As with all of our itineraries, we recommend taking it at a pace that works for your family. If your kids are really little, maybe plan on sticking to the rule of three: One thing to see, one thing to do, and one exciting meal per day. We give a lot of information here but the last thing we want is to make a trip feel stressful or insurmountable.

Amsterdam might be on the top of our list of “Great First Cities To Take Your Children”. It’s so easy. The canals are inherently theatrical. English is spoken everywhere and the museums are cool enough that even small children will actually stop and stare. The Dutch, as a whole, have zero interest in making you feel bad for bringing your kids somewhere where kids could be traditionally frowned upon, we’re talking wine bars, nice restaurants, etc. This is a city that works — really works — for families who still want the trip to feel like a vacation.

A small caveat: Amsterdam as we’re sure you know, has a Red Light District. Our itinerary will not take you anywhere near it. Our family stayed in Amsterdam for over two weeks and never once set foot in it. It is a destination people choose to go to - not part of the city otherwise - and it’s important to distinguish that the city itself is a completely different place. Amsterdam offers two types of tourism. We have found that the groups of people who have come for the Red Light District are not at all a reflection of the rest of Amsterdam and if you stay in the Centraal/Red Light area you might think Amsterdam is a gross, dirty, belligerent place, when it is, in fact, an amazing and beautiful city well worth visiting.

FRIDAY | ARRIVE, EXHALE, EAT SOMETHING

Check into your hotel and lose the bags. If you followed our recommendations, there is a nice lobby or rooftop bar inside your hotel — go grab your drink of choice while the kids settle in and play "house" in their new hotel room. Let them be loud and unstructured for at least an hour. It'll save you later.

Next, walk to De Pijp for dinner. The neighborhood is dense with good, unfussy restaurants that welcome kids without making a production of it.

Loetje De Pijp(~€15–25/person) If you want to try classic Dutch food, you’ve got options. Loetje is a classic Dutch brasserie with a simple menu of steak, fries, and good salads that has been feeding this neighborhood for decades. If you want something smaller and family run, that feels more like a hidden gem, go to Café-Restaurant 't Heemelrijck (~€15–25/person) Which serves up Dutch comfort food in a cozy, slightly more old fashioned atmosphere.

If the kids are lobbying for pasta, you’ve also got options: Casa Nostra(~€12–20/person) on Ceintuurbaan is a tiny, warmly lit Italian that locals treat like a secret. The pizza is the real deal and the pasta is made in house. It is a small space but they provide a warm welcome. Book ahead if you're arriving on a Friday night. Spaghetteria (~€15–20/person) is likely where you’ll find a table first, a buzzy, easy, homemade pasta spot filled with locals. The tiny menu changes frequently and it’s fast and unfussy.

Additional Option: Franggo (~€10–20/person) This Portuguese grilled chicken spot is simple and great. Get a full chicken dinner and some extra sides. Protein in their tiny bodies? Check. Fries to guarantee calories consumed? Yep. Fun drinks imported from Portugal or Africa for mom and dad? You bet. (And don’t forget the Piri Piri sauce for the adults!) We love this for a first night meal, if you’re exhausted and need a simple, delicious and authentic dinner.

SATURDAY | DE PIJP, MUSEUMPLEIN, AND NOORD

Grab a coffee and get the kids something to nibble on from your hotel lobby, then start the morning at Albert Cuyp Market (free), Amsterdam's biggest street market and one of the great sensory experiences in Europe. It runs the length of a long city block and sells everything from fresh herring to vintage linens, but you're here for one thing: the stroopwaffles, made fresh and handed to you warm, the caramel center all melted and perfect. Get there by 10am before the crowds thicken.

From the market, walk fifteen minutes west to Museumplein. Skip the Rijksmuseum line (save it for a trip without kids) and go straight to Moco Museum(€18–22/adult, free for kids under 13) instead. Banksy throughout, immersive digital rooms downstairs, and a pace that suits children who don't stand still. It's one of the more fun museums in the city for any age, and you can be in and out in ninety minutes without anyone melting down. Book online in advance — early morning slots are cheaper.

Cross the square to Vondelpark (free) and let the kids run. Amsterdam's great park has proper playgrounds, ducks to chase, and enough open space to reset everyone's nervous system after a museum. Make your way to De Vondeltuin and grab an Aperol Spritz on the terrace with some fries while your kids run around within your line of sight at the amazing playground. You've earned it.

If the afternoon is sunny —hop on the #2 tram to Amsterdam Centraal, once there, head to Amsterdam Noord via the free ferry from behind Centraal Station. The crossing takes four minutes and who doesn't love a little boat ride? On the other side, Pllek(~€10–20/person) sits on a wharf with a man-made beach, kids beach toys, long picnic tables, and a menu that leans vegetarian and fresh. Order the kids something from the pastry case or the kids menu, get yourself a drink and the beef pastrami or the oyster mushroom shawarma, and enjoy watching both the people and the water.

