• Countdown boards above each dock show the destination and the minutes to the next departure, so check you're at the right ramp
• Buiksloterweg runs all night, with several boats on the route, so the wait is rarely more than a few minutes
• Wide ramps for strollers and wheelchairs, with bikes and mopeds boarding alongside, so keep small kids close as you roll on

Blue-and-white GVB ferries cross the River IJ from the docks behind Centraal Station to Amsterdam Noord. Kids walk or ride their bikes straight on board and watch the harbor go by from the deck.

The Buiksloterweg crossing is the shortest and busiest, landing by the Eye Filmmuseum. Longer routes run east to IJplein and west to NDSM Wharf, home to the STRAAT street-art museum.