Any Amsterdam experts here?

[Amsterdamming]

Not sure where to put this but i need help. I'm on a deadline to book a trip and I'm struggling (ADHD) and feeling overwhelmed.

We will arrive at Amsterdam Airport, stay for 2 nights somewhere in Amsterdam with 2 young children and then use the train station to get the train down to Efteling.

As we won't have a car I need a hotel that's convenient to get to and from the airport but also near the main train station thats in an area suitable for children- that's also near some activities good for children (I've heard there are museums and a zoo?!) Also one that's not over £1000 for 2 nights.

My hyperfocus has run out, I'm struggling and our flights are booked so I'm on a deadline to book a hotel. Help please!

My daughter and I stayed at the Hotel Prins Hendrik - fairly basic but comfy and clean and right near the central station. Easy access to everything, great pancake place next door.

That looks great but it's not available on our dates. Which is annoying because it's just 2 random nights in June 🤷‍♀️

There was a thread about a month ago with ideas (sorry I can't find it) and the Ibis hotels were recommended.

I've been there a few times so not an expert, but wouldn't mind staying near the station so it's easy. That's also good for public transport around the city and close to the Nemo museum, ship Museum and the same side of town as the zoo.

Ok thanks I'll have another search 🙂

Op I found hotels accmd 2 children hard to find.
If you are as well have to try air b n b?

They do 2 nights as well sometimes.

Brilliant musuem is the nemo one. Absolutely fabulous.

Efteling is one of my favourite places on earth

Probably not what you want to hear, but Amsterdam with 2 young kids is awful. Hotel rooms available might not even have a window.

if I were you, on arriving at Schiphol I would take a southbound direct train of just around 20 mins to Leiden and stay there. It’s a gorgeous historic town, easy to get to from the airport and is LOVELY. Typical small dutch historical town that you can easily walk around and have a lovely canal trip on. Much cheaper hotels with reasonable availability ( try the van der valk or Fletcher chains) and you will get a window in your hotel room.

Efteling is a great choice.

Another alternative to Amsterdam is Utrecht, easy to go to by train.

I love Amsterdam and never had a bad experience but I am going since I was a teen and know fairly well what areas to avoid and what is safe.

The zoo is lovely, next door is a museum all about germs/bacteria which may be a bit too much for your children, depending how old they are.
Nemo may be a better choice.

Vondel Park is a lovely one to let off steam.

I would do a boat tour as well.

Yes look at Haarlem, Leiden (nice places) or Hoofddorp (less ‘nice’ but 10 min from Schiphol Airport. There’s a Courtyard Marriot there with a little playground that’s next to a huge park with several playgrounds. I’ve stayed there before before going to the Efteling. There’s a restaurant in the park called Papa’s Beach House.)

Alternatively there’s a holiday inn near Amsterdam Arena - it won’t be top dollar I imagine, and the area around Amsterdam Arena is well connected with public transport (metro and buses and train) and is pedestrian with a cinema and restaurants there.

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/amsterdam/amsaa/hoteldetail

https://www.marriott.com/en-gb/search/findHotels.mi?searchType=InCity&destinationAddress.city=Hoofddorp&destinationAddress.country=NL&marriottBrands=CY&showMore=true&nst=paid&cid=PAI_GLB00050JC_GLE000BM3T_GLF000OP0I&ppc=ppc&pId=uktbppc&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjbHq4_HwhQMVxpJQBh3C8g_3EAAYASAAEgKPJvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I can’t remember the name of our hotel but the public transport system in Amsterdam is brilliant. We used trams to get around and they come frequently and well connected. You can get a tram card from the station when you arrive. I would not feel constrained in staying right in the centre, especially as some bits of the centre you would want to avoid with children at night.

The Park Plaza Victoria Hotel v nice. 5 min walk from Centraal Station in Amsterdam and Nemo walkable. V central and also close to main tram stops (#2 gets you over to VondelPark) Not the cheapest though..

Thank you does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this hotel? Thanks

https://www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-collection-amsterdam-barbizon-palace?campid=8435708&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwltKxBhDMARIsAG8KnqXJYP3Cjm6WzOTL4KH2MrB34WpUJOIlVDWJm1RKxW3Mua_5DGyPOYsaAmKfEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have taken the other comments re location on board too.

Stayed there several times in early 2000’s (I’ve both lived in & travelled to Amsterdam with work) . Was very nice then.

Amsterdam expert here! I agree with those who have suggested staying near to Centraal station. Amsterdam is really easy to get around by public transport so if you stay there you can get everywhere easily. I can't recommend any specific hotels as I live here, although the Ibis by the station is extremely convenient. The thing that gives people a bad experience about Amsterdam is the area directly surrounding Centraal station though (the street called Damrak and the area called De Wallen aka red light district), so just make sure you don't expect to be able to wander around near your hotel and have a nice time. The only exception would be Nemo the science museum, which others have mentioned as is great for kids and is very close to the station and in a different direction to the less pleasant area.

