Amsterdam with Kids: How to Enjoy the City Without Losing Your Mind
First of all, I do not live in Amsterdam, I live 30 minutes to the south in Amstelveen, for many of the reasons you will find below. Amsterdam is a fantastic, character-filled, culture-rich, and beautiful city, but in my judgment, not where you want to raise two young kids. Not to say that it’s not a great place to visit with kids.
The Dutch seem to have a love-hate relationship with the capital city. Depending who you talk to, it’s:
- “Amsterdam is not really the Netherlands.”
- “I used to live in Amsterdam, before it got busy.”
- “XXX (<- fill another smaller Dutch city in here) is better, you should definitely go there instead.”
Yet you cannot have the Netherlands without Amsterdam, nor would you want to. It is a cultural hub filled with a vibrant history that is still on display today – its leaning canal houses, its cobblestone streets, its museums and public spaces with relics and pieces that tell stories of enormous significance to our shared human experience.
But to experience it in a way that will not leave you wanting to tear your hair out, or at least with a memory that has you never wanting to return, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind. Your family and your experience will clearly be different than mine but here are a few things I’d recommend keeping in mind so that you leave Amsterdam on a positive note and can remember it as the incredible city that it is.
Be Dutchish
Use the Language
The Dutch are an incredible international people. It’s very rare you would meet a Dutchie that does not know English, cannot carry on a conversation about American pop culture or politics with you, or just make you feel like you are just in another American city when you are visiting Amsterdam. And they know it. In fact, it’s backfired on them a bit, as they have made it so easy to live here as an expat, there is little incentive to integrate and they now find themselves in a situation where internationals (whether residents or travelers) are eroding what it really means to be Dutch.
That said, when you come to the Netherlands, you should make an effort to at least show that you are trying to fit in. My advice: learn 8 words. 8. That’s all. These will impress the Dutch and set you apart from the 98% of visitors that don’t bother. Don’t be that person. Here are the ones that I use most:
- Dankjewel (Dahnk – ya – vel ) – This means thank you. Use it often. It’s sure to bring a smile to a Dutchie’s face, because they won’t expect you to.
- Ja (ya) – Yes
- Nee (Nay) – No
- Sorry (Soh – dee) – Excuse/pardon me. Amsterdam is a very busy place, and you are bound to bump into someone or need to shove by. Common courtesy just to say excuse me. Yes, the word is the same, but if you don’t want to sound like a clueless American, soften the “r” so you aren’t just saying “so-ree” just like you do when you spill your Diet Coke on that person in front of you at a baseball game.
- Één (ane), twee (tvay), drie (dree), vier (fear), vijf (vife) – OK. Five words. You can do it!
- Spreek je Engels? (sprake – ya – an – guls) – Do you speak English? The Dutch will normally look at you with a face that says “Duh, I speak English,” but better to lead with this and not assume.
- Hoeveel (hoe – vale) – How much. Always useful for a traveler buying knickknacks.
- Ik kom uit Amerika (ick – come – out – America) – I’m from America. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to replace America with Canada here. But you can at least take comfort that it’s less likely to be met with as much scorn as saying you are British (sorry chaps).
Use these and you’ve now proven to the Dutch you actually care about their culture a little. Be that person.
Use Public Transport
The Dutch public transport system is very good, kid-friendly and easy to use, if often very crowded. If you have a stroller, there is usually a section to keep it and a picture on the proper door by which you should enter the bus/train (spoiler alert: it’s not the front).
You can use a credit card to scan in and out on the buses, trams, and trains, although beware that you need to scan in and out with separate credit cards for every traveler over 4. But if you are American that’s probably not a problem because you have 5, right?
You can get to virtually anywhere in the Amsterdam area on a bus, tram or train very quickly and cheaply. If you are going intercity, that’s usually easy too, but in that case you will need to buy a separate ticket at a kiosk at the station which is very easy, too. In multi-floor intercity trains, usually the top floor is the “quiet” area. So as much as you’d love to watch the tulip fields float by you with your kids, stay away. But don’t worry, if you forget the Dutch will in their typical honest way remind you of your mistake.
The River Cruises
If it’s your first time to Amsterdam, yes, do one. They are mostly all the same. But they will give you a good taste of Amsterdam history and they are a great way to see the architecture and city without getting shoved into a canal while trying to get that perfect Insta post.
These are so plentiful and frequent that you don’t need to plan ahead. Just find a docking point that suits you, ask about prices (don’t pay more than $30) and wait for the next cruise. Yes, it’s what all the tourists are doing. But for good reason. Do it once.
