Children in Amsterdam
 

We are going to Amsterdam with a 7, 11 and 15 yr old. Any suggestions?

Canal Boat Tour!
Anne Frank Haus
Bike the countryside.
See some windmills.
Learn about the dyke system.
Scheepvaart Museum (Ships Museum)
Science Museum Nemo
Woonbootmuseum (Houseboat museum)

Save the red light district and the Heineken Brewery for another time. ;-)

My husband and I went to the NEMO science museum, which is set up with interactive and educational games and activities on several floors. The children seemed to be having a very fun time.
Be advised that there are also -very- informative and open displays about puberty, sex, reproductive process, etc. if that would in anyway disturb you.

Thank you amaclise and Travelnut. No problems with overt displays. Best times for 1) canal boat tour, 2) Anne Frank Haus, 3) Nemo? Any recommendations for particular canal boat tours? Bike rentals, bike tours? (could we rent trailer bikes?); any suggestions re windmills (as an amateur photographer, that is my first choice!)?

Vondelpark is beautiful.

Tropenmuseum (Museum of the Tropics) is weird and wonderful, seemed a place that kids might like to explore.

I think biking within Amsterdam could be quite scary with a 7-yr old (it scares me and I'm way older than that).
We rented at Mac Bike by Leidseplein and did their route down the Amstel river for about 12km, where it ends by the de Reiker windmill and a nice casual cafe called Klein Kalfje. It seemed to be a pretty easy ride and their map was very good, and points out the 'sights' along the way.

The nearest windmill within Amsterdam is located northeast of Entrepotdok and the Artis Park. It's a brewery, evidently, I just took a couple of photos (Brouwerij t'IJ). If you walk down the far side of the river next to it, you can see newer apartment buildings designed with a nod to the old-style canal houses - I found them quite interesting to look at.

If you have time for a daytrip, and the weather is nice, you could take the train to the Zuiderzee outdoor museum. It is set up like a village with replicas or actual buildings from earlier times, with craftsmen performing their chores, etc. You walk from the Enkhuizen train station to the visitor center, buy your tickets, and behind that is the dock for the boat that ferries you over to the museum.

I don't know the name, but the "flower auction" was just spectacular, VERY interesting and well worth the time. I believe it is close to the airport.

As above, I would try to arrange any biking to be outside the city. You'll understand when you see how it's done... not for amateurs imo!

Try this link:

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo.../amsterdam.htm

We just returned from Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago.
We had heard that the best time to avoid lines at the Anne Frank House was early in the morning or late in the afternoon/early evening.
We went one evening between 5-6, and only had to wait for a short time before we could enter.
I actually appreciated the wait, because there was a large student group in front of us, and the ticket agent suggested we might want to wait so that it wouldn't be too crowded. I think the visit would have been less meaningful if we had been struggling to get through a swarm of people.
Annette

Some suggestions.

Zanse Schaans (north of Amsterdam)
Madurodam (Den Haag)
Duinrell (Wassenaar)
Zandvoort (beach on the North Sea)

Google them for details so I don't have to describe them here. Your children will remember them for decades. Bring your cameras!

My opinion is that your children, especialy the younger ones, will not appreciate most of the other suggestions that have been made on this thread. My reference is that I have lived in Haarlem for four years and have brought my then pre-teen and teen daughter to most of the above and many other places in Holland. I suggest that you don't get heavy with your kids on vacation. Let them have fun. My daughter does like the museums also. Holland has magnificant art and you might be surprised at how your children go for it. In Haarlem you can visit the Frans Hals Museum. Color and floral displays appeal to all ages.

I visited Madouradam when I was 8, and it made a lasting impression on me. Loved it, loved the canals.

We'll be in Amsterdam this summer with boys 11 and 13. So, thank you for the suggestions on this thread!

We took 2 almost 11 yr olds to Amsterdam last summer with their 16 yr old sister. One liked the canal boat tour best, we picked it up by the train station, just a short wait in the morning. The other liked just walking the streets the best. Hope to go back sometime.