TAKING THE KIDS
The Amsterdam of Playgrounds and Pancakes


Bicycles are popular with residents and their children, and tourists can get around the same way.


By BETH GREENFIELD

TELLING people that you’re heading to Amsterdam with your child elicits comments of bemused sarcasm. “Amsterdam, huh? Red-light district, coffee shops ... perfect!” one friend said when I announced that my partner and I planned to take our infant daughter there earlier this year. Others jokingly praised me for introducing cannabis to my child at such an early age.

But as most adults know, there is a whole lot more to Amsterdam than decriminalized marijuana. And a surprising amount of that is child-friendly.

My daughter, Lula, just 7 months old when we made the trip, was too young for most of the fun, but my new perspective on the world as a parent had me keenly aware of the children around me — and eager for research on children’s activities to apply on later trips. Looking at Amsterdam this way, I found, opens up a parallel universe so magical that you’re apt to forget all about the adults-only approach.

Take, for example, the inviting vibe of Vondelpark, this city’s answer to Central Park, with its collection of playgrounds. One, the recently renovated Groot Melkhuis (Great Milkhouse), was an ideal model of Dutch efficiency: brightly colored swings, slides and ride-on animals edging the al fresco area of a sleek cafe where parents can linger over espresso, apple pie or a glass of wine while keeping their eyes on the kids playing just feet away.

Not far away is another clever play space-meets-cafe: Kinderkookkafé, a sun-filled little brick place with plenty of kid-sized chairs and tables, where the under-12 set gets to be in charge of the meals. “They can make pizza, cake, cookies, smoothies, a sandwich,” said Sylvia Mouricia, a cafe employee, explaining the idea behind this 25-year-old nonprofit restaurant.

Children 2 and older can mix, arrange and construct their own meals as if they’re doing an arts and crafts project, and then wait in the indoor or outdoor play area — plenty of toys provided — until the creation pops out of the oven and they’re called to the kitchen to deliver it to the table.

Before even pondering your destinations, you could while away a day simply by moving about — on the efficient blue and white electric trams, which glide through the city like gentle thrill rides (and even have spots reserved for strollers) or on the boats that tour the harbor and the canals, offering perks from jolly commentary to the all-you-can-eat pancakes on the Pancake Boat cruise, which departs from behind Central Station. (For a land-based sampling, head to the popular Pancake Bakery, which offers the treat in shapes like pirates, cars and princesses, filled with extras from bacon to chocolate chips.)

Or try carting your offspring around as the locals do, on a bicycle. You can rent one outfitted with a child’s seat on the rear or handlebars, or opt for a Bakfiet, a special kids-as-cargo bicycle that has a sturdy wheelbarrow-like container up front. (Lula was still a bit too wobbly to be taken for a ride, but my partner, Kiki, and I had fun grilling a series of friendly parents about the best sort of child-carrying seats, and we wound up buying a Bobike — which is mounted on the handlebars behind a matching windshield — to use back home.)

But indoor activities also beckon, as this compact city is packed with roughly 75 museums, and many have programs or exhibits geared specifically toward the pint-size visitor. That includes two of the most visited museums in Amsterdam: the Van Gogh Museum, which offers audio tours for children as well as live weekend tours followed by painting workshops, and the Anne Frank House, which presents its difficult material in a way that children can tolerate and learn from.

“I thought it was interesting to see Anne’s photos and her real diary,” said a shy Thalia Reppel, 10, who had come to visit the museum with her mother, Brigitte, from their home in the nearby city of Utrecht. “And I like the computers.”

She, like a handful of other youngsters, had stationed herself at one of several terminals offering extras like Frank family photos and virtual layouts of the hiding area. The museum uses quotes from the diary to guide visitors through the house that hid the Frank family, set on the serene Prinsengracht canal.

Not far along the same canal is the tiny Woonbootmuseum, or Houseboat Museum, a craft that served as a houseboat from 1967 until 1997; now it’s open to visitors who wonder about life on the more than 2,200 houseboats hunkered down along the city’s maze of canals. The diminutive interior includes a bright-yellow kids’ corner, its low table topped with crayons for coloring the drawings of houseboats available at the entrance desk.

There are plenty of other institutions with kid appeal: the Jewish Historical Museum, where young ones follow cartoon drawings of Max the Matzoh through exhibits that explain the Sabbath and encourage them to play instruments from drums to a shofar; TunFun, a cavernous playground housed in a former underpass outfitted with trampolines, big slides and electric scooters; and Artis, a top-notch urban zoo with giraffes, Sumatran tigers, an aquarium and the option to arrive waterside, via the Artis Expres canal boat.

The newly expanded Hermitage Amsterdam, an annex of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, just reopened in June with Hermitage for Children, billed as the largest children’s museum space in the Netherlands.

And the new public library, or Centrale Bibiotheek — with sleek, modern architecture that is stunning against the old waterfront buildings it fronts — has an entire floor devoted to kids, its white C-shaped bookshelves wrapped around cozy reading lounges and holding many titles in English. Tots will love the weekly story times (offered in Dutch and English) while older kids will appreciate the 600 free computer terminals and the seventh-floor restaurant with a panoramic city view.

Finally, there’s the fantastical Nemo, a science center housed in a striking green copper-faced building that stands like a slanted, futuristic ship in the shadow of the library. Its four floors are jam-packed with hands-on, interactive exhibits geared solely to children and teenagers.

“Usually, you go to museums to just stand and look,” said Akkie Vanderhooft from nearby Almere, whose daughter Olga, 11, was intensely involved in figuring out how to program colored balls to move through a massive maze of twisted wire tubes. “Here, she has a chance to really think things through and get involved.”

