Amsterdam Family Holidays & Breaks

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Amsterdam holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Amsterdam for family holidays

The capital of the Netherlands may be notorious for some of its sleazier elements, but it’s also great fun with kids, especially if you explore by bike, and it's a wonderfully cultural city if you look beyond the clichés.

Book an Amsterdam family holiday with Take the Family and get your bearings by roaming around Amsterdam's distinctive network of canals – either a hop-on hop-off touring cruiser, or even better fun for kids, a four-seater 'canal bike' (essentially a pedalo).

As a specialist family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect family city break in Amsterdam. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your dream trip.

For more about Amsterdam family holidays, scroll down.

Things to do with kids in Amsterdam

Best Amsterdam Museums with Kids

• Take older kids for an eye-opening, consciousness-raising history lesson at the Anne Frank House, where the young Jew hid out from the Nazis with her family, as described in her 'Diary of a Young Girl' (the original of which is among the items displayed). Temporary exhibitions are held here too, on issues such as discrimination and freedom of speech. Advance online booking is recommended.

• Swing by the Rijksmuseum, the national museum, a massive storehouse of art, crafts and history with plenty to see by Dutch Old Masters Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer, and also a fantastic collection of Asian art.

• Walk a short distance from the Rijksmuseum in its home on Museumplein to the Van Gogh Museum, where a multimedia family guide gives an insight into the work of the famously tormented genius.

• Take teens to the Rembrandt House Museum, a little more centrally located, where the iconic painter lived and worked before going bankrupt. It's now home to some of his etchings and to period interiors.

• Learn more about local history at the Amsterdam Dungeon, offering the same schlocky but educational fun as its counterparts in London and elsewhere – Rembrandt's Secret explores the painter's dark side, while Crime and Punishment traces the story of the 16th-century 'Council of Blood’, for instance.

• Discover Nemo, the city's wonderful ship-shaped science centre, designed for ages 3-13, with five storeys of hands-on activities and a gigantic rooftop where you can run amok, picnic and sunbathe against great city views.

Amsterdam Outdoor Activities

• Explore the Vondelpark, generally considered the city's best. In summer, it's' a haven for cyclists and Rollerbladers and there's lots of open-air theatre, while on Queen's Day (30th April) there's a family-friendly celebration here.

• Seek out local beaches in fine weather – Zandvoort 40 minutes from Amsterdam can get very hectic, but there are some very family-friendly stretches to the north of IJmuiden.

• Venture to Muiderslot, a medieval castle 12km south-east of Amsterdam, with a moat, 17th-century style formal gardens, a castle square and ramparts to walk.

Sightseeing boat

Eating in Amsterdam

Food in Amsterdam embraces a whole array of different cuisines, including Indonesian by virtue of the country's colonial history. Pancakes are a child-friendly staple, and most kids also go a bundle for the stroopwaffels (’syrup waffles’) and the chips, served with mayo.

When to go to Amsterdam

The best time to go to Amsterdam is between May and September, when there's a huge range of outdoor festivals and other alfresco events, such as movie screenings. Amsterdam is also blessed with a number of very pleasant beaches within easy reach.

Amsterdam is also great for a Christmas break with kids, with huge ice rinks, Christmas markets and festive cruises to see the seasonal illuminations.

How to get to Amsterdam

There are direct flights from the UK to Amsterdam, from London and regional airports. The flight time from London to Amsterdam is just over an hour. We will include the most convenient option for you as part of the bespoke Amsterdam holiday we put together based on your needs, as well as car hire if desired.

There are also ferries from the UK to the Netherlands, from Hull to Rotterdam, from Harwick to Hook of Holland, and from Newcastle to Amsterdam (IJmuiden), meaning you can take your own car.

Or Eurostar runs passenger services from London to Amsterdam, taking about four hours.

Amsterdam

Renaissance Amsterdam