Netherlands with toddler - any suggestions?

[OffToBrussels]

Hi. We’re planning a two week break in the Netherlands in June with out 2.5 year old. One week in one of the center parcs, but we’re looking for some ideas for the second week. Not looking for city ideas - ideally somewhere beautiful we can go for walks / hikes (she can go in a back carrier), have nice meals / picnics. Maybe a farm stay so she can see some animals?

She loves Miffy so a day trip to the museum in Utrecht would be good.

Any ideas would be brilliant. Thanks!

I'd recommend staying at Landal De Lommerbergen. It's similar to Centre Parcs but a little bit cheaper and I think you'll like the fact that there's an onsite children's farm, butterfly garden and kitchen garden. There's also an indoor soft play area and outside there's a playground and an adventure island which you can only reach by pulling yourself across in a little boat with a rope. There's lots of walking and cycling nearby, but I'd also suggest going to this amazing outdoor forest-school style playground www.skz.nl Unfortunatly the website isn't in English but you can get the gist of it!

This Landal park is smaller but it's located nearer to Utrecht. I've never stayed here but it looks like the local walking might be slightly better than Lommerbergen. www.landal.com/parks/de-reeuwijkse-plassen/in-and-around-the-park/hiking-and-cycling

What great ideas - thank you so much

Somewhere near the Efteling. It's a theme park but it's very fairy-tale like.

Whereabouts are you staying in the first week, OP? Will you have a car? We've stayed in several Landal parks before and I really recommend them - they're great value and often near lovely countryside. You can hire bikes there, which is a great way of getting around - when our kids were little we hired a bakfiets, and now they're older we have a parent/child tandem for one of them and a rear child seat for the other. We've stayed a couple of times in the Twenhaarsveld site, which isn't really near any big towns but has lovely forest around for walking/cycling.

Last year we stopped by Plaswijk Park near Rotterdam on our way back to the ferry. That would be a good day out with a toddler.

We're going back to the Netherlands for May half term - we really love having holidays there:

De Kempervennen is the name of the centre parcs

Also for walking, peace and quiet Friesland is gorgeous. There are lots of b&bs. Can't recommend one as we stay with family.

Definitely Efteling. My two loved feeding the talking bins when they were that age :)

I love the sound of Efteling. Any suggestions of where to stay?

For inspiration for places to go with kids in Amsterdam and right across the Netherlands (including the Miffy House in Utrecht and Efteling amongst others) check out our blog.

I'm a Netherlands blogger and the Family Blogger for the City of Amsterdam website IAmsterdam

Always incredibly happy to help if you have specific questions

amsterdamwonderland.com/category/kids/

It's a brilliant country with kids x

More great ideas - thanks again

Can anyone recommend a family holiday in the Netherlands without a car? We'd be ok to hire a taxi for a short drive to the hotel, but not to get around on holiday. We would actually prefer to get the ferry over to Hook of Holland, but we could fly over.

With an outdoors focus eg forest, beach, cycling, walking?

We have preschoolers, I looked at the Centre Parcs but they seemed more aimed at school age.

Any tips appreciated.