Amsterdam rain can last all week, and a toddler still needs somewhere to climb. These are the indoor spots where the youngest get space of their own, away from the big kids, and parents get a seat and a coffee. Here's what we checked, from soft-play zones at Monkey Town to a pretend-play neighborhood at Playhood.
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.
Monkey Town Amsterdam Noord is an indoor play center at Sportpark Kadoelen. Bigger kids climb the Funhouse, a large frame with tunnels, slides, an elastic climbing tower and a ball pit, and bounce in the trampoline zone. Toddlers get a separate zone with soft mats, mini slides and their own ball pit.
Parents can watch from the café, which serves halal, gluten-free and healthier food.
An indoor playground on the Johan Cruijff Boulevard, a short walk from the Johan Cruijff ArenA stadium. Kids climb through a labyrinth, race down the big slides and dive into the ball pit, while children under 5 have a separate play area of their own.
A café serves meals, snacks and drinks, and the venue also hosts kids' birthday parties and school trips.
Ballorig Gaasperplas is an indoor play center where kids climb, slide and tumble through soft-play frames, ball pits and inflatables. Children up to 4 have a separate play area of their own, away from the bigger kids.
Parents can sit in the restaurant, which looks out over the play equipment. It suits a rainy afternoon best, and older kids near the top age limit may find it young.
Candy Castle is an indoor play paradise inside a restored historic church, with climbing frames, slides and tunnels set under the old church interior. The main play structure is for bigger kids, and a separate toddler zone keeps the youngest apart.
Play zones are laid out so parents can watch from the seating, and a café serves food with halal and gluten-free options.
Club Abbey is a family café and indoor playground in one, inside the car-free Oostpoort shopping center. The wooden, Scandinavian-style play area is built for toddlers and preschoolers, with a separate baby corner in the conservatory, a big train table and a dress-up box.
Parents get good coffee and fresh sandwiches while the kids play, and almost every dish on the menu comes in a kids' version.
Playhood is a roleplay play space built as a child-sized neighborhood: a bakery, a supermarket with shopping carts, a fire station, a theater and more, all stocked with props and dress-up outfits. Kids run the shops while parents play along or sit in the Good Hood Café on site.
At the Good Hood Pizza shop, kids put on a chef's hat and apron, pick their ingredients and top their own pizza.
At the west end of the Vondelpark, Het Kinderkookkafé has let children do the cooking since 1981. At the Help-jezelf-Bar, a self-serve counter at kid height, young kids follow photo cards to bake cookies, decorate cakes, build a pizza or cut vegetable shapes, then eat at the family table. Staff handle the oven. Parents get coffee, toasties and homemade cake. Older siblings join in too.
A small children's theater on Kerkstraat with a new interactive show each month. Before the curtain opens, kids can dress up as a princess, knight, superhero or animal. They sit on benches close to the stage, and the actors invite them to sing, dance and talk back. Stories cover themes like losing teeth, crushes and sharing.
Birthday parties, holiday theater camps and dance, music and drama classes run here too.
The city's central library fills 10 floors of a 2007 building by architect Jo Coenen, a short walk east of Amsterdam Centraal. Kids get a dedicated children's book section, and the building has 1,200 seats, rotating exhibitions on design, art and books, and a Library Museum.
The seventh-floor restaurant has a south-facing terrace.
Amsterdam rain can last all week, and a toddler still needs somewhere to climb. These are the indoor spots where the youngest get space of their own, away from the big kids, and parents get a seat and a coffee. Here's what we checked, from soft-play zones at Monkey Town to a pretend-play neighborhood at Playhood.
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.
Monkey Town Amsterdam Noord is an indoor play center at Sportpark Kadoelen. Bigger kids climb the Funhouse, a large frame with tunnels, slides, an elastic climbing tower and a ball pit, and bounce in the trampoline zone. Toddlers get a separate zone with soft mats, mini slides and their own ball pit.
Parents can watch from the café, which serves halal, gluten-free and healthier food.
An indoor playground on the Johan Cruijff Boulevard, a short walk from the Johan Cruijff ArenA stadium. Kids climb through a labyrinth, race down the big slides and dive into the ball pit, while children under 5 have a separate play area of their own.
A café serves meals, snacks and drinks, and the venue also hosts kids' birthday parties and school trips.
Ballorig Gaasperplas is an indoor play center where kids climb, slide and tumble through soft-play frames, ball pits and inflatables. Children up to 4 have a separate play area of their own, away from the bigger kids.
Parents can sit in the restaurant, which looks out over the play equipment. It suits a rainy afternoon best, and older kids near the top age limit may find it young.
Candy Castle is an indoor play paradise inside a restored historic church, with climbing frames, slides and tunnels set under the old church interior. The main play structure is for bigger kids, and a separate toddler zone keeps the youngest apart.
Play zones are laid out so parents can watch from the seating, and a café serves food with halal and gluten-free options.
Club Abbey is a family café and indoor playground in one, inside the car-free Oostpoort shopping center. The wooden, Scandinavian-style play area is built for toddlers and preschoolers, with a separate baby corner in the conservatory, a big train table and a dress-up box.
Parents get good coffee and fresh sandwiches while the kids play, and almost every dish on the menu comes in a kids' version.
Playhood is a roleplay play space built as a child-sized neighborhood: a bakery, a supermarket with shopping carts, a fire station, a theater and more, all stocked with props and dress-up outfits. Kids run the shops while parents play along or sit in the Good Hood Café on site.
At the Good Hood Pizza shop, kids put on a chef's hat and apron, pick their ingredients and top their own pizza.
At the west end of the Vondelpark, Het Kinderkookkafé has let children do the cooking since 1981. At the Help-jezelf-Bar, a self-serve counter at kid height, young kids follow photo cards to bake cookies, decorate cakes, build a pizza or cut vegetable shapes, then eat at the family table. Staff handle the oven. Parents get coffee, toasties and homemade cake. Older siblings join in too.
A small children's theater on Kerkstraat with a new interactive show each month. Before the curtain opens, kids can dress up as a princess, knight, superhero or animal. They sit on benches close to the stage, and the actors invite them to sing, dance and talk back. Stories cover themes like losing teeth, crushes and sharing.
Birthday parties, holiday theater camps and dance, music and drama classes run here too.
The city's central library fills 10 floors of a 2007 building by architect Jo Coenen, a short walk east of Amsterdam Centraal. Kids get a dedicated children's book section, and the building has 1,200 seats, rotating exhibitions on design, art and books, and a Library Museum.
The seventh-floor restaurant has a south-facing terrace.
