Nice set of photos.
One comment on them though - too many sloping horizons! You can easily correct those and that would improve the photos considerably, as would a bit of tweaking with something like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or Picassa (if you want free!). Some a over exposed or just a bit wishy washy, and you could correct that too and really make them zing!

Why were you so happy with the beef at the Luna? You can get fantastic beef in the UK, far better than anything available in the Netherlands, even at an Argentinian restaurant. Not from your local Tescos, OK, but it is out there and worth finding.

Not found beef in the UK to be to our liking for the most part. Happy to hear some recommendations.

Point taken on the photos, but that blog post is <24 hrs after our return. Perhaps less is more but it's for the family more so than the photo critics.

Great read. Our family did almost the same trip last year. We all preferred the Van Gogh Museum to the Rijksmuseum, though! One of our food regrets was not enjoying the rijstaffel--thanks for sharing photos of your meal.

Thanks, indy_dad, we'll be in Amsterdam 5/1 (and hoping some tulips are left).....great information and photos!

Thanks for once again sharing a family outing! Gotta love that Alex and his goofy grin!

Continuing on with the Trip Report info for those interested. The facts . . .

Who: Family of 4 (daughter 12, son 9), American ex-pats living in Derby, UK.

When: 8 nights in early April including Easter, essentially “Spring” Break

Where: 2 days / 3 nights in Bruges with a stop in Brussels on the way there. 4 days / 5 nights in Amsterdam.

In Bruges, we stayed at the wonderful B&B Yasmine about 5-7 minutes walk from the main square(s). Our host Albina had to be one of the nicest people we have come across. Very helpful and friendly. Highly recommended. We had the family room on the top floor (with lift) which had a loft for the kids. 150€/night.

http://www.gallery-yasmine.be/

In Amsterdam, we splurged for a 2BR/2Ba apartment in/near the Jordaan area.

http://www.amsterdamapartments.com/apartment/jordaan-laurus-apartment-1.html

We paid 1268€ for 5 nights though I’ve seen some specials as of late. Really enjoyed the location and all the space that came with the apartment. We’ve found that it’s good to have some room to expand when away for a week or more.

It wasn’t perfect but we don’t expect perfection for holiday rentals at that price point. Furniture was largely IKEA, sounds weren’t necessarily insulated and there was a slight smoky smell (couldn’t tell if that was from the previous tenant or neighbors). Kitchen was small but perfect for breakfast and picnic lunch prep. I don’t try to cook full meals on vacation.

We were <5 minutes from Westernmarkt and the Anne Frank house (and tram stops for 13, 14 & 17). Grocery and restaurants nearby. Very comfortable and family friendly area, for what it is worth. I’d recommend it overall.

Transportation: Quite the varied journey for this one. This was partly for convenience and partly to try some new things.

1) Train from Derby to London St. Pancras to Brussels Midi (£27 + £287 total for 4 – cheaper times were also available)
2) Transfer to Brussels Central (drop luggage at storage) – walk around Brussels (price included in above)
3) Train from Central to Bruges (3 nights) (price included in above)

4) Train from Bruges to Amsterdam Central via Antwerp (4 hrs total) (133€) (5 nights)

5) BMIbaby from AMS to East Midlands (351€ with luggage allotment)

6) Skylink bus from EMI to Derby (£11) since our car wasn’t at the airport.

In Bruges we took a taxi to/from the train station (~10€ each). In Amsterdam we took the train (~15€).

After some consideration, we decided to buy the 5-day (120 hr) passes for 25€ x 4. More on that later.

We also took the train to Schipol + Bus 58 option to Keukenhof.

Itinerary:
Day 1: travel to Bruges with stop in Brussels for quick walk around Grand Place
Day 2: Bruges – Bell Tower, Half Moon Brewery Tour, Church of our Lady, Basilica of the Holy Blood, City Hall
Day 3: Bruges – Memling Museum, Groening Museum, Gruuthuse Museum, Chocolate Museum

Amsterdam

Day 4: travel to Amsterdam via train, check into apartment and settle in
Day 5: casual stroll + New Amsterdam Walking tour, Houseboat Museum
Day 6: Keukenhof Gardens, Hermitage Museum
Day 7: Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Dutch Resistance Museum
Day 8: Anne Frank House, NEMO Science Museum
Day 9: return to UK

It might seem a little busy but we really did take things at a good pace and didn’t try to see too much. On most days, we knocked off around 3-4 and had a rest before dinner. We took the tram when we could to also save our energy.

Bruges was fun but not too much stands out. Amsterdam was good for activities with NEMO, Keukenhof, the walking tour and Anne Frank house making the tops of all our lists. The Rijksmuseum and the Dutch Resistance Museum were also good.

Restaurants:
Be sure to see the blog for photos and comments. I really liked Cambrinus in Bruges and my wife liked Breydel De Conic.

In Amsterdam, Long Pura (Indonesian) and Luna (Argentinean) were big hits all around.

More opinions and tips to come . . .

Enjoyed your blog--interesting commentary and nice photos! Looks like you all had a nice time. Thanks for sharing.I'm putting Long Pura and Cambrinus on the list for our visit in August.

