Amsterdam for Kids, Amsterdam, Netherlands (D)

The Amsterdam Marionette Theatre has been founded in 1985 and features the European tradition of the classical marionette theater.

It presents operas and music theater by various composers. The theater also performed in Avignon, Moscow, Milano, Köln, Dijon and many other European cities in opera houses, theatres, concert halls, churches and castles.

For the performances in Amsterdam, they use their own CD recordings in Dutch, however, they say because of the visual and musical character of the performances, the Dutch language is no great barrier. I agree but you can watch a snippet of one of their shows on their website to decide for yourself.

This outdoor playground situated in the wonderful Amstelpark offers fun for kids of all ages. Among other things there is a race track with coin operated race cars, midget golf, a train ride through the park on the Amsteltrain for adults and kids, a petting zoo and a snack bar.

NEMO opened in 1997 and is the Netherland's largest science center. It is a science museum with interactive exhibits that let you smell, hear, feel and see how the world works. On over 5,000 square meters/ 53,000 square feet it offers information on what makes bridges so strong, why you look so much like your parents, how to purify water, what happens when you kiss, how lightning and satellites work and much more. In addition to the exhibits, they offer workshops, theater performances and demonstrations.

The famous Madame Tussauds wax museum displays waxworks of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars as well as Dutch royals and radio/TV stars. Look for discounted tickets online to save money and standing in line.

Amsterdam Arena is the largest stadium in the Netherlands. It is used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events.

World of Ajax is the offers an interactive tour for children from 5 to 12 years where they are taken on a tour of the Amsterdam ArenA armed with an ArenA passport full of questions and tasks. During the tour they will play their own soccer game next to the pitch.

The Tramway Museum features restored trams in full working order as well as a 5 mile/7 km tramride in a historic tram. You can also take a look in their depot to see the ongoing restoration work on several historical trams. At the location is a tramshop that sells new and second-hand books,

picture postcards and all kinds of small gadgets and toys.

The Jewish Historical Museum Children's Museum is the home of the Hollanders, a Dutch Jewish family. Children learn about jewish traditions, kosher food, Shabbat, jewish music and lots more. In the Fiep Westendorp studio children can paint, dance and have fun.

Artis, short for Natura Artis Magistra, is a zoo in the centre of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands. In addition to the zoo, Artis has an aquarium, a planetarium, a geological museum, and a zoological museum. Open-top children’s carts are available for loan in several locations in the zoo.

The Tropenmuseum is the anthropological museum of Amsterdam and its Tropenmuseum Junior is their children's museum. It is targeted at 6- to 13-year-olds with exhibits that want to make children curious and open to different cultures. At the Kartini Wing, children as well as their parents can enjoy drawing, building and folding. For children aged 4 and over there are special children’s routes through the museum. Please check their website for further details.

The Anne Frank House is a museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank, who hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in concealed rooms at the rear of the very same building.

The back house's secluded position made it an ideal hiding place and the total amount of floor space in the inhabited rooms came to only about 46 sqm/500 sqf. Anne Frank and her family remained hidden here for two years and one month until they were anonymously betrayed, arrested, and deported to their deaths in concentration camps.

The museum is housed in a former naval storehouse, it is dedicated to maritime history and contains many artifacts associated with shipping and sailing. The collection contains, among other things, paintings, scale models, weapons and world maps.

The Amsterdamse Bos is a park three times the size of Central Park. Every year there are 6 million visitors that come to the park to relax or do sports. There is plenty of space for a relaxing picnic with family or friends, and the park is crossed by many kilometres of well-marked walking and cycling paths. Bicycle, canoe, kayak and pedal boat rental is available as well.

Amsterdam is the No. 1 cycling city in the world. Canal biking let's you explore the canals at your own leisure and it is great fun for the kids. Canal Bike rents out 100 stable 4 seater pedal-boats from 4 moorings located in the heart of Amsterdam’s city centre at Leidseplein, the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House and Keizersgracht/Leidsestraat.

The museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world: More than 200 paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), along with nearly every sketch, print, etching, and piece of correspondence the artist ever produced. The Van Gogh Museum offers activities for all ages including drawing competitions, workshops and treasure hunts.

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. During the summer it offers guided family tours that include props as well as stories, experiments and challenges along the way.

The idea of the Pancake Boat is sailing while indulging in all-you-can-eat pancakes. Expect a cozy boat, a lot of delicious pancakes that you can garnish to your own taste, and a lovely cruise. The boat also has a large playroom filled with colored balls. You can let your children play while having another pancake and enjoying the view.

This is basically a pizza dinner cruise, including a light snack, drinks and a dessert. It takes about 1.5 hours and is a great way to see some views of Amsterdam while having a family dinner in a place that is exciting for kids with food they like.

TunFun is a huge 4000 sqm/ 43,000 sqf indoor playground for children that was built in a former traffic underpass. It is suitable for kids from ages 0 to 12.

There are play areas for babies and infants with soft mats and soft slides as well as trampolines, slides, a jungle gym and other playground equipment for older kids.

Bleekemolens Race Planet Amsterdam is the largest kart & speed center in the Netherlands. There are two indoor racetracks with state of the art go-karts, a thrilling wall-of-death, a game zone with race games, pool tables, bowling alleys as well as bars and an extensive menu. For smaller kids there is a indoor playground.

Lasercity Amsterdam is an indoor laser gaming venue located in the Van Gendthallen on Oostenburgereiland which used to be the shipyard for the Dutch East India Company in 18th century. It later became the place where steam engines, diesel engines and train chassis were built. As such it is a great backdrop for exiting laser gaming. They feature a laser zone of 600 sqm/6,400 sqf laser gaming area.

Klimhal Amsterdam is a climbing gym with walls up to 21 meters/63 ft high and a climbing surface of more than 3,000 sqm/32,000 sqf.

It offers over 300 routes for both indoor and outdoor bouldering and climbing. For children 5 and above, they offer introductory lessons.

The Fun Forest climbingpark is located in the “Amsterdamse Bos”, a woodland park and the largest recreational area in Amsterdam.

It offers an active and enjoyable experience of nature for families. Both young and old, as well as beginner and advanced climbers, will find routes suitable to their skills and abilities. It offers 9 courses and children can climb from the age of 7 years (1.20m/3ft11).

The Amsterdam Dungeon gives a view on history via an interactive adventure. Live actors, a ride, shows and special effects simulate historical dark and bleak times. Attractions during the ride include the demonstration of a torture chamber, a ship doctor's 18th century surgeon methods, a maze, a recreation of the great plague and a roller coaster ride that winds around a real 13th century church.

The Goat Farm Ridammerhoeve is located in the Amsterdamse Bos, the largest recreational wood park in Amsterdam. The farm produces their own organic cheese, yoghurt, butter and ice cream and serves refreshments on their terrace. Kids can feed milk in a baby bottle to their baby goats and enjoy other animals like chickens, cows, pigs, a horse and a pony. There is a playground and a maze on the field. At a short distance, there is also a pool for toddlers. Please note that the farm is a 1 mile/1.6 km walk from the parking area if you come by car.

EYE is dedicated to the preservation of Dutch films and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. The museum collection includes 46,000 film titles, 35,000 posters and 450,000 photographs. The earliest materials date from the start of the film industry in Holland in 1895.

The EYE building was designed by architectural firm Delugan Meissl, which also designed the Porsche Museum, Stuttgart.

They also offer a children's programme.