Amsterdam - I'd like to take my 6yo

[frugalfuzzpig]

DD is completely obsessed with Van Gogh and so a trip would be a dream come true if we could go to the museum.

I've never been though and lots of people have told me there are lots of, um, unsavoury areas?!

It would just be a short break as we can't really afford a big holiday, it could be just us two or up to 8 of us depending if DSCs want to come (one DSD was enthralled by Anne Frank and apparently the house is there?)

Any tips please? How to get there, other things to do etc?

Sounds good. :) I think we'd not want a full week anyway, due to cost if nothing else! So we won't be able to do everything, but we will try and work out priorities etc.

I wouldn't be able to cram too much into one day - I have a disability that means I need frequent rests.

Rests with pancakes, maybe... :o

I am going next week with my Mum. We would like to know if the buses and trams have some form of display to say what the next stop is. Or is it obvious when you get to a stop what the name is?

Any advice much appreciated!

Winky the Trams have screens which tell you the next stop, the buses do too, very easy to get around

The safe streets ie the non red light ones have signs up saying it's children friendly so look out for those. There are some good status around the city that children can climb and have fun with. Lots more then the red light district

I've been there with my boyfriend and would definately recommend as a destination. TBH I've seen more smut and rowdy behavior in family destinations like the canaries than in Amsterdam.
The Red light district is easily avoided and even if you take a wrong turn all the ladies in the windows wear bikinis, our guide told us it's so that Amsterdamers can tell their DC "Oh she's just waiting for the bus to take he to the beach" should they ask, I don't know how much truth is in that.
Stoned people tend to be quite a quiet bunch so a lot easier than being in a place where people drink to excess.
the whole vibe of the city is very laid back and relaxed, english is commonly spoken, getting around/ finding your way around is very easy.
The Van Gogh Museum is great, Ann Frank's house probably not for small children. There are lot of places to see and things to do. Take a boat ride, ride the trams, eat lots of pancakes.

Do be careful though about cyclists, they don't kindly to people being in their way.

Red light district is tiny in the scheme of things so easily avoided - it, s close to Central Station.

Amsterdam is a public transport dream, so well organised. Tram stops (tourist routes) are even announced in English including info ("Van Gogh museum") etc.

Nemo, the Science Museum is great - it looks like a sunken ship! (left of CS). Zoo (Artis) is great too - tram 9 from CS.

Anne Frank house queues avoidable around 5-6 pm.

No need to stay outside, wonderful hotels here including around Vondelpark/Museumplein (Van Gogh/Rembrandt).

I agree with pp - Amsterdam is actually great for bringing up kids. It, s very safe on a world scale.....

www.iamsterdam.com

Enjoy!

Oh yes, the Pancake Bakery is up the road from Anne Frank House - over 20 types, savoury and sweet - yum!

Love amsterdam. What might be quite fun to stay in would be one of the houseboats - we did that for B&B once and it was great! This was the one we stayed in, but there are loads to choose from www.lemaroxidien.com/WELCOME.htm..

I wouldn't worry about the coffee shops and red light district - it's a very relaxed city, with lovely canals to walk beside, great food, very friendly people. Might be worth seeing if you can rent a bike - perhaps with a trailer for your DD to ride in?

Thanks - we were worried about not being able to speak the lingo! Sounds like the city is very well geared up for tourists.

As well as pancakes, a canal boat ride, photos in this clog seem to be a compulsory requirement for tourists.

We went on holiday to Holland last summer & spent a day in Amsterdam. Ds1 was 8 & ds2, 5. We travelledd on the tram & spent most of our time waling around & looking at the canals. I would think the Anne Frank House would be unsuitable for young children & had a huge queue. The red light area is quite contained & easily avoided.

My manager's going to Anne Frank's house on Monday - he was looking at buying a ticket in advance, but they're only available from mid-June, looking now. I went when it opened at 9am, and I had to wait about 20 minutes to get in; when I came out, the queue was far longer, at least 2 hours, so plan to go early or late in the day, unless you've got tickets in advance. I think you need to have read the Diary and/or have some understanding of why they were in hiding and later in concentration camps to really get it, and I don't know that I'd take children much under secondary age.

The zoo is popular too, as well as the science museum. The Rijksmuseum has things I would have adored as a child, and still enjoyed as an adult, including a large model ship and the dollshouses. I'd have sold my parents (well, at least my sister) for a dollshouse like that when I was a child! Beautiful model houses and furnishings (for adults, rather than children.) I did enjoy the Van Gogh museum, but I'm not sure I'd have been so keen as a child - however, I wasn't so keen on Van Gogh.

If you're there for a few days, it might be worth getting the train out to the Zaanstreek and seeing the windmills there - it's not a long journey, and there are a number of working mills.

I'd avoid the red light district - I wasn't paying too much attention as I was wandering round the streets in the morning, and just ended up there, and I was half way along before I realised, but I think later in the day, it would be more obvious (and I still wonder why anyone would think a single woman on a sunny, dry spring morning would want to go in to watch a live sex show, but at least they are not sexist, in that they call out to everyone passing...) Round the Leidseplein in the evening, it's lots of sports bars and Argentinian steak houses, and I wouldn't bother, other than to marvel at the number of steak houses. How much steak can any population eat? But there is so much else to see and do, it's easy to avoid the bits you'd rather not do with children, especially if you pay a bit more attention to where you're walking than I did.

I think I need to persuade my Dutch colleagues I need a week in the office there...

Ooh, hadn't seen all the recent posts, thanks.

Unfortunately we aren't going this year :( shortly after I started this thread, DH got a job! Which is brilliant obviously but it meant we had no clue where we stood with annual leave etc and it was just too late to book anything. So we are hoping to do it next year instead!