. . . continued

The most precious commodity for us when on vacation is time. We want to maximize our time doing what we want to do rather than waiting in lines, figuring out what to do or where to stay. After deciding where to go, I try to home in on where to stay and make those arrangements as soon as possible (which I did for both Bruges and Amsterdam).

Other time-saving tips:

a) Definitely pre-book for Anne Frank. The lines can be huge and slow as only so many can get through at a time. I booked ours about 3 weeks out. Even so, I wasn’t able to get my first choice day/time but was able to get the first slot on a later day. If you are able to, I’d also recommend the 9 a.m. slot. We were literally the first ones through (though we were overtaken). It only takes 60-90 minutes so that leaves you the rest of the day as well.

b) We also pre-purchased the Keukenhof combo tickets to not have to worry about paying for the bus at that time or standing in line once there (though that didn’t seem to be an issue for us during the week).

c) It was nice to have the Museumkaart (card) to skip the massive line at the Van Gogh Museum since we didn’t get there first thing.

d) We did get to the Rijksmuseum when it opened to minimize that line since I don’t believe they have a skip-the-line option. I believe both have the option to pre-book but we weren’t certain if/when we were going to go.

Convenience and Psychological Tips:

This may not apply to everyone, but I find that I’d rather pay for a pass up front rather than continually make financial decisions on whether Museum X is “worth it” on a given day. I take this approach as long as the pass doesn’t encourage fitting too much in in a short time. Therefore, if it’s close we get the pass.

So, we purchased the Bruges Museum Card (15€/5€) and the Museumkaart (45€/25€) but not the iAmsterdam card that combines travel and museums in a limited timeframe. I think we came out slightly ahead on both but that wasn’t the point for us.

The same logic was applied to the GVB multi-day card for the Amsterdam public transportation. They encourage multiple days with the pricing scheme. I knew we would use it on some days more than others but I decided to save the feet (and family) and get it for the duration. We used it quite a bit but still probably just broke even. However, I didn’t have to make the 11€/trip or 30€/day decisions all the time and that’s worth it to me.

While I’m rambling on, some other general advice:

a) Plan well but be flexible – due to weather and interests we did not go to Zaanse Schans but stayed in the city for activities for another day instead. I was also better about allowing some spontaneous time for playgrounds, etc.

b) Don’t try to do too much – everyone will have to find their own limits but I can tell when the kids and/or I are tired and it’s just not worth pushing beyond that. As mentioned, we often hit that point at 3-4pm after starting at 8-9 am. We got some rest and then enjoyed dinner.

c) Restaurants – we’ve had better luck when doing some advance research rather than be spontaneous. Others may have a different experience. It also paid to pre-book especially on the weekend in Bruges. In Amsterdam we were okay because we usually ate between 6:30 – 7 before the big crowds (and it was during the week).

Hope that helps!

Wonderful blog and photographs!!

My trip to Amsterdam starts this coming Friday, and I'll be at the Keukenhof on Sunday. It looks as though I have much to look forward to!

Thanks for posting your report!

Thanks for the comments.

mscleo, aprillilacs, and Judy -- enjoy your upcoming trips!

Well, there you are in your first photo...in front of the amazing Keukenhof blooms! And so many smiling faces thereafter. We toured Amsterdam, Bruges, The Hague and more a few years ago with fond memories. So what did the kids like best?
Bill in Boston

It was a good overall trip and you can tell that we were happy and enjoyed most things. Kids favs:

1) NEMO
2) New Amsterdam walking tour
3) Keukenhof
4) Anne Frank House

Bruges was fun but it's more of a collective feeling rather than activity A, B or C. They probably preferred Amsterdam though.

Hi, indy_dad,

Thank you so much for your posts, blog, and pictures; they have been invaluable. We will be in Amsterdam and Bruges in two weeks. We had planned to buy the Museemkaart and use to get in to Anne Frank House, Van Gogh, & Rijksmuseum, among others. After reading your tips, we are concerned about the lines at Anne Frank. Is your recommendation to buy advance entry to Anne Frank, rather than using Museumkaart?

Really appreciate all of your detailed information. Thanks!

You can reserve your spot online to Anne Frank and still use your Museumkaart. You'll just pay the 0.50€ per ticket admin fee.

http://www.annefrank.org/en/Museum/Practical-information/Online-ticket-sales/

I'd make the reservation ASAP as they only allot a limited amount. We didn't get our first choice 3 weeks out but there were still plenty of options so you should be okay.

I just did a random check for May 1st and there are some slots left (but not many).

As previously mentioned, you won't be able to skip the lines at Rijksmuseum but you will at Van Gogh so plan accordingly.

The walking tour was a nice activity that we enjoyed. If you are interested, try doing it early in your stay for orientation.

I've really enjoyed your blog and photos. Nice to see pictures of the family; I especially liked the one of you and your wife together. Loved all the flower pictures - how beautiful the gardens are. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! I followed your link, and while one day was completely sold out, there were sufficient time slots to choose from on our other days in Amsterdam. You've done us a real service; thanks again!