Amsterdam anyone?

jc&cat

I have an opportunity for work to travel to Amsterdam in November. The meeting time itself is 2 days however I can extend the time with vacation and stay longer. DH and I are considering all 4 of us going. Economical? Not exactly since the flights are pricey however my flight is obviously funded by work and I think we have enough points for another flight (maybe/maybe not). The hotel is covered for 4 nights leaving maybe a few more nights in perhaps a VRBO type apt on our own. Beyond that, I think this is a great chance to go to an amazing location. DH has read up on this extensively and Amsterdam is quite a family friendly place (sans red lights and pot of course) and the train is easy to seaside places like Harrlem and even to Belgium. 

Has anyone been there? Extra plus if it were with kids. I recall there was a bumpie who lived in the Netherlands with a beautiful pic of Harrlem in her signature but not sure if it was this board. 

We will regret it on the flight no doubt (any advice to make that easier?? my kids have flown short domestic flights but nothing longer than 3 hrs) but I am sure we won't regret going......i hope!

Thanks!

jc&cat

My signature refuses to update......my kids are almost 6 and she is 3 years old

kmos816

I've been to Amsterdam with my husband and we loved it- and you can easily avoid the red light district; we only spend maybe 30 minutes in that area the rest of our 2 days was spent in the rest of Amsterdam. I think it would be family friendly! We also went to Brussels which is also a great city and also could be fun for the kids!

Slb22

I have been to Amsterdam for work and really liked it.  As pp said, the red light district is easily avoidable.  It does rain there a lot I think, so something to keep in mind.  There are more bicycles than cars there (even though there are plenty of cars).  I think it sounds like a great opportunity for your kids to see another part of the world.  

HobbityBarb

jc&cat said:

My signature refuses to update......my kids are almost 6 and she is 3 years old

Since all my family live in the UK and I'm in Canada, trans-atlantic flights are old hat to my two )

At 6 and 3, your two will probably be okay - check with the airline you're flying with to see if they have seat-back entertainment units, and if so, do they have a kids channel. We fly Air Canada and my son will happily watch all of the cartoons on the Kids CBC channel for nine hours straight (your flight won't be that long! That's Calgary to Heathrow)

If they have games they like on handheld devices, pack those. Also I recommend packing your own range of snacks for the flight, so they can eat when they choose and also eat food they're familiar with. 

I know a lot of people recommend flying over-night, I really don't - no-one ever really gets a lot of sleep and it can be torture for your kids (and therefore you) if they have trouble. It's a day lost, but I find a day-time flight is much easier to deal with.

groovygrl

No advice on the flying, we've only gone on about 2 1/2 hr flights w/ our kids. But I could see Amsterdam being a lot of fun w/ kids, though I have only been as a college student...it is beautiful & there is a lot to see besides red light, coffeeshops & the sex museum haha. Anne Frank house is a must see but might be tough w/ a 3 yr old who would have trouble w/ the tour from a boredom standpoint.  If you decided to do a train trip elsewhere, I'd do Brugge over Brussels except I think (not really sure) it might be a longer train ride that might not make it a good day trip. (though again, haven't been there w/ kids).

Good luck & I would say it is a great idea to take advantage of it

NADA-H

YES!

I've been there once in June two years ago and I LOVED it. We went on a family trip with my own family before I got married but we were all adults so I haven't been there with kids myself but pretty much everyone down the street was pushing a stroller or walking with kids so I think it is kids friendly?

The Netherlands are beautiful. I'd love to go there again and my husband is actually thinking of finding a job there so that we'd move there for a few years.

I've posted on my blog about our visit to the Rembrandt House museum you can read and see pictures and videos on this link. I thought I posted about the other attractions on my blog but I didn't!

they have a beautiful big zoo, the floriade (but that's in June) which is a great agricultural festival, there is the miniature city, your kids will LOVE it I know I did and my entire family did, they also have a big themed park which is mainly for kids your kids' age with lots of food options the theme park is based on fairy tales, really beautiful. There are canals everywhere and sunday & flee markets, bikes and bike rides, parks, squares, it's beautiful. Just talking about it it made me want to go again! I can dig up the names of those places if you want to

rubber_chicken

My husband and I visited Amsterdam as part of our pre-kid Grand European tour.  It's very family friendly!  Rent a bakfiet for the time you're there and travel like a local! You can also check airbnb for canal houseboat rentals.

ss265

Since I live in the U.S. and my family lives in Singapore, that flight seems short to me. We traveled with my one year old on that journey and he surprisingly took it pretty well but hubby and I decided that we would wait until our kids are at least three before attempting it again. 

That being said, it really depends on the temperament of your kids. Are they avid TV watchers? If so, then make sure the flight you take has individual TV screens and a cartoon channel they can watch. You can also invest in an IPad/tablet, make sure the flight has Wifi and bring your own entertainment for them on that.

Those ages sound perfect to me because they are already potty trained and old enough that they understand where you are going etc. and can hopefully appreciate the new culture they are experiencing. Sounds like a great opportunity to me!

kmr333

There are some great art museums there -- the Van Gough and the Rijks Museum.