And then there were the adolescents and teens calmly taking in the top-floor exhibit, “Teen Facts,” which deals head-on with tough stuff from puberty to sexual positions, much of the information displayed in a faux-peepshow set-up called “Let’s Talk About Sex.” Sometimes, it seems, Amsterdam’s adult and kids worlds do become one after all.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE

Nonstop flights from Kennedy Airport or Newark to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport are offered by several carriers including Continental and KLM. Round-trip fares for mid-October start at about $700, based on a recent Web search. A taxi from the airport into the city, a 15- to 20-minute drive, costs about 25 euros, or about $36 at $1.48 to the euro; trains to Amsterdam’s Central Station run frequently and costs 8 euros ($11.50).

WHERE TO STAY

The Ambassade Hotel (Herengracht 341; 31-20-555-0222; Ambassade Hotel Amsterdam) has canal-view rooms starting at 185 euros, plus frequent family specials, which include extras for children. The grand Amrath Hotel Amsterdam (Prins Hendrikkade 108-114; 31-20-552-0000; Amrath HotelÂ*Amsterdam - Home DE), in a landmark building near the Nemo, has a swimming pool and rates from 210 euros. The renovated Amsterdam Marriott Hotel (Stadhouderskade 12; 31-20-607-5555; Hotels - Vacation and hotel information from Marriott Hotels - Official Site) is near Vondelpark and has rates from 239 euros. A budget option away from the center of town but close to the Artis zoo is the Eden Lancaster Hotel Amsterdam (Plantage Middenlaan 48; 31-20-535-6888; https://www.edenlancasterhotel.com), with rates from 109 euros.

WHAT TO DO

The main entrance to Vondelpark is off Constantijn Huygensstraat, by Zandpad and Vossiusstraat; its green expanse is filled with lakes, ponds, cafes and playgrounds.

The Pancake Boat Cruise (31-20-636-8817) departs from Motorship van Riemsdijkweg in Waterplein West, in the waters behind Central Station, from a landing that’s accessible from a free ferry. The price of 23.50 euros, and 18.5 euros for ages 3 to 12, includes all-you-can-eat pancakes and ice cream.

Mac Bike (MacBike), which has several city locations, rents bikes from 9.50 euros a day; it’s one of the only rental companies that also rents child seats and helmets, for an additional 2 euros a day, and Bakfiets (transport bicycles), for 25 euros a day.

The Van Gogh Museum (Paulus Potterstraat 7; 31-20-570-5200; Van Gogh Museum - Alfred Stevens) is open daily; admission is 12.50 euros; 2.50 euros for visitors between 13 and 17; and free for children 12 and under. Children’s audio tours are available for 2.50 euros. English-language workshops for children must be requested.

The Anne Frank House (Prinsengracht 267; 31-20-556-7100; Anne Frank Museum - the official Anne Frank House website) is open daily in July and August from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.; hours during other months vary. Admission is 8.50 euros; 4 euros for ages 10 to 17; free for children 9 and under.

Woonbootmuseum (Prinsengracht 296-K; 31-20-556-7100; Het Woonbootmuseum) is open March through October Tuesdays through Sundays (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the rest of the year) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and charges 3.50 euros for adults and 2.75 euros for children up to 152 centimeters tall (just under five feet).

The Jewish Historical Museum (Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1; 31-20 5310310; Joods Historisch Museum | Home) is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission (which includes entry to the children’s museum) is 9 euros for adults and 4.5 euros for ages 13 to 17; 12 and under free. Children’s workshops, which cost 5 euros, range from poetry to drawing.

TunFun (Meester Visserplein 7; 31-20-689-4300; TunFun Speelpark: Binnen buitenspelen in hartje Amsterdam), an underground, indoor play space for children 1 to 12, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is 7.50 euros for children and free for adults and infants.

Artis (Plantage Kerklaan 38; 31-20-523-3481; ARTIS - An Online Guide) is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (until 6 p.m. in summer), and remains open till sunset (after 9) on summer Saturdays. Entrance fees, 18.50 euros, and 15 euros for ages 3 to 9, include entry to the zoo, planetarium, museum and aquarium.

The expanded Hermitage Amsterdam (Amstel 51; 31-20-530-8751, Hermitage Amsterdam) opened June 19, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (to 8 p.m. Wednesdays). Admission is 15 euros; free for children up to 16 years of age.

The Centrale Bibliotheek (Oosterdokskade 143, 31-20-523-0800; Homepage - Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam) is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Children’s story times in English are Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.

Nemo (Oosterdok 2; 31-20-531-3233, NEMO) is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is 12.50 euros; children 3 and under are free. The roof can be visited for free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Sundays.

WHERE TO EAT

Groot Melkhuis (Vondelpark 2; 31-20-612-9674; Welkom bij het Groot Melkhuis) is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its sandwich menu changes weekly, with other offerings including pastries, coffee, wine and poffertjes.

Kinderkookkafé (Vondelpark 6b,;31-20-625-3257; home kinderkookkafe) is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily sandwich and salad specials are available for adults.

Pancake Bakery (Prinsengracht 191; 31-20-625-1333; The Pancake Bakery Pannekoeken en Uitsmijters Amsterdam, pancakes, lunch, diner, kindermenu's, restaurant, kinderpartijtjes.) is open for lunch and dinner. Highchairs are available.

Amsterdam (Watertorenplein 6; 31-20-682-2666; Café Restaurant Amsterdam), housed in a huge, high-ceilinged former water-pump station, is a stylish, child-friendly restaurant with an outdoor play area, many highchairs and a menu with items ranging from oysters to cheese croquettes.