Most have a bathroom that leaves much to be desired in the back in a pinch, but make sure to address this beforehand as the last thing you want is a whiny toddler that needs to pee 10 minutes into a 45-minute cruise (and the usually Dutch frown onto you peeing into their canals… see earlier comment RE: British travelers).
Plan Ahead
Museums and Restaurants
Don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Many of the most popular Dutch attractions like the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House (not advisable with young kids), and the Nemo Science Museum all will likely need to be booked in advance. Do this a few weeks ahead of your trip, and for the Anne Frank House even longer.
There is no flexibility with this if they are full, so don’t expect your adorable toddler’s puppy eyes and your pleading that you flew all the way from Scranton to see Van Gogh to elicit any sympathy from a Dutchie.
This also goes for restaurants, so if you have one that you really want to try, make a reservation in advance. Usually you cannot just wait for a table like in the USA. You are either on the list, or you aren’t sitting.
Be Smart
Sign up for STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program). This is the US Dept of States alert system that notifies you of any activity going on in the city that you may want to be aware of and potentially avoid. With a large part of Amsterdam’s population being from conflict areas (Israel/Palestine and Ukraine/Russia), the city has recently been a common platform for demonstrations. These rarely turn violent, but you don’t want to be around to find out, especially with your kids. These most commonly occur in Dam Square, Museumplein, or the Red Light District.
Just today, this alert was issued from STEP:
Event: On October 5, a group of civil society organizations are planning a major protest regarding the Dutch government’s response to events in Gaza. The demonstration will take place at Museumplein in Amsterdam beginning at 1:00pm, with a march planned from Museumplein and passing north of Vondelpark, through Oud-Zuid neighborhood, and returning to Museumplein. Local authorities believe the crowd could reach 200,000 participants. The demonstration will cause significant disruptions at Museumplein and surrounding areas, as well as to public transportation across central Amsterdam.
U.S. citizens are advised to avoid areas of demonstrations and exercise caution, especially near large gatherings or crowds. Any gathering – even those intended to be peaceful – could escalate and become violent, as has been the case with some past protests.
As you can see, very specific and useful information about a demonstration that can be avoided with a little planning. I’m all for free speech, but sometimes it’s nice if the speech happens somewhere else.
Weather
If you are coming between around September to April, it’s not a matter of if it will rain, but when. The Dutch are superstars at living with it and Amsterdam is just as bustling in a rainstorm as on a sunny day. And don’t just think it’s like a Florida storm that will roll in and roll out. You aren’t waiting this out. Think Seattle, but with more tulips and wooden shoes. If you failed to plan for rain, and you have kids in tow on a typical Amsterdam fall afternoon, this could ruin your whole day. So stay dry.
Venture Out
Lastly: Don’t just stay in the city center fighting all the crowds. Amsterdam has plenty of places worth visiting that most tourists will not venture to that are equally as or more worthwhile than Centrum.
Areas like De Pijp, Vondelpark, Zaandam and Oud-West are all easily accessible through public transport and will have you feeling less like you are drinking the city through a firehose if you are trying to enjoy it with kids.
And maybe an unconventional tip for an Amsterdam guide, but consider venturing further afield. If you have time for a day trip from Amsterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem, and Gouda, to name a few, will land you in smaller towns with perhaps even more of an authentic Dutch vibe, but with less of the crowds.
Wrapping Up
I’ve talked to many that have visited Amsterdam and had a poor experience mainly because their expectations did not meet reality. They pictured a quaint Dutch town with ladies in aprons and wooden shoes strolling to the market to sell her freshly made cheese and turnips. Or chilled out Dutchies sitting on patios smoking weed and listening to Bob Marley.
In truth, Amsterdam is a city of about 1 million people which gets about 15 million visitors per year. It is noisy, often dirty and never stops. But despite all that, it has its charm and its streets, buildings, people and canals tell stories that speak to its many centuries-long history of being a hub of commerce and trade in Europe and the world.
It is very family-friendly, and its people are very welcoming as long as you haven’t come to get wasted in the Red Light District and pass out into a canal.
With realistic expectations, you will leave Amsterdam appreciating it for the very cool city which it is, and excited to tell all your friends and plan your next trip.
Strategy Number Two
Now that you have read all that, you are prepared to tackle the city with kids just like a local… But did you know there is another way? Book me as your Amsterdam guide and sit back and let me do all the thinking and talking. I am great at at least one of those, and will try my best at the other!
