Amsterdam Travel Guide with Kids
Amsterdam is more than just pot and prostitution
I knew I was going to love Amsterdam as soon as we booked our flight and I started researching like a lunatic. The first question people ask us when we say we're going on a trip is,
ARE YOU BRINGING THE KIDS?
The answer is 99% of the time, YES. Jerek and I take weekend getaways alone but long adventures we always prefer to be together as a family. So when people heard we were going to Amsterdam (and Brussels) they usually followed up with the first question then the following,
SO WHAT IS THERE TO DO WITH KIDS?
Newsflash, there are kids that live in Amsterdam incase you forgot and a lot of them! They are also known as some of the happiest kids in the world! Every city has tons of things for kids and families to do, but it's up to you to make a plan and figure out what you'll do while there. Prior to leaving I made a Google doc of all the recommendations I had found on the internet into groups:
How to get around
Where to eat
Where to explore/see/visit
Once we got there we looked at the weather and loosely planned our days out, giving wiggle room for exploring, Chelsea reading the map entirely wrong and stumbling down beautiful roads and into cafes! Amsterdam has great museums, awesome food and beautiful classic European streets you could get lost in for days. Here is a collection of all my recommendations as well as tips I gathered from others (but didn't have time to do...)We stayed in a great airbnb (you can find here) that was a couple blocks from the tram and a great little coffee shops. You can get $40 off your first stay signing up with Airbnb here.
WHERE TO EAT:
I want to start this off by saying it was very easy to eat vegan/plant based in Amsterdam. Everywhere I turned there was fresh fruit and veggies, gluten free and vegan options, dairy free items, the list goes on.
(vegan nachos at the food hall were to die for at the food hallen!)
The first night we were there we thought about staying in and just getting Uber eats. Jerek reminded me that when we were in Paris the first night we forced ourselves out and had an amazing night at the Eiffel tower eating crepes. So we ventured out to a recommendation called Food Hallen, the first indoor food market with over 20 food stalls, 3 bars, live music on Tuesdays (the day we were there), DJ's Fridays and Saturdays. SO.MUCH.AMAZING.FOOD! I would have gone back every day but I was attempting to not be a basic betch.
Dignita- a perfect brunch place. We scooped up a little couch which was perfect for us to sprawl out around, play games and relax while we ate brunch before heading out for the day.
Stromma Boat tour- (pizza & unlimited beer and wine): a beautiful 2 hour boat cruise through the canals with personal pizza's, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and unlimited beer and wine!
We strolled the streets and popped in and out of so many different cafes, shops and eateries I couldn't keep track of everything!There are some other locations on my list to visit that we didn't get a chance to go to.
The Kinderkookkafélocated near the Vondelpark. The kids take over the small restaurant by cooking their own pancakes and they can even sign up to play chef for a day (8 years and up). And for another pancake adventure try cruising around the former Amsterdam harbor where you can enjoy all pancakes you can eat on the infamous Pancake boat. You can cruise around for an hour or a longer 2.5 hour cruise. Just keep in mind Wednesday afternoons are reserved for parties. (I chose the nighttime pizza boat tour over this one because we like pizza more than pancakes, also, hello unlimited wine and beer!)
WHERE TO EXPLORE:
The Jordaan neighborhood- an area that many recommended to me to visit. While I couldn't tell the difference from this area and the area we stayed in (both were beautiful) there is so much to see here just walking around, popping into shops and popping into playgrounds. Vondel Park is next up and it is known as the central park of Amsterdam. There are about 6 different playgrounds but the best one is at the blue teahouse. They serve snacks, lunch and COCKTAILS! Plus they have great playground for all ages. You can see the boys zip-lining down the playground in my video here.
Albert Cyup Market- The market is closed on Sundays and open every other day 9-5. We wandered through the market and it was full of fresh food, flowers and goodies. We grabbed fruit, croissants and some coffee and headed to a playground nearby before continuing on to sight see.
Nemo Science Center is a perfect indoor activity when that weather is really effing with your vibe. We specifically kept this in our back pocket for a day that wasn't ideal to be outside. It was a 4 story hands on science center for Kids. We've been to a few here in Michigan but this one was awesome, not to mention the cafe they have upstairs was dreamy!
Some other places we didn't go to but worth mentioning to visit is the IAMSTERDAM sign, hello Instagram photo opp!
Amstelpark, on the outskirt of city, is great for both kids and adults. It has beautiful gardens and a gigantic playground and petting zoo.
The Amsterdam Forest is uber family friendly and there is so much to do for kids there. Just down the street is the Pancake Restaurant, Boerderij Meerzicht, that has a great playground beside the terrace and deer you can feed (so I've read!)
Everything I mentioned was great to do with kids! In fact 95% of the things we do when we travel we have the kids in mind, you have to! We've learned over the years that if you do something for them like go to a park for an hour then you can drag them to see something you want to do. Snag a little sweet treat so that they will wander around the streets of Europe and stopping for photos. Try and make everything fun and when they are tired recognize that and take a break. There's no sense in trying to do it all and then getting upset when the kids are over it and having a breakdown.
BUT! If you're going to do one thing with the kids it must be the pizza canal boat tour! Seeing Amsterdam at night from a boat drifting through the canals was BEAUTIFUL! Not to mention you get unlimited beer and wine, a personal pizza (for every person!) and Ben & Jerrys ice cream at the end, 10/10!