…it sounds ridiculous doesn’t it ?!

Ive been loads of times for the record.

We are traveling round the Netherlands in our camper van spending most of that time on Texel, children are 7 and 6 years old, are they really going to get anything out of going to Amsterdam ? Still way to young to go to Anne Frank house, art museums we do at least once every six weeks here (London) most Dutch town have canals etc so what is it going to really add by going ? We have one day that it would be possible to spend the day there, we’d get the train.

Thoughts please

Go.

Somebody told me that Delft is like Amsterdam but smaller and without the hassle.

No, Amsterdam is a little over-rated IMO.
It has the great Rijksmuseum, but otherwise there are no real ‘stand out must sees’.
I’ve been there many times, so maybe I’m cynical.
I like Leiden far more (a small Amsterdam, without the tourists and sleaze), along with Haarlem. Both are lovely small Dutch towns with loads of canal side things to see, but no druggies/pimps/hookers/drunkards around.
Delft and gouda are both nice too.
If going further east, the Apenheul near to Arnhem is great for kids and adults, along with the open air museum(cant remember its proper name) just up the road.
Utrecht is good too, a real nice train museum there with loads for the kids to do.

As above, unless there is something in Amsterdam that you really need to do, then Leiden, Delft, Gouda or Utrecht would be better places to go.

I’ve just returned from cycle camping in the Netherlands with a five year old and a seven year old, and we did a couple of day trips to Amsterdam by train. I would thoroughly recommend the science museum “Nemo” for the kids. A short walk from Central station and it’s almost entirely made up up of entertaining hands-on exhibits.

Our other trip was to the Rijksmuseum, and I didn’t enjoy that much. Big queues to get in (book a ticket in advance to avoid this if you can) and absolutely stowed out. It just felt like being on a conveyor belt getting pushed past exhibits by the crowd, with little chance to just stand and have a proper look at things “Here’s the Night Watch…next!”.

Lots of other things to see and do in Amsterdam, of course, but it’s busy and you need to be prepared to do a bit of walking or hop on the tram or bus to get around.

What alanl said, basically. I like the Van Gogh museum, and also the photo museum (FOAM) and there are some nice bits to wander round (Jordaan etc.) but it is very touristy and a bit grungy in places. Delft and the other towns mentioned are nice for an afternoon.

However, NL would not be on my top 100 holiday destinations, so your tastes may differ from mine!! 🙂

Arnem is nice.

I also like nijemegan

One of my 6 year olds would love to see Anne Frank’s house!

The botanical gardens are good but I wouldn’t bother with Amsterdam again. Delft is gorgeous. Bourtange is good if you’re in Drenthe, as are the hunebeds up that way. Camp Westerbork is an interesting visit, too. There’s a nice chateau not far from Stadskanaal as well…

The Frank house is no place for a young kid IMO. Not because of the subject matter though: Unless you pick your time of year very carefully I reckon any school holiday would bring a MASSIVE queue (2-3 hrs in howling wind & sporadic rain this April), followed by the same conveyor belt scenarios as described above AND loads of schoolkids and some adults **** about in a pretty disrespectful way

Unless they’ve read the book and really really want to go I’d say definitely not and even if they have I think they’d be a bit disillusioned. It’s interesting, but not the place of quiet contemplation that I’d imagined, and my 12 & 14 year olds said the same thing

The kids liked Amsterdam but I think any similar town would have done it too (but with less walking)

One of my 6 year olds would love to see Anne Frank’s house!

Why? I’m sort of perplexed by its popularity as a tourist destination.

DrJ – Member
One of my 6 year olds would love to see Anne Frank’s house!
Why? I’m sort of perplexed by its popularity as a tourist destination.

Because she has a huge interest in war and history in general. She has a large encyclopedia about the two world wars that she regularly reads (as her bedtime book!) We often talk about Anne Frank, why she had to hide and why she was caught and killed by the Nazis.

She also made a World War I trench out of PlayDoh (complete with barbed wire, shooting steps and bomb holes) for her ‘5 Minutes of Fame’ show and tell project at school.

All the other girls talked about princesses, fairies and animals 🙂

Well it’s the capital city. Imagine a European going to UK for a few weeks and not looking at London.

Anne Frank’s Diary….

Amsterdam is ok , the sleazy bit is just around an area by the canals , its not that different from a lot of European cities, the parks are ok with jazz on a sunday afternoon.If I was in Holland with kids I’d check out effterling which is a massive theme park based on dutch folklore- magical for under tens

She also made a World War I trench out of PlayDoh

Kids 🙂 I drive past the Somme battleground and keep meaning to stop to look.

Anne Frank was hidden by foreigners and denounced by the Dutch, AIUI – not Holland’s finest hour. Bit like Srebrenice.

If you’re looking for a day to kill in the Amsterdam area I suggest either Volendam or Giethoorn. In Amsterdam itself my daughter loved Nemo and she also enjoyed Anne Frank (she was 7 or 8 when she went)

She also loved Efteling but preferred the winter season ‘cos you can skate.

I lived between Rotterdam and Delft for a few years and have to admit the novelty of endless visits to Amsterdam with friends and family visiting from the UK did wear off after a bit but I’m sure kids would love the museums, parks and canal tours.

I’d go for it if they haven’t been before but if you want to avoid the crowds then Haarlem is a good shout as an alternative, lower key trip.

As an off the wall suggestion I’d also recommend a trip to Rotterdam – the harbour tour is great for kids interested in ships and engineering. There is some really mad architecture (Cube Houses, Erasmus Bridge etc), always something going on around the waterfront areas and kids would love the adventure of getting a water taxi from the Binnenhaven to the Hotel New York for afternoon tea.

https://en.rotterdam.info/visitors/places-to-go/attractions/family/?sort=random&nextN=10&pageNum=1

Rotterdam – good call, SprocketJockey, and a trip to Kinderdijk to see a really good collection of windmills!!

I used to live in The Hague and was happy to point visitors towards the station where trains to Amsterdam leave at regular intervals.

Personally I’d rather go to Brugge.

Amsterdam is nice but not great enough.

Arnhem etc??

Ahem….Brugge is not in the Netherlands.

Anyway, my parents live near Amsterdam ( between Amsterdam and Utrecht ) and we visit a lot. My kids are not really a fan of Amsterdam, we usually leave them with “Omie” when we go into the centre.

However, they did like:

– Artis (Amsterdam zoo)
– scheepvaart museum ( maritime museum, near the central station, with huge ship replica)
– geitenboerderij in the amsterdamsebos

Outside Amsterdam:

Apenheul (monkey park)
Efteling ( we go every year, less busy on a Monday)

I’d say, don’t go to Utrecht as the city centre is a mess (and will be for the next few decades), major works going on.

Thank you for all the useful information some good advice.

😀

Personally I’d rather go to Brugge.

The kids’d love this…

Chip museum