If the weather isn't great: Walk 20 minutes from Vondelpark to grab lunch at Foodhallen(~€10–20/person, not including drinks) — an indoor food court with over 20 stalls including pizza, ramen, sushi, and a giant gin and tonic bar. Everyone can get exactly what they are craving which is perfect since full-bellied children are considerably more pleasant than hangry ones.

If the weather is really bad: Skip Vondelpark and head to the Museum of Illusions(~€60/family of 4 pass). It's entertaining for both adults and children — although adults might get a little nauseous at some of the visual trips — the kids will love running around and being the star of every exhibit.

Once you're back and things are winding down, head to Glou Glou or Dilettante(~€8–12/glass) in De Pijp for a glass of natural wine. If your kids are young and coming with you, Glou Glou is directly across the street from excellent wood-fired pizza at De Pizzakamer(~€10–15/person), which is directly across the street from Massimo Gelato(~€3–5/scoop)— a real trifecta. Promise them a gelato after pizza if they sit quietly through a glass of wine at Glou Glou first. Both Glou Glou and Dilettante wine bars are small, candlelit, and filled with locals.

If you want to take home something small and Dutch that you'll actually use, head over to Dille & Kamille after dinner, here you'll find a large selection of small home goods that are charming, well-designed, and will fit in your carry-on.

SUNDAY | JORDAAN

Sunday in Amsterdam belongs to the Jordaan, and it should start at Noordermarkt (free). The Sunday organic market wraps around a beautiful 17th-century church and draws a very good-looking crowd of locals buying cheese, bread, and flowers. Just around the corner is Winkle 43 (apple pie ~€6), which serves what is almost certainly the best apple pie in the Netherlands — a deep, cinnamon-heavy Dutch appeltaart with a cloud of whipped cream on top. The line forms early. One or two slices will comfortably feed a family of 4. After you finish the pie, look across the street to the little playground by the church. Give your kids 15 minutes to play while you finish your coffee.

From Noordermarkt, wander south into The 9 Streets — nine short canal-side streets connecting the Jordaan to the canal belt, lined with independent boutiques, design shops, and the occasional very good café. Arket is here for a coffee break (the food in the cafe is excellent) and to browse stylish, understated clothes. After you’ve finished shopping, head over to the playground called Johnny Jordaanplein with the statues of musicians — an easy spot to let the kids loose for twenty minutes while you sit on the patio at the Heineken Beir across the street and keep an eye on them. Don't miss the clothing boutique Number Nine opposite the park — this place houses the epitome of functional clothing meets fashionable clothing, and the Dutch are the masters of the art.

Lunch today is easy; Soup en Zo (~€10-15/person) a no frills organic soup and salad bar that has delicious options (sure to please even picky kids). Seating is limited but there are benches outside that provide great people watching. Directly across the street is Stach Bakery(~€5/person) that offers espresso and a plethora of baked goods but you’re here for the selection of meringues the size of your child’s head.

Next, head to the canal for a Flagship Canal Cruise(~€20/person) — a one-hour wine and cheese tour that boards right across from the Anne Frank House, which makes the logistics almost insultingly convenient. Parents get a glass of sparkling wine and the whole family gets a plate of Gouda cubes with little Dutch flags stuck throughout. My kids took the flags — on toothpicks — home as souvenirs. The guides are genuinely knowledgeable, you get to see Amsterdam from the water, and the boats are small enough that it doesn't feel like a tourist factory.

Around the corner from the boat tour is Sonneveld Café(~€15–20/person, not including drinks) — a traditional Dutch café with our favorite canal view in Amsterdam. It's where we fell in love with the city. Grab a seat on the patio, order a drink and dutch stamppot to share, and enjoy some of the world's most fashionable-while-biking-people watching. They offer a great kid's menu too.

After dinner is when you “divide and conquer”. One parent takes the kids on the 12-minute walk to Frederik Hendrikplantsoen park while the other goes alone into the Anne Frank House (€16.50/adult, €7/ages 10–17, €1/ages 0–9). The house deserves your full attention (which you cannot give it while managing small children). If your children are older and you’d like to take them with you, please use your discretion considering their ability to process the enormous heaviness of seeing how she lived - (you go into her preserved bedroom - just as it was, her posters still on the wall, right before she was taken to Auschwitz). Book tickets months in advance — new dates release every Tuesday at 10am CET, exactly six weeks out. They sell out within hours. We recommend a little walk afterward to decompress.

