Herfstvakantie means a full week off school just as the leaves turn and the weather gets moody, so we picked plans that work in rain or sun. Here's what we checked, from hands-on science at NEMO and goat feeding on a city farm to rope courses in the Amsterdamse Bos and a moated castle with knights' armor.
NEMO is a hands-on science museum where kids test things for themselves. Fenomena covers light, sound and static electricity, Technium the technology around us, Elementa space and lab experiments, and Humania the human body through games and tests.
In the daily lab workshop kids put on lab coats and safety glasses for experiments with everyday objects. The roof is the highest city square in the Netherlands, with wide city views.
A treetop rope park in the Amsterdamse Bos, with 10 courses strung between the trees at different heights. Kids stay clipped to a safety cable from start to finish while they cross rope bridges, a slackline and ziplines.
The easiest routes start 2.5 meters off the ground; the hardest ends with a free fall. Parents who don't climb can walk the paths underneath and cheer.
Amsterdamse Bos is a 1,000-hectare forest park, planted by hand from 1934, with lakes, meadows and long walking and cycling routes.
Kids cross rope bridges and a self-operated ferry to the play islands, splash in two paddling pools, and pet goats at the Ridammerhoeve farm. There are canoes and pedal boats to rent, a Fun Forest rope course, and pancakes at Boerderij Meerzicht.
A former rose nursery turned pick-your-own flower garden on the Amstel dike. Visitors get snips and a bucket of water, then cut their own bouquet from the outdoor field or the covered greenhouse.
Spring brings tulips pulled up bulb and all, summer fills the beds with zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers, and autumn has dahlias and a pumpkin field. A garden terrace serves drinks and snacks.
Speelboerderij Elsenhove is a city farm run by the municipality of Amstelveen, on the edge of the Elsenhove recreation area. Kids meet rare old Dutch breeds such as belted cows, spotted goats and North Holland Blue hens, then climb in a large adventure playground and a natural play area. The Peat Barn tells the area's peat history, and the farm sits on cycle routes near the Amstel river.
ARTIS is one of the five oldest zoos in the world, set in the Plantage area among 800 trees and 26 national monuments. Around 300 animal species live here, including an Asian elephant herd with two young calves.
The ticket also covers the new Aquarium and the Planetarium, where dome shows travel through the solar system. Zookeepers give talks every day about feeding and training the animals.
Micropia is a science museum about microbes, the living things too small to see with the naked eye. More than 40 species grow in a working lab inside the museum, and kids look at them through microscopes and watch the lab technicians at work.
Interactive exhibits like the Kiss-o-meter and the Bodyscan show how many microbes live on and inside a person, and a new microbe goes on show each month.
The National Maritime Museum fills a 17th-century naval storehouse on the Oosterdok with 500 years of Dutch seafaring. Moored outside is a full-size replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam, where kids swing in hammocks, haul cargo and take the helm.
Inside, Doris the Diver is a story-led play exhibition for the youngest visitors, and The Tale of the Whale lets older kids step inside a life-size whale.
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, formerly the Tropenmuseum, collects objects and stories from cultures around the world, from its colonial history to games and holidays. Its family program, Wereldmuseum Junior, is built for touching and trying. In Raad van de Raaf, kids test their balance in a kayak, step onto a Greenlandic dog sled and listen to melting ice caps. CELEBRATION! Worldwide is a party shop of festival objects from many countries.
Muiderslot is a moated castle dating back to 1285, now a national museum. Kids walk through the Knights' Hall, see armor and a 14th-century chest carved from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and follow routes through the castle and gardens.
The free audio tour, in English or Dutch, suits children, and the studio runs creative activities every day. Outside are a herb garden, a plum orchard and a shaded green tunnel.
An indoor play center inside the Akerpoort shopping center, with play zones parents can watch from the café. Kids from 4 climb and slide through the Fun House, everyone bounces in the Trampoline Zone, and under-4s get a Toddler Zone with soft mats and mini slides.
There are also ball pits and a laser game arena, and the hall is climate controlled, so it works on wet or cold days.
A botanical garden founded in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden, now growing more than 4,000 plant species.
Kids head first for the Butterfly House, where tropical butterflies fly free and new ones hatch in a chrysalis cabinet. The Palm House holds ancient cycads, the Climate House runs from jungle to desert, and the carnivorous plant bed puts Venus flytraps and sundews at kid eye level.
