spanning works by artists from around the globe, many of whom created the pieces on-site. Plan your visit on a weekend to catch one of the guided tours, which teach about Amsterdam’s urban art scene and the techniques behind each work.

Grab a portobello-burger lunch at Pllek, a café furnished from recycled shipping containers, where parents can stretch out on beanbags while kids dig around in the mini-beach out front. A block away, the picnic tables in the garden of the quirky Noorderlicht Café make for excellent brunch spots in sunny weather.

Where to Eat

Amsterdam’s many outdoor cafés are the perfect place for a family meal.

Groot Melkhuis

This grand café in the heart of the leafy Vondelpark comes with an enclosed playground, so you can order a tosti (Dutch grilled cheese) and flat white without losing sight of your offspring. Young guests will love the poffertjes (small Dutch pancakes) and classic apple pie on the kids menu.

Foodhallen

With more than 20 food stalls under one roof, this former tram depot turned food hall in the Kinkerbuurt district is a boon for picky eaters. There’s no need for compromises: Everyone orders what they like, from Spanish tapas and oven-fresh pizza to sushi and pancakes, then reconvenes at the communal table.

Karavaan

Stroller-pushing parents and grandparents on babysitting duty all gather at this easygoing neighborhood haunt in the Amsterdam-West area for morning coffee, Mediterranean-influenced lunches and casual dinners. There’s a kid-friendly menu with pancakes and cheeseburgers, and on sunny days, the enormous terrace is one of Amsterdam’s loveliest places to eat.

Where to Stay

Pulitzer Amsterdam has large suites and interconnecting rooms, making it great for families.

Pulitzer Amsterdam
Member of The Edit by Chase Travel

Taking over a row of 25 restored canal houses, this Amsterdam stalwart has family-sized suites and interconnecting rooms, and welcomes young guests with coloring books, treasure hunts and bedtime stories.

De L’Europe Amsterdam
Member of The Edit by Chase Travel

At this elegant hotel in the heart of the canal belt, an anthropomorphic lobster named Little Marie serves as a personal guide to young guests. The cheery mascot awaits as a plush toy on their beds, dances over the pages of coloring books and stars in a family-focused city guide printed exclusively for the hotel. Connecting rooms and kid-friendly menus further ensure that even the littlest visitors feel pampered.

Volkshotel

Rooms at this funky hideaway in the restaurant-packed Amsterdam-Oost district range from “XS” to “XL”, with the larger ones sleeping up to four. The “L” offers configurations like two floating bunk beds with a double below, and is particularly comfy. Another perk: the rooftop hot tub.