After COVID curtailed real travel for two years, we were finally ready for a great adventure in the Summer of 2022 when (Nina and Alex were 11). Since Renato’s parents live in Zurich, we based there. Aside from seeing friends and family, having a base was great for luggage storage and laundry purposes. After hanging with the in laws for a bit, we began the first leg of our trip in Holland. Here’s what we did for 5 days in Amsterdam with kids.
Day 1 of our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids
Cafe In De Waag
Thanks to plane delays, we got into Amsterdam later than expected. Hungry and plan-less, our concierge suggested Cafe In De Waag for a late lunch. Housed in a former city gate built in 1488, it is a gorgeous setting for a meal! We ordered an assortment of bar food appetizers from the extensive menu and they hit the spot.
During dinner, we decided to book a museum for our evening activity. Walking through several areas of this colorful city, we window shopped along the way.
MOCO
Finally we arrived at Amsterdam’s Modern Art Museum, MOCO. This manageably-sized space houses contemporary pieces addressing current issues and controversies by greats such as Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Banksy. The basement is a fully interactive space with several fun rooms to explore. The garden is also very cool…its a great museum!
Day 2: Zaanse Schans, Holland
Not having a plan (which seems to be the theme of this European vacation), we worried that the weather was rumored to hit 100 degrees in the city. I saw an ad for day trips to the countryside that looked lovely. The hotel concierge who booked our sojourn neglected to tell us that he was sending us to a huge tourist trap of a village.
Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood of relocated, antique structures. They were assembled here and repurposed as a museum including two original 16th century windmills. It kind of reminded me of Williamsburg, Virginia…the same concept. Each building houses some sort of shop. Some also had museums or demonstrations, but every single one featured spending opportunities.
I certainly recommend patience and a good attitude if you decide to attempt this excursion with your family. We found it super busy and exceedingly hot even in the air conditioned buildings. Luckily, our party kept it together and had a nice morning. Here’s what we saw:
the wooden clog museum
We enjoyed the demonstration here and tried on several pairs, but thankfully escaped without any in our backpacks lol.
old fashioned stores
The bakery and candy shop were especially sweet 😋
the old windmill
by FAR the highlight of our excursion!
Verkade Chocolate and Biscuit Experience
On the day we visited, it was not a working factory and the interactive machines were either in disrepair or not very entertaining. I personally would skip this exhibit…it was far from the best part of our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids.
Cheese Shop
The massive crowds breathing all over the cheese samples that we couldn’t get near if we tried were a huge turn off. Thankfully, our driver took us to a working farm instead. (it seems that all of the cheese experiences in Amsterdam (both in the city proper as well as on the countryside), are presented by the Henri Willig company anyway.
Before going shopping, we watched an informational video to learn how the farm works. We bought two mini cheese wheels: garlic and basil. They will probably taste great on pasta!
Back in the city
We strolled the streets surrounding the dam square in search of some sustenance. We settled on La Cantina, an adorable Italian restaurant on a picturesque street across from a church. It was a great choice.
Walking until the blisters on my toes (three!!!) were unbearable, we stopped at the Lego store where we all created mini-me’s and then at Captain Candy (Of Which I have fond memories from Croatia lol) to gather a hoard of snacks.
Candy obviously wasn’t going to cut it, so we went to Top Churros, dubbed best restaurant in all of Amsterdam by Nina and Alex. I searched, but was not able to find a link for this hole-in-the-wall dessert spot ☹️
Then for a nightcap, the famous House of Fries. We got a bunch of toppings, but liked the ketchup most of all (Americans 🙄). I remember getting fries from the vending machines the first time I was in Amsterdam. Sadly, that is a relic of the past, but they did have one in the shop!
Day 3 of our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids
Luckily, despite sleeping in this morning, we didn’t miss breakfast at The Oriole Bistro in our hotel (which is so yummy by the way!). A little lost as usual, we ambled along the beautiful streets of the city and managed to run into two mini parades! What fun!
De 9 Straatjes
Finally we found “the nine streets” (the area between Hartenstraat and Huidenstraat, and Prinsengracht and Singel). We had actually walked here on our way to the modern art museum on our first night in town, only we didn’t know that we were there lol. True to tales, it was really a nice neighborhood to visit. Nina and I enjoyed wandering in and out of the vintage clothing shops and quirky boutiques. (Alex not so much.)
Looking for lunch, we stumbled upon S’melt. By night, they serve fondue…by day, the use the same cheese blends for Tostis (like grilled cheese sandwiches, only not as greasy). I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. For dessert, we crossed the street to Banketbakkerij Het Koekemannetje. The cookies there are yummy!
Jewish History
We had time for a (way too brief) rest before our walking tour of the Jewish quarter. Stupidly and regretfully, I did not research our trip in advance as I normally do. When I finally got around to it, I learned that tickets to The Anne Frank House sell out up to two months in advance…and there is absolutely NO way to purchase last minute 🤬. Renato and I have been there before, but we really wanted to take the kids, especially since I had recently read her diary with them. I was so bummed. Making the best of things, we booked a private tour of Jewish quarter through Viator at reasonable cost.
Tired and lost again along the way to meet our guide, there was a lot of whining (…not gonna lie…I was the chief whiner in this instance). But when we met Stan, we realized that this was going to be a really interesting afternoon. Stan is obviously an expert on the subject of the Jewish experience in Amsterdam. He imparts his knowledge through engaging stories with vivid details and excellent metaphors. I was especially impressed by how thoughtfully and respectfully he spoke to Nina and Alex. He did not dumb down the information, nor did he give unnecessarily gory details. He was perfect and I highly recommend a tour with him!
