Best Time to Visit:

If you love flowers, you’ll want to visit in late Spring when the Tulips are in bloom.

If warm weather is important to you then visit in the summer – remember this is when tourism peaks so you will fight more crowds.

If you want to avoid crowds but still have decent weather then visit in the early fall.

Where to stay?

Our family really enjoyed the Monnickendam Chalet. At the time we were booking, it was the most affordable option for a family.

The owner was extremely friendly and excited to give us information on what to do. We loved that it was outside the hustle and bustle of the main city.

I can’t recommend enough that you stay outside of the main city and see more of what the countryside in the Netherlands has to offer!

Reasons to stay in the Countryside:

• Enjoy the stunning (and much less crowded!) countryside – a major highlight of our trip.

• See and feel the small town culture & meet some locals.

• A seamless public transportation system – it only takes 15-20 to get to the main city sights from the countryside & the bus/trains are easy to navigate PLUS you can pay right you get on with a credit card (no need to pre-purchase).

• It’s a win-win-win, just go for it!

Top things to do in Amsterdam

& the surrounding countryside

• Eat Pancakes & Fresh farm food

• Rent Bikes in the Countryside and Visit Volendam

• Rent a Whisper Boat & see Broek in Waterland

• Visit a Cheese Farm

• Visit Old Working Windmills at the Zaanse Schans

• Ann Frank House

• Rijksmuseum
• Nemo Science museum
• Van Gogh museum
• Vondelpark
• Wander around the Canals for hidden City Gems
• Rembrandt House Museum
• Shopping in Damrak and Dam Square
• A’Dam lookout
• Keukenof Gardens

Restaurants – A Couple Recommendations

Eetcafe De Ouwe Blauwe – in Monnickendam. We ate at this specific restaurant in Monnickendam and I had the best goat cheese salad I’ve ever had in my life!

De Koperen Vis – also in Monnickendam. I had a steak salad, it was yummy but really it was the sweet potato fries that stole my heart here.

Groceries: we picked up some groceries at the local market in Monnickendam and the strawberries were freshly off the vine. They were literally heaven in my mouth! Kids couldn’t get enough either. Thank you Netherlands for the freshest food!

Make sure to try: Pancakes, Cheese, and Stroopwafels at some point during your trip!

Rent Bikes in the Countryside and visit Volendam

Duration: 1+ days – I would recommend getting bikes for at least 1 full day of your trip but you can do more and use it as a mode of transportation as well.

Details: If riding alongside dreamy farms passing adorable cows and sheep along the way sounds like an ideal way to spend your day, then don’t miss this!

The crowds and experienced bikers found in the main city can be really difficult and dangerous to navigate, therefore the best way to really enjoy this classic Dutch way of travel is to take to the beautiful countryside!

We rented from Rent & Event – a place our hotel recommended. Rent & Event will deliver and pick up your bikes to your hotel, a service that can be extremely helpful!

I couldn’t get what I needed online however(i.e. a baby seat, correct size bikes for kids, and helmets), so we took the bus to Volendam and rented the bikes in person. This was a seamless experience, the bus took about 10 minutes from Monnickendam and we walked about 10 minutes- a beautiful walk I will add – to the harbor where the shop was located.

Good to know: Volendam is a really charming place to explore. It’s full of quaint dutch architecture to admire as well as darling shops and delicious eateries. It’s well worth spending an afternoon or evening here.

Duration: 2.5-4 hours. We rented our boat for 2 hours which felt like plenty of time to visit with kids, however I say to set aside 2.5 hours minimum because of travel time and other things – like checking in and getting lifejackets.

If you want a longer boat ride than add time to that.

Details: A quaint place called Theetuin Overleek lets you rent your own whisper boat to admire historic villages (like Broek in Waterland) and paddle through the traditional Dutch countryside.

They have tea, cakes and sandwiches at their teahouse but what makes it even more fun is that they will pack you a picnic lunch for your boat tour.

Good to know: It was around $50 for a 2 hour boat rental, and this included life jackets, big warm blankets (it was a chilly morning so this was especially appreciated) and a map for where to go.

It was pretty easy to navigate and run the boat – you don’t need a lot of experience to do it. We really enjoyed our time on the boat and we saw lots of cows, birds (hey bird lovers out there don’t miss this!) and of course the cute village of Broek in Waterland.

It took us about 20 minutes on a beautiful bike path to get here from Monnickendam.

We got this idea from Salt in Our Hair blog – one of our favorite travel blogs and we couldn’t be happier with this activity recommendation so we are excited to be sharing it with you!

Duration: 2+ hours

Details: There are many cheese farms you can tour and taste cheese in the dutch countryside.

Our family chose to visit Jacobs Hoeve Cheese Farm as it was close to our hotel & our experience was wonderful!

Upon arrival they did a demonstration, showed us their freezers and then took us to a tasting room and shop – and the CHEESE was absolutely delicious (and so much variety which was fun – our favorite new flavor was coconut cheese!)

From there we got to see their cows and watch a short film about their sustainable and wholesome process. These cows are so loved and treated so well! We ended our visit at the calf stable where the kids could enjoy getting up close with the baby cows.

Duration: ½ to a full day – there is so much to see here so I would plan to spend 4-6 hours and remember travel time as well as it’s outside the main city.

Details: If you’re ideal day involves wandering around a charming recreated 18th and 19th century Dutch village then don’t miss this! Zaanse Schanse is a small town full of historic windmills and green wooden houses. In addition it’s got multiple interactive museums to discover and traditional artisan workshops to visit.

Good to know: There are lots of places to get a quick bite to eat and to shop for souvenirs. It’s quite touristy but also quaint and charming so it doesn’t feel like a tourist trap.

You can also rent bikes here and ride around the grounds which looked like a lovely experience.

Keep in mind, it is windy here most days so bring a jacket if you get cold easily.

Final piece of advice: don’t miss out on the delicious dutch hot chocolate!!

Sonderful Tip: There is a Zaanse Schanse card that will get you into most of the exhibits and windmills for one price – and it can even include a bus ticket.

This can provide amazing value for your family if you have the time to visit a lot of the attractions while there.

We opted not to do the card because with 3 kids we doubted how much we could do in the short time we had. We were right!

Duration: Tours take around 1 hr but will depend on how much time you spend going through as well. You could easily spend 2 hours here if you like to read and you want to spend time in the giftshop.

Details: The museum is an audio guided tour and it is done exceptionally well.

Rather than a museum where you just wander and browse, this museum includes an audio guided tour that walks you from room to room telling Ann’s story and expounding on details as you go.

It felt more like a unique experience than a museum which I loved. It held the attention of our oldest kids (6 & 8 at the time) for the duration of the experience.

To this day, my daughter says this was her favorite thing we did on this entire trip!

By utilizing a lot of the learning resources listed on this page – which I highly recommend you do as well – they were well prepared about who Ann was and about WWII which I think had a major effect on the entire experience!

Good to Know: The Ann Frank House is one of the top museums to visit in Amsterdam and is also one of the most highly rated museums worldwide. It can sell out weeks in advance, so set your clocks and make sure to purchase ahead of time! Get your tickets here (link).

Also, Ann’s story can be intense for kids and even adults and you know your family best and what they can handle emotionally. I will mention that the audio guide did a great job of keeping things positive and hopeful – something I recognize now was a strength of Anns!

I didn’t feel uncomfortable with my young children listening to it, but I also recognize a lot of it went over their heads which is fine too. We will definitely come back in the future if we can.