My first trip to Amsterdam was during study abroad for a long weekend with family. Some stakeholders were less than amused when I demonstrated at the first bar we went to in Amsterdam that part of the experience I had had during my semester in Eastern Europe was learning the proper way to drink Absinthe – whoops! We spent the rest of the weekend going to museums, seeing the canals and taking a day trip to Edam for cheese.
This post is focused on my seven day spring break 2024 trip with my husband and kids who were two and four at the time. Sadly, no absinthe was consumed during this trip, but we did eat our weight in Stroopwafels. We also broke up the trip by spending a few days in Belgium as a chance to see more of the region.
Why Amsterdam with a young family?
Our nanny at the time requested to use PTO over spring break so we decided that that week would be our big annual trip. When looking at flights for the dates we had available, we saw that Paris and Amsterdam were some of the cheapest nonstop flights from IAD to European cities that also had public transit from the airport to the city center. From there we asked our oldest if they had a preference, and they selected Amsterdam.
Planning for Amsterdam:
Our trip to Amsterdam was less than two years after our family’s trip to Vienna, and our allegiance to Hilton was still going strong. We booked our stay at the Hilton Amsterdam using the Amex Centurion card to ensure free breakfast and potential room upgrades during the trip. One of the people we traveled with during the tail end of our trip had also previously really enjoyed their stay at the Hilton Amsterdam, so it was the top choice for them too.
The most impactful planning we did for this trip was reading books to the kids about the Netherlands before our trip. I purchased Theodore’s Netherlands Adventure, and KeeKee’s Big Adventures in Amsterdam, Netherlands to teach the kids about what we would see prior to our travels. It helped get them excited for the tulip fields, wooden shoes and windmills. Also, the kids got their Easter baskets prior to this trip, and they were filled with travel toys that have become staples on our adventures.
Experience in Amsterdam:
We ended up using the KeeKee book as a guide for our stay in Amsterdam. We would read the book at night to see if the things we had done that day were also mentioned in the book. We then tracked what else we could do during our trip that looked like fun in the book.
Standout activities included going to the Nemo museum for a rainy day where the kids had a blast running around the exhibits learning about sounds and gravity. This was followed by lunch at the floating Sea Palace restaurant where the kids were mesmerized by the robot servers, and the adults enjoyed quality Dim Sum brunch.
When not exploring Amsterdam, we spent a lot of time playing, running and eating in Vondel Park. We especially liked sitting outside at Brouwerij ’t IJ – ’t Blauwe Theehuis to eat and relax while the kids played in the surrounding grass or eating at Groot Melkhuis because it also had an outdoor kids play area attached to the restaurant. I also went running in the park a few times and felt very safe.
I am not sure how many stroopwafels we consumed during the trip, but it was a lot. They were all delicious, but some were way messier than others depending on how fresh and melty the caramel was. We kept a pack of wet wipes in the stroller on this trip, and they came in handy for sugar covered covered hands. We also stopped at Lourens Bakery because they were selling the trendy and scrumptious croissant cookies.
We also spent a rainy day at Keukenhof where we were overcome by the beauty of the tulips and other flowers, and the kids had the chance to go into their first windmill. The beauty of the gardens was next-level, and I was blown away by the sheer quantity and variety of tulips the park had. We booked tickets with a bus transfer to Keukenhof in advance to make the visit easy. One thing to know is there was a line for the buses when we arrived, so you need to plan to book a very early ticket to avoid the lines, or bring activities to keep the kids entertained while you wait to board the bus.
Another Netherlands highlight was a bus trip to Zaanse Schans to see more windmills, and a klompen factory. The KeeKee book talks about klompen being made for stompin, so the kids had fun trying on wooden shoes after seeing how they were made. They also had fun running around in the open air museum while the adults admired the unique architecture.
We spent several hours one day at the Rijksmuseum. We did our usual scavenger hunt for the museum– which is letting each kid pick out two post cards from the museum gift shop, and then looking for that art in the museum. But, the coolest part of the visit was the Play Mobile toys we got there. They are special edition, limited-release toys that focus on Dutch Master painters.
We are two years out from our trip, and the kids still love getting the sets out to play with the painters. It’s also becoming more relevant as they learn about Dutch painters at school and are able to recall the figures they have at home.
A final must-do activity is the canal cruise. We were able to book same-day canal cruise tickets for a group of ten, and it was so fun to be able to see the city by water. The kids had a blast listening to the presentation, and the parents were able to catch-up while we saw the sights of Amsterdam. We also looked at the pancake canal cruise, but the available times did not align with the needs of the group. It looked like another great way to engage kids while sightseeing in Amsterdam.
Lessons Learned in Amsterdam:
Our biggest lesson learned was to book tickets to the Van Gogh museum in advance. We did not, and the tickets sold out for regular admission for several days prior to the end of our trip. We even had the idea of calling the Amex Centurion line for help, and were advised to use Get Your Guide to book a tour.
We did book the tour which seemed a bit excessive with very young kids, but yet again the post card scavenger hunt kept the kids engaged for a significant portion of the guided tour while the adults followed along. The tour did talk about suicide, so I would plan in advance if you do not want to have hard conversations about that topic with kids during vacation.
The Hilton Amsterdam is incredibly kid friendly. From the moment we arrived at the property, the kids were welcomed with activity packets and even a special themed check-in step at the registration counter. The Hilton took such good care of the kids while we were there, and went above and beyond with bunny chocolates on Easter morning. While the location is a bit of a walk from some of the main sights, the quality of service we had justified the extra steps.
Travel Gear:
Kid rain boots were essential for this trip. My kids love to jump in puddles, and boots kept them dry during the rain and hail we experienced on the trip. I buy these boots in gender neutral colors so both kids can wear them. They are super durable, and have come on many trips.
Travel silverware was also a must. Several times we picked-up lunch or dinner to go and it did not include utensils. We have learned to always travel with it knowing Europeans have moved away from distributing single use utensils.
Check out my travel gear page for a full list of my recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts:
Amsterdam is such an incredible city to visit, even if you are going with young kids. Despite its reputation, we were able to have such a lovely time experiencing Dutch culture, and the kids really loved being able to explore both Amsterdam and the surrounding area.
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