We walked along this canal and learned that the houses were largely occupied by Jews in the 1940s. The plaques on our side of the canal listed the names and ages of residents who used to live on the opposite side of the street and who died during the holocaust.
We then went to the striking Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names, a tribute to the 60,000 Dutch jews who died in the holocaust. The brick walls are arranged with mirrored roofs that are positioned, when seen from above to read the Hebrew word for remember. We also stopped at the homonument, honoring persecuted people of the LGBTQ+ community.
We saw the Anne Frank house from the outside only. Again, DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE WE DID…TICKETS ARE CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE and they are COMPLETELY sold out more than a month in advance. Stan kinda made up for this by showing us photographs and relaying personal theories from locals about who betrayed the Frank family and why. It was fascinating. Our tour ended at this statue, a tribute to Anne, all grown up and successful at making her dream to become a famous author come true.
Hungry and exhausted, we stopped at a very touristy restaurant in the Dam Square for dinner. We agreed that the food quality at Majestic was equivalent to that of the Cheesecake Factory. For dessert, Renato went back to House of Fries and the rest of us enjoyed baked goodies from Rene’s. We headed back to the hotel to finally put our feet up and relax. Hopefully we walked off our food indulgences of the day…if you asked my feet, they definitely think we did!
Amsterdam day 4
NDSM part 1
Today’s destination is the up and coming neighborhood in the north of the city known as “the Williamsburg of Amsterdam”. To get there, go to the main train station; behind it, you will find ports for a variety of ferry boats. Not realizing that there are TWO DIFFERENT BOATS going north, we took the one that brought us to the street art museum. Sadly, it was closed on the day that we went. No worries…we enjoyed the street art on the street instead lol.
Raw, gritty and still developing, this area is full of promise. It was fun walking around and finding restaurants hidden in shipping containers and all sorts of places to live. Also, I heard that they host a huge flea market called IJ-Hallen every Sunday. Note to self: planning is key to seeing the things you want to see.
We wanted to check out the A’dam building, but it was really far from where we were. It was confusing, and there was no one around to ask for help. There seemed to be no busses, taxis or Ubers, so we ferried back to the mainland and started from scratch to get to the other side.
NDSM part 2
Finally at our destination, we enjoyed the 360 degree lookout observation decks and the restaurant at the A’dam Building. Nina was the only one brave enough to try Over the Edge: Europe’s highest swing. I think it was the highlight of Nina’s 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids.
Around the corner and down the stairs below ground, you can find Amsterdam’s Underground VR Adventure. I have to admit that I really enjoyed my first time killing zombies 😂.
Back on the mainland, we went to Tony Chocolonely for a pick me up. Tony’s is the only chocolate that is made in Amsterdam. Personally, I enjoyed the dark chocolate best, which is unusual for me.
After an hour to recharge cellular and personal batteries, we set out to find a meal. Renato thought maybe there would be some nice places by the 9 streets, but it was pretty much a ghost town at 7pm on a Monday. Finally we found the Pulitzer Hotel. Gratefully we accepted a table in their casual dining area with a one hour time limit. Our food was ok but what we really enjoyed was our exploring the maze of this strange and crazy and beautiful hotel.
DAY 5 of our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids
NEMO
Alex insisted that we go to the science museum in Amsterdam. None of the rest of us really wanted to go, but we did anyway…and it was AWESOME! Everything there is immersive and interactive! There were psychology quizzes about emotions, bubbles and mirrors, architecture and physics…its fun for ALL ages and I HIGHLY recommend it! The best part was a chain reaction exhibit that made a rocket take off and fly around the museum.
We saw lots of school groups this morning. I wish my kids could do an English speaking day camp there for a week…THAT’S how cool this museum is. Definitely go!It was Alex’s favorite excursion during our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids. Sadly, we could only spend two hours because we also had tickets for the Van Gogh museum.
Spying a cafe down the block, we hoped for the best and headed toward it. The menu at Small Talk Eating House reminded us of a diner in the states…everything from breakfast to bourgonion. We ordered conservatively and were pleasantly surprised.
Van Gogh Museum
Last time we were in Amsterdam, this museum was under construction, so I was eager to visit this time. It is a good thing that we pre-booked our tickets because the museum was sold out for the day. It was cool to see some original sunflowers, almond blossoms, self portraits and landscapes in person!
Several bloggers informed me that Van Stapele Koekmakerij, has the best cookies in town, so I just HAD to try them. There was a long line, but it moved quickly. At the front, we found out that the reason why it was so fast is because this bakery only offers one type of cookie. It was fun to watch the staff roll the chocolatey dough and push a white chocolate truffle in the middle. So yummy!
Where we stayed in Amsterdam with kids
Our hotel, Sofitel Legend The Grand , is very fancy but the staff is lovely and remarkably unpretentious. There is quite an odd color scheme in the darkened rooms and the extensive lobby as well. They have a beautiful outside courtyard where you can get a snack any time of day and the breakfast buffet is huge and delicious. Also, they gave us sweets and gifts for the kids and they allowed a SUPER late check out on our last day. I highly recommend this hotel!
A word about weed
If you are the type to get annoyed when you see it or smell it, do not go to Amsterdam. If you are the type looking to use, be aware that there are no edibles with THC here…they are FAKE. True, they still make “space cakes” but the people who work in the coffee shops advise that these treats are not reliable…you never know how much THC you are getting. If you want to get high in Amsterdam, purchase flower only.
Bottom Line
Our 5 Days in Amsterdam with kids was so much fun! I highly recommend a holiday in this city. It was my third vacation here and every time has been amazing. Stay tuned for more travels during the summer of 2022 including our visit to Prague! Thanks for reading! ❤️