What to do as a family in Amsterdam? With and without children

If you want to come to Amsterdam as a family, you’ve come to the right place. Amsterdam is truly a city for all ages: from toddlers to grandma & grandpa. The city has a lot to offer and many points of overlap across generations. It doesn’t matter whether you’re primarily interested in history, culture or cuisine – you’ll find it all here. You can also discover the city together artistically. From modern to contemporary and film art, you really can find everything in our capital city.

Here are some great ideas of what you can do in our capital city! Special tips for children included.

Go on an exciting city tour

A great activity for the whole family to discover the secrets of the new city is still the city tour! Here, of course, you can go according to your personal taste. The biggest difficulty with family excursions is usually finding something that everyone enjoys. Fortunately, there is plenty of choice in Amsterdam!

For example, if you have a history fan with you and someone who has no interest in history at all, then the solution is to find something else in common. Are you both foodies? Then go on a cultural food tour! You’ll find out exciting information about Amsterdam and taste your way through the culinary scene at the same time – always a hit with families. No matter what different interests your family has, we’re sure to find a city tour that everyone will enjoy! 😊

By the way: if there are (younger) children with you, your guide can of course easily adapt the language so that everyone can follow along. This is especially possible on a private city tour and you can also include additional stops (for example, a Stroopwaffle to snack on along the way?) to make the experience even more special for the little ones.

Discover Amsterdam by bike

Perhaps you have someone with you who is not so mobile. How about a (Noord) bike tour, for example? You can get to know the most important sights of the city in a very relaxed way by bike, or escape the hustle and bustle of the city for once by heading to the idyllic north. Of course, you’ll see a lot more than on foot, do a bit of sport together and enjoy the (rarely seen but much appreciated) good weather!

Experience Dutch football history in the Johan Cruijff Arena

If you have football fans in your family, they’ll know that the Johan Cruijff Arena in the south of the city is home to Amsterdam’s Ajax team. What you might not know is that they offer great stadium tours! And again, they are specially tailored to all age groups. Adults can choose from numerous options: the classic tour (€20), a tour with a guide, where you can also pick up exciting knowledge (€27.50), or even a VIP tour (€45). If you are travelling with children, you can book the children’s tour (€15)! On this tour, the kids can step into the shoes of a professional player, play a match on the stadium pitch and can also see the changing rooms and the players’ tunnel.

No matter which option you have in mind, this is guaranteed to be a unique experience for football fans (and their companions)!

Marvel at the alternative, artistic flair of NDSM

The insider tip we’d like to pass on to you is the one about the NDSM neighbourhood. The old industrial site is just a 10-minute ferry ride from Amsterdam Central Station in the Amsterdam Noord neighbourhood. Let the wind blow in your face and enjoy the view as you take the free ferry. Noord has a very special flair, as it was once home to two of the largest shipyards in the world! However, they have not been in operation since 1984 and have therefore provided Amsterdam artists with the perfect place to express themselves creatively.

Today, you can discover a variety of great street art (= graffiti!) on all surfaces that have not been made watertight 😉Amsterdam’s north is known for its liberality – artists can still express themselves freely here and display their art for everyone to see. Best of all, it’s completely free! Although a visit to the STRAAT street art museum is also worthwhile, it costs €20 admission. If you’d rather save a little money, you can take a stroll through the other shipyard and see everything the artists have created there.

By the way: STRAAT also offers graffiti workshops! Totally unique and guaranteed to be a great activity to create your own work of art together with the family. Both children and adults are welcome here.

And the little ones? Special tips for families with children

Museum with children? Of course!

Many people think that a visit to a museum with children might not be the right activity. But that’s only true if the museum doesn’t have a special children’s programme. Fortunately, many museums in Amsterdam do.

The NEMO Museum is the best example of this and has even specialised in younger visitors. The little ones can playfully discover the exciting world of science and try out everything on site at the same time – perfect!

If the oldies (😉) were thinking more about art, then we can only recommend the Van Gogh Museum . It offers special children’s tours that immerse you in the world of Van Gogh in a playful way and bring it closer to younger visitors. This way, you can marvel at the great works together and enjoy them all.

Get to know animal offspring in ARTIS

Of course, the zoo is always a great place for the whole family. Amsterdam’s ARTIS Zoo is conveniently located right next to the city centre and can be reached within 15 minutes by tram. Of course, it’s a particularly good place to stop by when newborns are born. Last year it was time for the elephants and our team couldn’t resist saying hello. A wonderful day!