Amsterdam for Families
See also:
Culture & nightlife in Amsterdam
Cheap & free Amsterdam
back to Amsterdam highlights
These six attractions are popular with children, though not all will suit every age group:
NEMO Science and Technology Centre
Part of the revitalised harbour, the NEMO Centre has been a favourite with kids of all ages since it opened in 1997. With its motto “a world wherein you are the greatest miracle”, this museum lives up to its claim.
Nearly all the exhibits are interactive, from refilling radio-controlled model oil tankers to conducting light and sound experiments and carrying out your own investigations in a laboratory. (NEMO, Prins Henrikkade, tel: 0900 919 1100; www.e-nemo.nl/; open Jul-Aug daily 10am-5pm; Sept-June Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; entrance charge).
Artis Zoo
A fascinating animal habitat in the heart of the city. As well as the usual array of zoo animals, from peacocks to polar bears, there's also an aquarium and planetarium on site.
Phase One of an ambitious expansion programme that started in 1998 is the African savannah: a microplain, which is home to zebras, wildebeests, ostriches and other native birds - the only reminders that you are still in Amsterdam are the adjacent 18th-century warehouses.
(Artis Zoo, 38-40 Plantage Kerklaan, tel: 523 3400; open daily 9am-5pm; entrance charge).
Tropenmuseum TM Junior
Kids get a look in when it comes to life in the tropics at their own section of the Tropical Museum.
One of Amsterdam's most interesting cultural experiences, the Tropical Museum is an authoritative showcase for the lifestyles - and some of the problems - found today in many of the world's developing countries. The TM Junior part of the museum is aimed at children aged 6-12, with lively hands-on features and activities. Frequent musical performances are held in the main museum, and even its café and restaurant serve up exotic cuisine from more than a dozen countries.
(Tropenmuseum, 2 Linnaeusstraat; tel: 568 8215; www.kit.nl/
open daily 10am-5pm; entrance charge over 6 yrs old).
Top
Electrische Museumtramlijn (Electric Museum Tram Line)
It's far from leaden-footed, this moving “museum” that rolls out to the Amsterdamse Bos onboard antique trams.
The service has collected and renovated old trams from around Europe. The trams run during the summer, on Sundays and public holidays, from the old Harlemmermeerstation, just north of the 1928 Olympisch Stadion (Olympic Stadium) at Stadionplein.
Madame Tussaud's
Come face to face with life-size waxen effigies of Dutch and international famous faces at the Amsterdam branch of the famous London waxworks.
Queues outside attest to the gallery's popularity with visitors, though many locals tend to look down on it. Famous local characters are reproduced here include van Gogh, Rembrandt, Queen Beatrix, Mata Hari and more, as well as worldwide celebrities from stage, screen, sport and public life.
(Madame Tussaud's, Dam Square; tel: 552 1010; open Jul-Aug daily 9.30am-8.30pm; Sept-June daily 10am-6.30pm; entrance charge).
Children's Farm
Get close to nature right in the city at this miniature waterfront farm on Bickers Island (Bickerseiland). One of three Western Islands, artificially constructed areas for housing former shipyards in the 17th century, and now being renovated, with warehouses converted into chic waterfront apartments.
Updated May 2005