in Amsterdam for 5/6 hours, with my 8yr old...what can i do with her..?

Question

hi there...coming from the UK on a Mini Cruise to Amsterdam...we sail from Newcastle...and basically two nights on board the Ferry...then 5/6 hours (weather permitting) in Amsterdam itself..!!
I have done this before but with an ex girlfriend, and we did all the adult things, that Amsterdam has to offer....but obviously with an 8 yr old it will have to be different...

Can anybody help/guide me as to what i could do..??

I have heard the zoo is good..but with limited time, dont want to waste any time...
what about department stores that have some good toy departments..??
Any soft play areas..??
Never did a cruise along the canals..?? so maybe might do one of them...can anybody recommend a good company..?? or shall i just head for the tourist info place..??

Thanks

Michael

Answer 1

Do not take an 8 year old into Anne Frank house, save that till she has read the book, if ever, (I had to go with school, hated it.)
Van Gogh museum is all right, if she is interested in pictures.
Zoo is good, but not very special.

If it is a very nice day (do we ever get them this summer?) stay in IJmuiden and go to the beach, you can walk it, but there is a bus too.

Otherwise, Kalverstraat, the street between Dam Square and Muntplein has several toy shops V&D (department store) at the far end has a toy section. Bijenkorf on Dam square has a toy section but is expensive.
When we were kids our parents used to take us to Chinese shops, there is one on Rokin, (just of Dam square,) the street where they are building the new metro line, can't mis it.
There is an other one on the middle of the flower market at het Singel, somewhere in the middle of the market, accross from all the flowers.

For a canal tour, my family likes Kooij, but there are several different ones where you can hop-on and hop-off, museum boot is one, which might be better for an active young girl.

Round the 'stadhuis + Opera', called Stopera, is a flee market.

Take her for lunch in one of the pan-cake places, there is one in the complex of the Amsterdam Histories Museum, (which is a nice one if she is into history and museums,) otherwise, just walk through the painting galary, free and it will show her what a museum looks like.
One entry to the museum complex is in the Kalverstraat. Restaurant and court are free entry.

Here is a link to a map, zoom in till you can see the station at the north side of the town, near the water, that is where you get off the bus:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=amsterdam%20plattegrond&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=il

Answer 2

If she has historical or religious interests, there are several thing to check out in Amsterdam. The small but lovely church given to Separatists from C of E about 1600 is still there and has a nice painting of their subsequent landing in a New World colony. There are older and more elaborate churches for the Dutch themselves.

Some children love the whole idea of creating a place to live by pumping out water from an area and exposing soil. If she's the sort that likes to play with water or dig in the dirt, the story of the Dutch "creating Holland" esp with maps or moving displays will appeal. If she's what some call a "girly girl," she might like to see lace making.

I'd love a canal cruise myself, but an 8 year-old who's already spent several days on a boat is probably dying to move more and further away from water. You could just show her some travel or descriptive materials and listen for ideas.

I agree that she's too young for the Anne Frank House, which would be frightening. OTH, before I spent 2 months driving my sons around Europe, I read that one of the most important things about foreign travel for children are "Brand Names." When they go home, they like to be able to tell others where they went and get some recognition and hate saying something like, "I went to Paris," and then having to say, "No, we didn't go to the Eiffel Tower" even if they didn't particularly want to go there. You can always take her past the house, tell her a famous person lived there, and say that the line is too long.

Answer 3

There is a children's museum in Amsterdam call the Nemo. It is on the water front and it has fantastic exhibits, many of them interactive. Kids love the Nemo because it is directed toward them. There is also a great gift shop and a small cafe on the first floor.

Next to the Nemo is the 18th century ship Amsterdam, You are allowed to go aboard the Amsterdam and see haw a ship was provisioned in the 1700's. The Amsterdam is part of Navel museum which is also very interesting, but maybe too old for an eight year old (depends on what they like)

Hope this is helpful.

Answer 4

The museums are great. Anne Frank house is very interesting. The diamond factories are interesting, too. The canal cruise is a good idea. You could easily use 5/6 hours just walking around the city, through the flower market, along the canals and just soaking in the sights of that lovely city.

Answer 5

hey dont get all nervous...we DUTCH are very laid-back and ofcourse we have something for your kid...yes the zoo called ARTIS is good but you gotta take the tram and it can be real crowded....as for departmentstores w dont have many but most famous and MOST EXPENSIVE is BIJENKORF....my daughter of 8 is HALF-japanese so she is only sometimes in HOLLAND but she loved to stroll around in there......and bought some puzzles and stuffed animal..which she couldnt find back inToko so.....YES definitely TRY a canal-cruise it doesnt matter which one they are all same kinda price/service etc.dont worry....take the one which color / design of boat your kid likes....thats what I did and IM a native born and raised from ADAM....but you gotta relax otherwise the business and pace will get to you.Just walk around the city often in summer they have some small fair across BIJENKORF called DAMRAK,check it out.THERE is so much to see and absorb just by walking around or sit at one of many terraces.....ENJOY Micheal and Im sure your daughter will have great time too

Answer 6

The Van Gogh museum and Reich's museum are both really fun, even for kids.