Herfstvakantie means a full week off school just as the leaves turn and the weather gets moody, so we picked plans that work in rain or sun. Here's what we checked, from hands-on science at NEMO and goat feeding on a city farm to rope courses in the Amsterdamse Bos and a moated castle with knights' armor.
NEMO is a hands-on science museum where kids test things for themselves. Fenomena covers light, sound and static electricity, Technium the technology around us, Elementa space and lab experiments, and Humania the human body through games and tests.
In the daily lab workshop kids put on lab coats and safety glasses for experiments with everyday objects. The roof is the highest city square in the Netherlands, with wide city views.
A treetop rope park in the Amsterdamse Bos, with 10 courses strung between the trees at different heights. Kids stay clipped to a safety cable from start to finish while they cross rope bridges, a slackline and ziplines.
The easiest routes start 2.5 meters off the ground; the hardest ends with a free fall. Parents who don't climb can walk the paths underneath and cheer.
Amsterdamse Bos is a 1,000-hectare forest park, planted by hand from 1934, with lakes, meadows and long walking and cycling routes.
Kids cross rope bridges and a self-operated ferry to the play islands, splash in two paddling pools, and pet goats at the Ridammerhoeve farm. There are canoes and pedal boats to rent, a Fun Forest rope course, and pancakes at Boerderij Meerzicht.
A former rose nursery turned pick-your-own flower garden on the Amstel dike. Visitors get snips and a bucket of water, then cut their own bouquet from the outdoor field or the covered greenhouse.
Spring brings tulips pulled up bulb and all, summer fills the beds with zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers, and autumn has dahlias and a pumpkin field. A garden terrace serves drinks and snacks.
Speelboerderij Elsenhove is a city farm run by the municipality of Amstelveen, on the edge of the Elsenhove recreation area. Kids meet rare old Dutch breeds such as belted cows, spotted goats and North Holland Blue hens, then climb in a large adventure playground and a natural play area. The Peat Barn tells the area's peat history, and the farm sits on cycle routes near the Amstel river.
ARTIS is one of the five oldest zoos in the world, set in the Plantage area among 800 trees and 26 national monuments. Around 300 animal species live here, including an Asian elephant herd with two young calves.
The ticket also covers the new Aquarium and the Planetarium, where dome shows travel through the solar system. Zookeepers give talks every day about feeding and training the animals.
Micropia is a science museum about microbes, the living things too small to see with the naked eye. More than 40 species grow in a working lab inside the museum, and kids look at them through microscopes and watch the lab technicians at work.
Interactive exhibits like the Kiss-o-meter and the Bodyscan show how many microbes live on and inside a person, and a new microbe goes on show each month.
The National Maritime Museum fills a 17th-century naval storehouse on the Oosterdok with 500 years of Dutch seafaring. Moored outside is a full-size replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam, where kids swing in hammocks, haul cargo and take the helm.
Inside, Doris the Diver is a story-led play exhibition for the youngest visitors, and The Tale of the Whale lets older kids step inside a life-size whale.
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, formerly the Tropenmuseum, collects objects and stories from cultures around the world, from its colonial history to games and holidays. Its family program, Wereldmuseum Junior, is built for touching and trying. In Raad van de Raaf, kids test their balance in a kayak, step onto a Greenlandic dog sled and listen to melting ice caps. CELEBRATION! Worldwide is a party shop of festival objects from many countries.
Muiderslot is a moated castle dating back to 1285, now a national museum. Kids walk through the Knights' Hall, see armor and a 14th-century chest carved from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and follow routes through the castle and gardens.
The free audio tour, in English or Dutch, suits children, and the studio runs creative activities every day. Outside are a herb garden, a plum orchard and a shaded green tunnel.
An indoor play center inside the Akerpoort shopping center, with play zones parents can watch from the café. Kids from 4 climb and slide through the Fun House, everyone bounces in the Trampoline Zone, and under-4s get a Toddler Zone with soft mats and mini slides.
There are also ball pits and a laser game arena, and the hall is climate controlled, so it works on wet or cold days.
A botanical garden founded in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden, now growing more than 4,000 plant species.
Kids head first for the Butterfly House, where tropical butterflies fly free and new ones hatch in a chrysalis cabinet. The Palm House holds ancient cycads, the Climate House runs from jungle to desert, and the carnivorous plant bed puts Venus flytraps and sundews at kid eye level.