Other stuff to do - agree that Artis, the zoo, is fabulous, as is Micropia, the museum about microbes which is within the grounds of the zoo. I don't know what age your kids are so not sure exactly what is appropriate to suggest. Can you share their ages and any specific interests?

On the other hand I do also agree with PPs who have suggested Leiden and Utrecht. Both beautiful cities. Utrecht is a bit bigger with a bit more going on. There is a lovely museum called the Speelklokmuseum which is a museum of mechanical musical instruments. There's also the Railway Museum which is really fabulous. But Leiden is also lovely. Naturalis is good for kids

Another vote for the zoo!

And also a word of caution - be really, really careful when crossing the roads. Obviously because cars drive on the opposite side of the road to us, but also because there are cycle lanes everywhere, used by gazillions of cyclists, and you don't always hear them coming.

Thanks all. The kids are 2 and 7 so quite young. They love animals so the zoo is a must. They also both like a museum so that sounds good. I'll be sure to keep away from the bad bits and if they don't love it they'll then have 2 nights in efteling to look forward to.

You can check the trains here (english version) https://www.ns.nl/en

Keep in mind things around Amsterdam Centraal station can be a bit rough, especially later in the evening.

Recently back from Amsterdam with my 6 year old, we had an absolute blast and wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

We stayed at an Air BNB houseboat in Driehoekbuurt neighbourhood, 10-15 bus ride from Centraal Station. we didn’t have to venture near the main centre other than passing by on the boat trip, so we had no trouble with coffee shops/red light district/inappropriate stag do’s etc. Our neighbourhood was quiet with a few lovely shops, bakeries and restaurants.

Highlights for us were:

• Wondr Experience (the kids session is only on a Wednesday, I think. It’s basically a big warehouse with loads of different instagrammable rooms with ball pits, mirror rooms etc. My child loved it)
• Artis Zoo. It’s a really beautiful place, need at least half a day to get round.
• Vondelpark. A huge park but there are about 5 or 6 play parks.
• Pancake Bakery. Not sure if you can book and we had a bit of a wait in the queue both times but lovely pancakes.
• Fabrique Des Lumieres. Fantastic immersive art exhibition - currently it’s Dutch Masters and Mondriaan but may change by your visit. Incredible art projected across the walls and floors with lots of beautiful music. It meant I got to see some kind of art without needing to drag my child round Rijksmuseum/Van Gogh Museum.
• Canal boat trip - we sat at the back of the boat outside so didn’t get to listen to the commentary but my child loved it outside in the air watching the world go by.

We didnt get a chance to go to Nemo, the science museum, but that was also on our list. As was Tony Chocoloney, apparently you can make your own chocolate bar but the queue was too long to bother. The museum
of contemporary art also looked great but we ran out of time.

The trams and buses were really easy to use but I did take advantage of Uber when my child was too tired, eg after a long day at the zoo.

The journey from the airport was so easy - a 20 min train straight from the airport to Centraal. Easy to use self service ticket machine, with the option for the instructions in English.

Have a great time!

I should add we rarely ventured out at night - all days we were back at our accommodation by about 6-7ish, as my child was so tired from the full on days and lots of walking (as was I!) So we’d grab a takeout or delivery to the boat for dinner and chill with some games, and then watch my child’s favourite programme downloaded to their tablet.

Also the Wondr Experience wasn’t my cup of tea at all but my child had SUCH a good time there it was completely worth it. I’d go again just to see them having so much fun.

NH (Netherlands Hotels) are usually good. It’s a solid mid market chain. Sign up and book on the website and you’ll get a discount.

@bleughgreen I've been three tunes now, once without dc for a long weekend and twice for long day trips with dc.

I didn't see a single weeds shop or sex shop. We walked from meno all the way to anne Frank's etc and around that area and we stayed in 9 streets and walked and walked!..

The area we were in was so beautiful.

Thank you so much
How much roughly was the train from the station to Centraal? I looked at taxis online and it was about £50 one way so train might be better.

For one adult and one child it was about £11 for a one way ticket. It was really easy to just walk through the airport straight to the station, as it’s all part of the same complex.

The 9292 public transport app is brilliant and is searchable in English. It shows all forms of public transport and also shows walking distances to and from tram stops etc. You can buy e-tickets on it too.

Check out GVB ( Amsterdam public transport) passes as well. They may save you money if you're making multiple trips around the city.
Have a great time!

If you arrive at Schiphol check out Novotel in Hoofddorp. It's 4mins from Schiphol by train (trains at the airport are at the lowest level) and there are trains from there to Centraal. Bus no. 300 from outside the airport takes you to the station in Hoofddorp and the hotel is next to it.
It's usually €140 per night but I have seen them selling the rooms for over €400 too so it depends on the dates, really.