Amsterdam - things to do with kids? And where to stay?
 

We will be visiting Amsterdam in August with our 2 boys, ages 7 and 9. Will be there for 4 days. Any recommendations on neighborhoods or hotels? We are looking for something moderately priced 3-4 stars.

Also, any suggestions on activites to do with them? Would like to see some countryside as well. Here is what I am thinking of doing so far:
Anne Frank museum
Canal ride
Nemo
Madurodam
Delft
Harleem
Hoorn

Thanks!

We used HomeAway and rented a two bedroom apartment on a concrete barge in North Amsterdam, a ten minute walk from the free 24 hour ferry (5 minute ride) to the central station. Not ideal for those who dream of stepping out and being in the center of things, but it was far less costly: we paid 880€ for a week's rental.

For day trips also consider going to nearby Zaanse Schanse, a large grouping of behemoth wooden windmills relocated here to form an impressive group redolent of olden times when these things dotted the Dutch countryside.

You can go in one of the working ones.

Take the train to Koog Zaandijk, about 30 minutes from Amsterdam and then it's a short walk - very impressive sight/site.

Another sweet day trip for families goes by train north to Enkhuizen, an old port town on the former Zuider Zee - to the Zuider Zee Museum - an open-air museum showcasing things from around the Zuider Zee area - many old buildings have been moved here - there is a Holland in miniature redolent of Madurodam - and just a lot of fun stuff for kids that age.

From the train station you can take a boat a kilometer or so right to the museum entrance. Enkhuizen is also a pleasant Dutch regional town.

http://www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl/en/10/home/

https://www.google.com/search?q=zuid...w=1408&bih=952

Oh and here is what Zaanse Schanse looks like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=zaAN...w=1408&bih=952

We were just there with our 8 year old daughter. She enjoyed the canal ride. If you go to the Anne Frank House, get reserved ticket times online, and do it well in advance. The line wasn't terribly long, but it would have been nice to skip it.

We went to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. In both they have kid's audio guides. The one for the Rijksmuseum was very interactive and we had fun doing it. The Van Gogh guide was like and adult guide, but with more kid friendly content. The Van Gogh museum also had some cool exhibits about how the colors have faded and let you look at some paintings under microscope, so you could try to find the newsprint/sand//etc... that was stuck on paint.

We stayed at the residence Le Coin. It was well located and reasonably priced. We stayed there, because my husband was visiting the University and that was where they put us. You can get fairly spacious rooms. It wasn't posh, and I didn't like that in our room the double bed was in a loft accessible by ladder. But, we didn't spend much time in the room, so it was fine.

We went to the Hague one day to see an old friend of mine who is living there. She took us to Madurodam. Mm daughter enjoyed it. There were a number of interactive exhibits, some of which weren't working quite right. It was a bit more commercial of an activity than I would normally choose. It was nice to have a local tell us what everything was.

I don't know how many stars it has, but we stayed at the Aalders and loved it. It's very near both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum, about 100 yards from a tram stop, and in a nice residential neighborhood. I know they have at least one family room. Would definitely stay there again.

Thanks all! these suggestions are so helpful!

If you are going to Hoorn look at http://www.museumstoomtram.nl/en.

The Scheepsvaartmuseum might appeal. Artis zoo is perhaps worth considering.

If you go to Den Haag, then Madurodam may appeal, or SeaLife Scheveningen. Good beach there too.
Maybe a whisper boat trip from Holysloot www.holyboot.nl

http://translate.google.com/translat...t%26es_sm%3D93

When I went to the National Railway Museum in Utrecht I saw many families with kids that young having a blast - lots of kid-oriented activities - hands on stuff and all kinds of trains, trams, etc. and miniature trains that kids right around in. And from Utrecht's main station you can take a special train right to the museum, about 3 kms from Utrecht's center.

Utrecht may make a better day trip for kids than Haarlem for this reason and also to visit the family-friendly Museum of Music Clocks, right in the town center.

http://www.museumspeelklok.nl/

On Trip Advisor: "My 3 and 4 year olds loved this museum and the guided your was great. The lady spoke English and made sure that we were included in all of the demonstrations. The children got to use some of the exhibits and the concert organ playing pharrell Williams 'happy' was fantastic. Really enjoyed the visit."

Utrecht is a lovely city in its center - canal boat tours just like Amsterdam - only a short train ride from Amsterdam.

Haarlem is nice but being a denizen of that place tells me there is not much of kid-centric interest there - I may be wrong bout that!

If you go to Haarlem they may enjoy Cruquius, a massive steam pump.

Vondelpark
Tropenmuseum
...would both be great for kids (maybe more so than some of the other things on your list).

A great Hotel in Amsterdam is the Ramada Apollo Hotel. Its just outside the city centre and the roof has a view over the entire city. Its worth checking out. I would also suggest gping to Artis, the zoo in the center of Amsterdam.

Maybe this will help with some information.

http://www.city-trip-amsterdam.com/

you can rent bikes, you can even rent a bike with a seat for an adult and child.

eat pancakes.. try the Pancake Bakery (Prinsengracht 191; 31-20-625-1333; www.pancake.nl) is open for lunch and dinner

some more ideas are at this website:
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/expe...s-and-children

and this site as well for hotels:
http://www.travelforkids.com/Family-...ily-hotels.htm

Make your way to Arnhem and visit the Openluchtmuseum, a Craft and Folkways museum, consisting of buildings that have been transplanted there. Lots of stuff for children to see and do there. Bonus: you'll understand so much more about the Netherlands, and the Amsterdam bias is very small there

http://www.openairmuseum.nl/

It's beautifully situated and next door is Burgers' Zoo

http://www.burgerszoo.nl/?ce=1