Traveling to Amsterdam with kids? Here's an insider guide for what to do and where to go, tested by us and proven to be kid-friendly and cool.
MIFFY SHOP
If you’re visiting Amsterdam and have little kids, you should definitely step into the Miffy store on the Scheldestraat. Miffy (‘Nijntje’ in Dutch) is the sweet little bunny designed by Dick Bruna in 1955 who quickly became a world famous character.
The wonderful collection of Miffy books, which discuss a large number of topics (amongst which art, school, childbirth, and death), have been translated to more than 50 languages. There’s a good selection available at the Miffy shop as well as other Miffy merchandise, like clothes, toys, cards and accessories — all great for presents.
Worth a visit!
(more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Strand Zuid | @7, lovely for lunch | Amstelpark |
Burgermeester
Even though they don’t serve French Fries at Burgermeester (Dutch for mayor), they do serve the most delicious burgers! Think burgers with Blonde d’Aquitaine beef and truffle, lamb with red onion compote, wild duck with Chinese cabbage, salmon with grilled asparagus and lemon mayonnaise… Or the vegetarian burger with falafel and grilled vegetables — all of them super tasty, and accompanied by potatoes, corn on the cob or salad, fresh fruit juices or milkshakes.
Even though the food is upscale, the setting is definitely super relaxed, like a fast food joint ought to be. Meaning food is served quickly, and kids crawling over benches won’t be a bother!
Best of all? All the deli burgers come in mini varieties — perfect for little tummies (or big tummies that like to try them all)!
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| La Savonnerie | Artis, an old and beautiful Zoo | Raining? Go tropical! |
Re-live the 17th century in Rembrandt’s House
Last weekend we did something unexpectedly fabulous: we took the children to Rembrandt’s House. Rembrandt, as you might know, was a very famous Dutch painter who lived from 1607 till 1669. From 1625 onwards he lived in Amsterdam. For a big part of his live he was very rich, already well known in his time, and he lived in a beautiful house that is amazingly well conserved and restored and can be visited today.
I didn’t really know what to expect with two little children, but they were SO impressed. Our daughter (4 yrs) listened to her own audio tour, aimed especially at kids, and I can say that at the end of our visit she could give me specific information that I didn’t pick up myself.
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.
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| The Hortus | La Savonnerie | Jewish Historical Museum |
De Pijp and the Albert Cuypmarket
If you’re in Amsterdam for a bit longer ‘de Pijp’ is a neighbourhood that shouldn’t be missed. It’s really up and coming, and the mix between shabby and chic is something that I love! I’m not going to describe every single shop I like in de Pijp, but I’m sure you’ll find some treasures browsing the little streets of this artistic and multi-culural neighbourhood! What you shouldn’t miss is one of Amsterdam’s most famous markets, the Albert Cuypmarket. Over one hundred years old, this market is open six days a week (closed on Sundays) and offers everything from fresh fish, vegetables and cheeses to clothes, wigs and incense. But I love this market most for it’s cute fabrics and haberdashery! It’s best to go on weekdays, as on Saturday it can be very busy. And don’t forget to try one of those freshly baked syrup waffles, they’re to die for! (But be careful not to give them to your kids too quickly; they’re piping hot!!)
xxx Esther (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Bazar | De Taart van m’n Tante | Le Pain Quotidien |
Bazar
In one of Amsterdam’s hottest neighbourhoods, de Pijp, you can find Bazar, a restaurant serving Arabic dishes in a middle Eastern atmosphere. I really like Bazar, mostly for it’s relaxed atmosphere. No dressing up, no big prices, nothing fancy but on the other hand super relaxed and kid-friendly. Mini picnic tables are put next to the grown-up’s table so the little ones can eat in style. Highchairs are available, colouring plates and crayons free to use and a little corner with television is present. A kid’s menu is available and the ice-cream is a favourite! Great to meet up with friends with kids, the staff really doesn’t mind the little ones running around. They even like to play ball!
xxx Esther (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| De Taart van m’n Tante | Le Pain Quotidien | De Pijp and the Albert Cuypmarket |
Utrechtsestraat
If you happen to be in Amsterdam and have a few hours to spare for some coffee and shopping, Utrechtsestraat is a good place to go.
