One of the oldest zoos in Europe, Artis was opened in 1835 and has a very beautiful old setting with terrific gardens and monumental buildings. Most of the animal lodgings have thankfully been modernised since! There are some fantastic playgrounds, and there’s a good restaurant, with plenty of high chairs and facilities to heat up milk or baby food. Also, another good thing to know is that cute pushchairs can be rented for the day for a small deposit. This zoo is not too big but has truly a lot to offer, with plenty of interior fun for rainy days as well. Good for a lovely day out with the family!

If you’re in Amsterdam and want to combine some culture with history and a fun family activity, the Rembrandthuis comes recommended. There’s no restaurant, but walking down to the Staalstraat takes less than 5 minutes and you’ll find Pucinni, with great coffee, good sandwiches and amazing cakes. In the same street you’ll find cute kids gift shop Beestenwinkel, my favourite grown-up gift shop Klevering (that happens to stock some really lovely kids items as well), and a bit up the road there’s Droog Design, a showcase of the famous Dutch design group.

Rembrandt House Museum
Jodenbreestraat 6
1011 NK Amsterdam
tel: 020 5200400

*Map*

Open: daily 10.00 – 17.00

Closed on January 1st

The Hollandsche Manege translates to ‘The Dutch Riding School’, and the manner in which it is spelled (in Dutch) conveys that we are talking about an OLD riding school here. The building, based on the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and located on the Northern edge of the Vondelpark, dates back to 1882 and was meant to serve the recreational needs of the rich and/or aristocrat inhabitants of Amsterdam. Membership was expensive, and you can still tell by the heavy decoration and the feeling of grandeur!
Nowadays you don’t have to be rich or aristocratic to enjoy the Hollandsche Manege…
Classes are open to everybody, and you can always walk in to have a look at the horses (there is one horse, Queenie, who is extremely sweet toward children and is always happy to be caressed)! My kids love it, and I make sure to take them every now and then. There’s a lovely tearoom on the first floor overlooking the arena.

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De Hollandsche Manege
Vondelstraat 140
1054 GT Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 618 0942
*Map*
Opening hours:
Mon – fri 9 am-1 am
Sat 8 am – 8 pm
Sun 8 am – 5 pm

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The original name of the Tropical Institute was Colonial Museum and it was first opened in Haarlem in 1871 (the current building in Amsterdam was inaugurated in 1926). The initial aim of the museum was to exhibit products and crafts from the Dutch overseas territories. There are however not many Dutch colonies left and the building is huge, so nowadays the exhibitions display art, objects, photographs, music and film from non-western cultures in general, giving an insight into the daily lives of the people of the tropics and subtropics.

It’s really a fantastic museum to visit, and also great for children. We went last weekend (it was raining), and our 3-year-old LOVED it! There were so many interesting things for her to see; think life size mock-ups of Arabic shops, a real Bedouin tent, sculptures made of aluminum foil (Thailand), fabrics to feel, music to listen to, loads and loads of buttons to press activating different lights or sounds…
It’s all truly interesting and educational. I can imagine it would also be great to bring older children here to give them insight in what they have learned at school! Or, if you’re about to travel to exotic places, it would be good to go here beforehand and study the culture a bit to prepare yourself and your children for what to expect!

Besides the general kids’ activities the museum has to offer (puzzle-routes in Dutch and creative workshops on weekends), the museum has fantastic special kids’ programmes (best to check the site to see what is going on).
I really like the restaurant too; there is a lovely terrace overlooking the East-park, and the menu is international so you can literally have a taste of other cultures (the Suriname roti is really good)! High chairs are available.

xxx Esther

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Tropenmuseum
Linnaeusstraat 2
1092 CK Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 568 8200
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm (On 5, 24 and 31 December from 10 am – 3 pm)
Closed on 1 January / 30 April / 5 May / 25 December
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On the edge of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam there is a wonderful place to bring your kids: the Kinderkookcafé (Childrens’ Cooking Café). The fact that it is a café is good news for the parents – they can meet up and have a cup of coffee and a simple snack like a sandwich, soup or apple-pie. The good news for the kids is that while their parents are catching up and drinking coffees, they can ‘cook’! They have a choice of:

• Making pizza
• Decorate cookies / cup cakes
• Making sausage animals
• Making sandwich faces
• Making carrot or cucumber puzzles

There are also plenty of toys and books around, and a lovely outdoor area to sit and play. For all ages. Mini chairs, high chairs, kiddies toilets and baby changing facilities are available.

xxx Esther

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Kinderkookcafé
Vondelpark 6b (look for the ‘Kattenlaan’ at Overtoom 325)
1071 AA Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 625 3257
*Map*
Open daily from 10.00 to 17.00

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Monday:
Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM – what a wonderful way to start the week!
After, take your children to the Amstelpark, where there is a lovely playground and a little city farm. A ‘real train’ can take you around the park – a sure hit with your little ones.
Had enough of the park? Go to the Scheldestraat where you can find the great kids’ shoe store Meys&Co (open from 1PM onwards), with Koter&Co across the street where they sell a big selection of the cool Dutch kiddie brand Imps&Elfs (and more).
Before going back home, don’t forget to visit Italian delicatessen Feduzzi for a cappuccino and one of their mouth-watering Panini. And don’t forget the babyccino for your little angel! You can pick up something for dinner here too – I promise you, the food is great and prices are reasonable.
Tuesday:
TunFun is an indoor playground that your children will LOVE. There are different soft play areas for different age groups, and there are also benches and a lounge area for the grown ups. A good place to start the day with a cup of coffee (and a great place to go if it’s raining)!
Artis, the Zoo of Amsterdam, is not far from here. Because of the mix of historic buildings, huge amounts of green and great variety of animals, this is truly a magnificent place to spend half a day.
In the unfortunate but not unthinkable case of bad weather, Artis provides many indoor activities for your children and yourself to enjoy: the aquarium, the greenhouses, reptile house, Planetarium and the new butterfly-garden.
The playgrounds and restaurants are very good, but if you feel like having lunch in a different environment, you can go to restaurant Plancius across the street from Artis. It’s a good place to go with children (high-chairs are available).

