Today is Koningendag in the Netherlands.
The last one, at least for a while, as the Queen of the Netherlands will abdicate the throne to her son. Starting next year, the Netherlands will celebrate King’s Day. Queen’s Day is one of the Netherlands largest parties, if not the world’s largest party, with family friendly events included in the schedule.
In honor of Queen’s Day, here are four family friendly activities to do in Amsterdam all year round guaranteed to keep everyone happy.
Family Friendly Amsterdam
NEMO Science Center
For kids of all ages, anyone interested in pushing buttons , playing with balls, and learning how all things work. It’s conveniently located near Centraal Station and the Amsterdam Public Library.
I wrote more about Science Center NEMO here.
Hot Tip: Order tickets online to avoid the lines. During weekdays, the Science Center can get quite busy with school groups.
Another bonus: Head up to the top and enjoy beautiful views of Amsterdam. During the summer (and in good weather), this is a great place to eat lunch. Bring an extra set of clothes because there are some water features that kids can’t help but jump into.
Picnic in Museumplein area
On one end, a grocery store (Albert Heijn) selling ready-to-go meals. On the other end, a large Iamsterdam sign, the Van Gogh Museum, and the very recently reopened Rijksmuseum. In between, a large grassy area with a playground on the edge. Perfect place for picnic and play.
Vondelpark
Amsterdam is a busy city, with canals, trams, bikes, cars, people… whew. Vondelpark is a great escape to let the kids run around and explore without any immediate danger. Rumor has it that there are also playgrounds here, but my son had too much fun running around in the open grassy areas to care about the playgrounds.
Heineken Experience
The kids won’t get to sample the beer, but the Heineken Experience is interactive enough to keep it fun for them.
This post is part of Travel Tip Tuesday. Click on the link to get more great travel tips.
I am storing these away!
Our friends from the Netherlands are sad they are missing the last of Queen’s Day as they live here in Ohio – sounds like lots of fun! Thanks for the family-friendly info as both my husband and I have been to Amsterdam (separately) but not together with the little one!
We missed out on Amsterdam. It looked like a great time. I think we are going to try to go next year for the first kings day. We did go to NL, and my son wore orange. We went to an open air museum, very low key, but the downtown party was crowded for such a small town. Makes me interested to see Amsterdam.
Fabulous list! I have great memories of playing with the kids in Museumplein and enjoying some unbelievably good waffles. Thanks for linking up today!
Fabulous list you have here. My husband would head straight to the Heineken Experience and forget about the rest of us. 😉
Happy Queen’s Day!
Lots of great ideas for whenever we make it to Amsterdam! THat park looks fabulous and I love the outdoor art! Thanks for linking up!
Thanks Keryn. I love the parks in Amsterdam and can’t wait to go back and see some more.