The Koffiesalon, a lovely coffee-shop (in the true meaning of the word), has good seating, great espresso, yummy cakes and sandwiches and you can help yourself to as much water as you like. I brought my daughter here for some mummy and daughter time before and we both greatly enjoyed it. It’s also a good place to meet friends or even have an informal meeting.
Not far up the road, at number 74, you’ll find one of my favourite shops in Amsterdam, Jan. The shop owner, Janna, who obviously has great taste, has gathered a fantastic selection of products. Lamps, cushions, dinnerware and cutlery are amongst the stock, but the shop also features fashion accessories such as bags, belts, jewelery and watches, and some lovely toys and kiddie books. If you need a present or want to treat your own family (= yourself), don’t miss it.
Next door you’ll find Bellerose (they have good kids’ clothes). Funky ladies fashion can be found at Jan Lensen, beautiful French and Italian ceramics at Kom, great interior pieces at Mobilia, and there are many, many more great shops and restaurants. Maybe you’ll need more than a few hours!
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Not a fish! | Raining? Go tropical! | Pancakes! |
HEMA
HEMA is one of those shops (or concepts really), that is almost impossible to describe. If you’ve ever set foot in a HEMA, you understand. In fact, you get the concept immediately, and you’re a fan instantly – no denial possible! And you just understand why we, Dutchmen, are all raving about it, and why this chain of shops is what we miss most when we move abroad…
So, what is HEMA?
HEMA is a Dutch chain of shops that only sells HEMA-brand products. No luxury products, but products that are meant for daily use and that are functional yet fun. The assortment is wide and prices are low (we like that in the Netherlands), designs are trendy and fresh, simple and colourful. The quality is good, and overall the products are seriously so much fun that you can’t help bringing home yet another cool tea-towel, notebook or cute cookie-cutter set for the kids! (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Artis, an old and beautiful Zoo | Rijksmuseum | Utrechtsestraat |
Marqt
I’m sure I’m telling the food-concious Amsterdam inhabitant nothing new when I say the word ‘Marqt‘. Because Marqt came and conquered, and we didn’t look back!
The concept behind Marqt (not a supermarket but a ‘fresh market’) is fresh food, mostly organic, coming from local farms in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam and of very high quality. Everything is presented in a sublime and spacious interior (think wood, brick and stainless steel).
For people living in NY or London, where fancy food experiences (we don’t call them supermarkets any more) such as Whole Foods are around your corner, this concept might be nothing new. But to us here in provincial Amsterdam, organic shopping used to be limited to a couple of over-prized, sexless bio-shops where the shop assistants were as slow and un-enthusiastic as the food they were selling. But with Marqt in town, Amsterdam is back on the organic map!
P.S. When you go shopping at Marqt (BTW the bread is divine), you can leave your cash at home, because they only accept cards.
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| The Hollandsche Manege | Fuoco Vivo, the best pizza in Amsterdam |
La Savonnerie
I love soap. And, much to my husband’s chagrin, I love soap shops! A beautiful soap shop here in Amsterdam is La Savonnerie, where soap is being made by hand, the traditional way — all with natural ingredients and all hand-stamped!
Many, many, many beautiful bars of soap can be found here, in the most gorgeous shapes, colours and scents. And, if you are you looking for a cute give-away for a birthday or other festive occasion — La Savonnerie can stamp any soap with your own special text!
A visit to this lovely shop is totally worth it (and it is very close to one of my favourite shopping areas in Amsterdam, the Nine Streets). Next to the soaps they also carry a nice selection of lovely bathroom articles and… they have a small collection of the cutest toys imaginable!
xxx Esther (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| HEMA | Raining? Go tropical! | Burgermeester |
Keet in Huis
KNSM island used to be quite a rough and industrial part of the Amsterdam harbor before it was transformed into a very cool residential island, and nowadays, this is where you can find one of the finest kid’s lifestyle shops of Amsterdam: Keet in Huis.
Keet in Huis (‘Mess in the House’), sells everything from furniture, bed linen, interior accessories, baby buggies, toys and books, which, you might think, by itself is not so extra-ordinary at all, but if you consider the amazing taste levels of the owners, you would be sold like every other mother who has ever set foot in this shop. Wonderful!