If you have an extra hour of adult free time, Foam (€16/adult, free for kids under 12) — a photography museum on the Keizersgracht — is worth a look. Small, beautifully curated, and exhibitions change regularly. The kind of place that makes you feel cultured without making you work for it.

WHERE TO STAY

All hotels below can accommodate 4 people in a room — which is surprisingly hard to find across the whole European continent.

Volkshotel(~$90+/night) A converted newspaper headquarters in the up-and-coming Wibautstraat corridor, the family rooms sleep four with a bed hanging from the ceiling that kids will treat like the greatest gift of the trip. The seventh floor has Canvas, a restaurant and bar with sweeping city views, and one floor above, the rooftop houses hot tubs and a sauna that are the reason parents book return trips. The lobby café stays open late for a quieter nightcap and has a great pastry case for easy mornings. Ten-minute walk to De Pijp, metro stop at the door.

The Hoxton Amsterdam(~$250+/night) Right in the canal belt, The Hoxton's "Biggy Bunk Up" rooms have a queen bed for parents and a bunk for the kids. The ground floor bar and restaurant is one of the better hotel bars in the city — the kind of place that fills up with locals on a Friday night. Unbeatable location for The 9 Streets and Jordaan days. We couldn’t find summer rates for the family rooms for less than $600/night which is above our budget, but we felt like you should know your options.

Hotel Roemer(~$180+/night) A quieter, more residential option in a beautiful 19th-century townhouse steps from Vondelpark. Family rooms have a double and bunks, the neighborhood feels like actual Amsterdam rather than tourist Amsterdam, and there's a lovely bar for a nightcap. Good value for what it is.

Generator Amsterdam (~€180–350/night for a private deluxe 4-bed dorm) Set inside a former university building overlooking Oosterpark, it blends hostel energy with surprisingly stylish private rooms. There is a playground with an incredible wooden elevated path to a slide right outside the front door. Their Deluxe 4 Bed Dorm works especially well for families: one bunk plus two twin beds, an ensuite bathroom, individual reading lights and USB chargers, and enough space that it doesn’t feel like you’re all sleeping on top of each other. The location puts you in Amsterdam East — quieter and more local-feeling than the canal belt, but still an easy tram or bike ride to De Pijp, the museums, and the Jordaan. Downstairs there’s a lively café, lounge spaces, bike rentals, and a buzzing atmosphere that feels social without being chaotic.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

Anne Frank House tickets release every Tuesday at 10am CET, exactly six weeks out. Book the moment you have flights. Hours vary significantly by season — summer until 10pm, winter closing as early as 6pm. Check before you go.

Winkle 43 opens at 7am Saturdays and 9am Sundays. The line for the apple pie is real. Going early is the move.

The Noord ferry leaves from directly behind Centraal Station, is completely free, and runs every few minutes. Just walk on.

Albert Cuyp Market is closed Sundays, which is why it anchors your Saturday morning, not Sunday.

Moco Museum offers discounted tickets for early morning or late evening time slots — book online to save up to €5.

English is spoken essentially everywhere. But the Dutch are not terribly big on formalities - so skip the "how are you?" and (politely) get straight to the point.

Tipping:

• Restaurants: Rounding up the bill or leaving 5–10% is considered generous and perfectly appropriate. If the service was exceptional, 10% is a nice gesture.

• Casual cafés/bistros: Just rounding up to a convenient number is common (e.g., paying €22 on a €19.50 bill).

• How to tip: It's best to hand the tip directly to the server in cash or tell them the amount when paying by card (e.g., "make it €25"), rather than leaving cash on the table.

• Cleaning up after your children is always appreciated everywhere!

If you have more time, or your kids are going crazy: ENTER AMSTERDAM'S SECRET WEAPON: THE KINDERBOERDERIJ

Amsterdam has a network of free urban children's farms tucked into neighborhoods across the city — goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs, and the occasional pony, right in the middle of one of Europe's great capitals. They're called kinderboerderijen and they are another reason we feel good about traveling here with small kids. Entrance is free; but donations are accepted.

Kinderboerderij De Pijp(free, Tue–Sat 11am–4:45pm, closed Sunday) The one closest to Volkshotel and walkable from Albert Cuyp Market. Goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, and pony rides. Craft activities on weekends. The entrance is slightly hidden — walk past the roundabout and look for the path.

Boerderij Westerpark(free, Tue–Fri 10am–3pm) Set inside the lovely Westerpark, this one has cows, pigs, an owl, and a small café on site selling farm products. A good add-on to a morning in the park.

Petting Farm De Werf(free, open daily 11am–5pm) A little further out in Amsterdam Oost but worth it — open every day including Sunday, with baby changing facilities and a relaxed, local crowd. The most toddler-friendly of the three.

Amsterdam With Kids