Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of The Netherlands. Many know about its infamous Red light district and its hash-selling coffee shops, but there are a lot more to Amsterdam than that. We only had one and a half days in Amsterdam, and we managed to visit a number of places in Amsterdam, including the famous Dutch windmills, a diamond factory, the floating flower market and cruising along the Amsterdam Canal.
1. Madurodam
2. Zaanse Schans
A trip to Amsterdam would not be complete without seeing the famous Dutch windmills. Zaanse Schans is a famous tourist spot in Amsterdam. It took us less than half an hour to reach there from our hotel in downtown Amsterdam. We saw different types of windmills and what went on inside some of them. The kids also learnt how clogs and cheese were made. We tasted many types of cheese and bought some. They were all really good. Admission to Zaanse Schans is free, but we had to pay for parking and entrance into some of the windmills.
Beautiful dutch windmills
How cheese were made
3. Gassan Diamond Factory
Amsterdam is known as the City of Diamonds. Thus, it was only apt that we visited Gassan Diamond Factory, the famous diamond factory in Amsterdam. The free private tour was very educational as we not only learnt about the four Cs, but we also saw actual samples of diamonds with different Cs. The tour guide also showed us diamonds being cut by the master cutter. According to the tour guide, the factory was the only place where you could buy a Gassan 121-cut diamond. The free private tour can be booked at www.gassan.com.
We loved the freshly-made giant stroopwafels at the Gassan Diamond Factory cafe . It was crispy on the outside and sweet with jam on the inside. The lady selling the stroopwafels said that they were perfect when warmed over a hot cup of coffee.
4. Amsterdam’s Floating Flower Market
Being a fan of tulips, a visit to the world-famous Kuekenhof garden with its stunning fields of tulips would have been a wonderful experience, but alas, the tulip season was over barely a week before our arrival. Fortunately, Amsterdam’s Floating Flower Market offered an array of colourful tulips to feast the eyes. A bouquet of 50 tulips costed only 7.50 Euros! Apart from tulips, visitors could buy bulbs, carnivorous plants, and many other gorgeous flowers. At a nearby cheese shop, there was a dutch lady dressed just like the one on the Dutch Lady milk can!
5. Tram Ride
We parked the car at the hotel and took a tram to the cruise departure point. The tram was not only fun for the kids, but it took us along routes where no cars could pass.
6. Amsterdam Canal Sightseeing Cruise
We joined the Amsterdam Canal Sightseeing Cruise and gently cruised along the many canals in the city, admiring beautiful traditional houses, numerous bridges, and unique water homes. The cruise was booked through www.city-discovery.com/amsterdam.
Amsterdam Map
View Amsterdam Trip in a larger map
Other things to do with kids
Apart from the above, we have also considered visiting these popular places:
- Keukenhof Garden – Many visitors around the world come to The Netherlands in Spring to see the famous tulips in the Keukenhof garden.
- Pancake Cruise – Eat all the pancakes that you can while you cruise along the Amsterdam Canal
- Van Gogh Museum – View the art and participate in a treasure hunt and colouring activities
- NEMO – Visit the Science and Technology Museum
- Vondelpark – Have a picnic at the park and and let the kids enjoy at the huge playground
- Kinderkookkafe– Let the kids do the cooking
- Efteling Theme Park – Have a fairytale adventure in the largest theme park in The Netherlands
- Madame Tussauds – Marvel at realistic wax statues
Places to Stay
There are a number of accommodations that can accommodate a family of 4 or more. For a listing of such rooms, click Accommodations in Amsterdam (on Booking.com).
Our trip to Amsterdam was part of our 15-day Adventures in Europe. Our next stop after Amsterdam was Cologne, Germany to see the Cologne Chocolate Museum.
