Amsterdam With Tweens: Canals, Bikes, Van Gogh and Leaving Room to Wander

Amsterdam was one of the shortest stops on our Europe trip. It was also one of the places Jade continued talking about after we came home.

We had roughly two sightseeing days, which turned out to be enough for us. Amsterdam worked because we didn't try to turn those two days into an attraction marathon. There were canals, bikes, Van Gogh, giant stroopwafels, a duck store and plenty of wandering.

Taking the train from Paris made arrival part of the adventure

We traveled from Paris to Amsterdam by train and stayed near Amsterdam Centraal because we knew we'd soon be taking another train to Rotterdam to board our cruise. More importantly, I intentionally left our arrival day open. I didn't know whether we'd encounter train delays, so I didn't want an expensive timed attraction waiting for us on the other end.

The concierge turned our empty afternoon into a canal cruise

Everything went well, so we asked the hotel concierge what we could do with the afternoon. He booked us onto a canal boat tour called Lovely, and it lived up to its name.

That's now one of my favorite strategies for a transit day: protect the empty time first. If transportation goes badly, you haven't ruined your plans. If it goes well, ask someone local what you can do with the time you've gained.

Giant stroopwafels and cruise ducks

We walked around, stopped at a grocery store to stock up on water, found the giant stroopwafels—of course the kids loved them—and visited a duck store where we bought ducks for the cruise.

These are the kinds of things that don't make the essential Amsterdam itinerary lists and still become part of how a child remembers a city. Jade still tells me how much she liked Amsterdam.

One thing I'd change: have a few restaurants identified

Dinner that first evening was at a restaurant we simply walked past and decided to try. It wasn't our best decision. Next time, I'd have a few good local options identified in advance, even if I didn't make reservations. Spontaneity worked beautifully for the canal cruise because the concierge gave us a recommendation; choosing dinner completely cold didn't work nearly as well.

Day two: two anchors

Our full sightseeing day had two major plans: Vondelpark by bike and the Van Gogh Museum. We also had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe, where Enzo naturally needed an Amsterdam T-shirt. Culture, movement, familiar food and shopping was a good rhythm for us.

Book Van Gogh early

I bought our Van Gogh Museum tickets roughly a month in advance. I'm glad I did.

The kids played the Van Gogh Experience in Adventure Quest, which encouraged them to notice things like bold color, brush texture, light, quiet looking and framed views. They did considerably better there than at the Picasso Museum in Paris, but it wasn't the Louvre—and that's okay.

Our same two children had three very different reactions to three art museums: Louvre: loved it. Van Gogh: good experience. Picasso: not their thing. The art matters. The environment matters. Familiarity matters. How they're invited to look matters. And naturally, they loved the Van Gogh museum shop.

Cycling Amsterdam with kids: Vondelpark yes, streets maybe

We rented bikes near Vondelpark. The park itself was nice and gave us the cycling experience we wanted. The streets were another story.

Amsterdam's cycling infrastructure is fantastic, but that doesn't mean a visiting family automatically understands how to participate in it. We didn't know the local cycling rules well enough, and street riding felt hectic.

If I did it again, I'd still bike Vondelpark, but I'd learn the cycling rules beforehand and think carefully before taking visiting kids into busy bike traffic.

We used Uber more than I expected

We had already done a lot of walking in Paris, and Amsterdam gave us some rain, so we used Uber quite a bit. I don't regret it. Tired children and tired parents don't become better travelers because the step counter is impressive.

Two sightseeing days were enough for us

Could we have found more to do? Absolutely. But after Paris plus two Amsterdam sightseeing days, I was ready for a down day. We were heading by train to Rotterdam to board a seven-day cruise to Scotland and Iceland, and that change in pace came at exactly the right time.

Maybe one reason Jade remembers Amsterdam so fondly is that we didn't exhaust it. We had canals, bikes, Van Gogh, stroopwafels and ducks. Then we moved on while everyone still liked the city.