Amsterdam with 7 year old for long weekend

[Whydo244]

Hi all, seeking help as feeling overwhelmed with this ! Staying in Amsterdam for a few days with my 7 year old, travelling in by train.

any tips on :
where to stay (ideally close to centraal station but not in the dodgy part of town - suggestions I’ve had are the Kempton de Witt, raddison blu and nh ?)

what to see (I’ve been told about science museum canal boat tour and chocolate factory so far…)

thank you in advance !

Canal boat tour definitely
Day out to the Windmills at https://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/
The zoo is nice if you like zoos
Next to the zoo is
https://www.artis.nl/nl/artis-micropia
Maritime musuem was interesting

When are you going OP?

Nice area to stay is on Prisengract I think or yes where you are originally thinking.

Yes to the boat trip, it's a must, there also a fun city treasure hunt style company that takes you round the main historical attractions on foot.

Ann Franks museum is good and DC might be a good age as assuming they will cover WW2 at school soon.

If you have several days the trains are really efficient and trip the The Hague is also perhaps worth it or even the nice beaches if it's a summer trip. I also really like the www.openluchtmuseum.nl/

Open air museum, really nice again if you want to go outside Amsterdam.

Ideas for the Netherlands (Amsterdam and outwards) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/holidays/5251409-ideas-for-the-netherlands-amsterdam-and-outwards

Another thread with some good suggestions

@jeaux90 in 10 days for Feb half term, we only hand 2 full days there .

If you want to go to Ann Frank's house, try to get tickets now but you might be too late - they are released 6 weeks in advance I believe and sell out quickly.
The ferries out the back of Central Station are free. If you take the NDSM ferry, there is a graffiti museum a short walk away. Haven't been but the ferry ride is quite interesting anyway and gets you out of the town for a while.
Agree re canal boat tour, really interesting.

My daughter was 6 when we took her and she loved the van gogh museum. Make sure you book tickets in advance.

I think price might be a big factor. Amsterdam hotels are £££. Anywhere in the centre will be fine its all very walkable - just check the reviews on booking.com and the like.

The science museum is amazing for children.

I bet she loved it!

Yes I second this! My kids love this science museum "Nemo" - it's one of the best for kids and very interactive.

Whenever we go to Amsterdam we stay at the Ramada airport hotel in Badhoevedorp. You can get some amazing prices there (I just booked for the end of March to go to Keukenhof and got 2 nights in a 32m² king-bed room at €77 per night, albeit without breakfast). There is a shuttle to the airport (€5) from where there are a million trains per hour into Amsterdam. Or you can Uber in or out of the city for about €35, and you are still saving loads compared to being in Amsterdam itself.

It will cost you 20 extra minutes at the start and end of each day, but with a young child it's probably easier and will feel safer to walk 600m into the village for a pizza in the evening than dealing with the overtouristed centre after hours. Plus the hotel has a pool in the basement!