Wednesday:
Make your way to the Central Station because right next to it is NEMO: the science centre. Great for kids! There only rule here is: forbidden NOT to touch!
From the sloping roof-piazza, the view over Amsterdam is magnificent. In summer, this roof-piazza transforms to a city beach (sand, bean bags, stunning harbour views and tapas-style snacks)!
If the weather is not good enough to enjoy lunch on the roof (it happens often in Amsterdam, this is why I keep mentioning it), you better go to the new Public Library next door. On the top floor is a self-service restaurant with a wonderful selection of fresh food, sandwiches and fruit juices (yes, cakes too), with again a great panorama over Amsterdam and plenty of high-chairs. After lunch, you can visit the VOC ship in front of NEMO to have a taste of life on a ship in the Golden Age (18th century).

Thursday:
Go shopping in the Nine Streets where boutique after boutique makes you wish you came with a truck instead of a pushchair (to load all the goodies in)!

After, take your little ones for lunch in restaurant Pancakes! where you’ll find high chairs, toys, kids’ menu and a friendly staff! Or, get ‘friet’ with mayonnaise at the ‘Vlaams Friteshuis’ in the Voetboogsteeg; arguably the best Belgian French Fries in Amsterdam.

Friday:
Grab your bakfiets (or rent one) and make your way to the Amsterdamse Bos. Go for a long stroll, let your children run around for a bit, and then visit the macrobiotic goat farm. There are chickens, pigs, cows, and, of course, goats. Kids can help feed the baby goats and are allowed to cuddle. The cheese factory can be visited and there is a cheese shop – so don’t worry too much about dinner; goat cheese will do just fine. The playground is made from all natural materials and there is a maze!
You can have lunch here, or at ‘Boerderij Meerzicht’, with chickens and peacocks roaming around the farmyard.
In summertime there are wading pools, and an adventure island (with footbridges and a little ferry) to be explored in the Amsterdamse Bos; building huts is allowed here!
After the journey back home, put your children to bed early as they will be exhausted, and enjoy a quiet evening with your man (or find a babysitter and hit the streets of Amsterdam)! Cheers to the weekend!

But a Science Centre!
NEMO is a fantastic building in the heart of Amsterdam designed by the world famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. It resembles a big ship heading for the ocean and it houses a great place to entertain your children. Their cute motto is: forbidden NOT to touch!
I read on the NEMO website that the primary target group is children aged between 6 and 16, but we brought our 2 1/2-year-old daughter together with her 64-year-old grandfather and both of them enjoyed themselves immensely! There are soap bubbles so big you can stand in them, life size kaleidoscopes, a DNA exhibit, and they show you how to provide a house from energy, etc. etc. Everything is set-up in a playful, interactive matter. We were there on a Saturday, so not the quietest of days you can imagine, but still there were no lines and we were able to do every experiment we were interested in.
From the sloping roof-piazza, the panorama over Amsterdam is magnificent. In summer, this roof-piazza transforms to a city beach with sand, beanbags, stunning harbour views and tapas-style snacks. No NEMO ticket is necessary to get here (either by means of the exterior stairs, or the lift inside the building), but before you go you should check the opening hours on the NEMO website because they depend on the weather.

Food wise – I would suggest to have lunch on the top floor of new public library next door. Here you find really good, fresh food, nice fruit juices and plenty of high chairs. (Unless you fancy a simple hot dog or soft bun, then NEMO will serve you just right).

xxx Esther

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Nemo
Oosterdok 2 (on the east side of the central trainstation; walking distance)
1011 VX Amsterdam
+ 31 (0) 20 531 3233
*Map*
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00 hrs. (Closed on Mondays)
Closed: April 30 / December 25 / January 1

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Who doesn’t love Miffy? My daughter surely adores her! Dick Bruna created this little rabbit in 1955 and by now her stories have been translated to more than 40 languages! Did you know Miffy has her own website?
Last weekend we decided to treat our children to a little trip to ‘Miffy’s House’ (a.k.a. the Dick Bruna House).
The house is located in Utrecht, a beautiful city about a half-an-hour drive or train ride from Amsterdam. It was brilliant! My 2 1/2-year-old had the time of her life exploring the museum. There’s a real (kid’s scale) house where children can sit at Miffy’s table, try her bed, test her clothes, etc. There are interactive computer games, videos to watch, books to read, big elements to play with, and more.
My 10-month-old loved crawling through the tunnel (with real windows and curtains) and checking out the displays of Dick Bruna’s characters. There is also a workshop where they can make Miffy masks, ears and dolls. I liked seeing Dick Bruna’s other graphic work (posters and book covers), by which I was very impressed! The shop has a fantastic selection of Miffy books and toys, and ships internationally!

xxx Esther

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Dick Bruna Huis Agnietenstraat 2
Utrecht
+31 (0)30 2362 392 (tue-sun 11.00-17.00)
*Map*
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Monday)
Closed on: 1 January / 30 April / 25 December

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