I can spend hours in ‘Keet in Huis’, and have an especially hard time staying away of the downstairs bedding area. My kids don’t mind, because there is a lovely little play area where they can meet little friends whose mums are in a similar situation (stuck with the choice: which duvet cover to pick?).
Courtney, who has been a few times (it’s always on her list of things to do in Amsterdam), finds the bedding to be extremely Dutch. This means, according to her, that there are loads of very bright colours, and tons of gingham. This is probably true, as there are loads of bright colours in our kids’ bedroom – and loads of gingham! (more…)
De Bakkerswinkel
These days we just love meeting friends for breakfast or brunch on a weekend morning. Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day to start with, but besides that, early in the day my kids are still well rested and thus more enjoyable (as opposed to overall crankiness at dinner time)! Also, like every other parent with little children, we’re awake early anyways, so we might as well start our social schedule before noon! (Of course the friends we are meeting have kids too – the friends without kids would be crazy to leave their beds before noon on a weekend morning! In fact, it should be forbidden – what a waste!)
My favourite breakfast place is ‘De Bakkerswinkel’ (The Bakers’ Shop). Not only can you buy yummy breads, cakes and scones at the counter of ‘The Bakkerswinkel’, they also serve a wonderful (Dutch style) breakfast, lunch or tea in the restaurant area, which always has a very cozy and homey feel to it! Think jars of honey and home-made jams on the table, big cups of cappuccinos (small cups of babyccinos for the little ones of course), baskets filled with delicious breads, scones, etc. The menu is big enough to have something yummy for everyone’s taste! (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Such fun at TunFun | Pancakes! | Re-live the 17th century in Rembrandt’s House |
Le Fournil
Le Fournil is the first original French bakery in the Netherlands, and it is immensely popular. Getting fresh bread on a weekend morning means standing in line here, but it is worth it! The most delicious baguettes, croissants, brioches, madeleines… Yum!
Sébastien, the owner, comes from a family of many generations of bakers located in the Vendée (France). Together with his Dutch wife he owned a bakery in France for over 10 years, but when they were visiting family in the Netherlands the idea of starting a French bakery in Amsterdam slowly took form. An excellent idea, if you ask me! One of our neighbourhood treasures…
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| Issa | Restaurant As — pure food | Delle 4 Stagioni |
The Hollandsche Manege
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. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Fuoco Vivo, the best pizza in Amsterdam | Marqt |
De Parade
Once a year, a magical event hits the city of Amsterdam… De Parade!
Although ‘De Parade’ does translate into ‘The Parade’, it is nothing like a parade – it is in fact a theater festival, disguised in an old-fashioned looking fair ground!
‘De Parade’ offers a mix of art, theater, film, magic, comedy and music, together with a good supply of food and drinks. The atmosphere is arty, bohemian, easygoing and trendy – every single hip person in Amsterdam seemed to be at the opening night last Friday! It’s a great place for people-watching and having drinks by itself, but the shows are really worth paying a visit. The theater makers now have an outlet for ideas that are hard to find an audience for the rest of the year, so you can see some really special performances here!
One ‘idea’ I saw and thought to be supercool, was a silent disco. About fifty people in an open air disco, all wearing headphones and dancing the stars of the sky, and occasionally all singing along with the lyrics. Such fun! I will definitely go next time! (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Restaurant As — pure food |
Strand Zuid
Last week we finally had a nice and warm, summery day in the Netherlands, so a girlfriend and I took our children to one of the hip & cool city beaches here in Amsterdam: Strand Zuid (South Beach).
Behind the (big & ugly) congress centre, ‘Amsterdam Rai’, and on the border of the Beatrix Park pond, a lovely treasure is hidden: a beach in the middle of Amsterdam!
There are 2,000 square meters of sand, chill-out areas, bars & terraces with good food, sun-loungers, a beach volleyball field and showers. It’s great to bring your children here on a warm summer day; they can enjoy themselves in the sand and play with all the other kids, while you can relax a bit with a rosé and pretend to be in the Mediterranean…
It’s also not a bad place to come without children – for a stylish dinner on a nice summer evening… It’s open until midnight on weekends.
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Amstelpark | Kid’s shoes from Meys & Co | MIFFY SHOP |
