Family Fun in Amsterdam

Description:

At NEMO, embrace your inner child and use all five senses to learn about science and technology in a hands-on environment, with subjects ranging from elements and energy to sports performance and space. If you need a break, head to the roof terrace, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the harbor view. NEMO is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Mondays in June, July and August. Admission is €13.50, ages four and up. You can also host an event or bring your school group.

-Jessica E. Lipowski, Amsterdam Local Expert

Our Local Expert Says:

While this museum is under renovation until 2009, their impressive VOC-replica ship is docked next to the NEMO museum.

Description:

Housed in a building dating from the 17th Golden Age, this museum shares the history of the force behind that magical time of wealth and world domination--the city's shipping trade. When the museum is not undergoing renovation, they have a large library of interest to researchers and a replica of an 18th-century trading vessel docked beside the building.

Our Local Expert Says:

Great for adults and kids, this is a peaceful oasis within walking distance of the city centre.

Description:

Established in 1838, this is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and houses more than 6,000 animals from 1,400 species in excellent conditions, not normally associated with a city zoo. The zoo is themed into continents and combines native plants and animals. There's also an excellent Planetarium and a Geological and Zoological Museum. The Aquarium, built in 1882 and renovated in the late 1990s, is superbly presented, particularly the sections about the Amazon River, coral reefs, and Amsterdam's own canals. Finally, there's a children's farm, where kids can help tend to the needs of resident Dutch species, including moorland sheep, long-haired Veluwe goats, and tufted ducks. Enhancements proceed apace: An Insectarium opened in 2005 and a Butterfly Garden in 2006. In 2011 a further expansion and upgrade of the zoo is taking place. Outside of the zoo entrance are a number of excellent cafes and restaurants which cater for the locals just as much as visitors.

Description:

Experience the life of world-renowned artist Rembrandt van Rijn by visiting his home and studio. See where he lived, gathered inspiration, produced his work and taught pupils. From paintings and drawings to etchings and copper plates, the museum owns almost all of his work and rotates the displays. Demonstrations of paint preparation and etchings, as well as children's activities, are offered daily. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00, charging €10 for adults and €3 for children ages 6 to 17. Tours are available upon request.

-Jessica E. Lipowski, Amsterdam Local Expert

Our Local Expert Says:

Best pancakes!

Description:

Climb the very narrow stairs and you will find yourself in Pannenkoeken Upstairs, quite possibly Amsterdam's smallest restaurant, and definitely the best place to get pancakes. Located in one room with only a few tables, you can chat with the owner as he prepares your pancake in a small corner of the room. From the ceiling hang many teapots, adding to the offbeat, quirky style of this restaurant.

Description:

In summer, you may have to wait an hour or more to get in, but you shouldn't miss seeing and experiencing this house. It's a typical Amsterdam canal house, with very steep interior stairs where eight people from three separate families lived together in silence for more than 2 years during World War II. The hiding place Otto Frank found for his family, the van Pels family, and Fritz Pfeffer kept them safe until, tragically, close to the end of the war, when it was raided by Nazi forces and its occupants were deported to concentration camps. It was in this house that Anne, whose ambition was to be a writer, kept her famous diary as a way to deal with both the boredom and her youthful array of thoughts, which had as much to do with personal relationships as with the war and the Nazi terror raging outside. Visiting the rooms in which she hid is a moving and eerily real experience.

During the war, the building was an office and warehouse, and its rooms are still as bare as they were when Anne's father returned, the only survivor of the eight onderduikers (divers, or hiders). Nothing has been changed, except that protective Plexiglas panels now protect the wall on which Anne pinned up photos of her favorite actress, Deanna Durbin, and of the little English princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. As you tour the small building, it's easy to imagine Anne's experience growing up in this place, awakening as a young woman, and writing down her secret thoughts.

To avoid lines, get there as early as possible -- and while this advice isn't as useful as it used to be, because everybody is giving and heeding it, it should still save you some waiting time. A better, strategy if you're in town from mid-March to mid-September, when the museum is open until 9pm, is to go in the evening; it's usually quiet then. Next door, at no. 265-267, is a modern wing for temporary exhibits. A bronze sculpture of Anne stands on nearby Westermarkt.

Our Local Expert Says:

Want to make a good impression? Bring along a gift of a cat toy, stack of old newspapers, or monetary donation.

Description:

In 1966, Henriette van Weelde took pity on a stray cat and her kittens, and many strays later became known as "the cat lady." People would bring their unwanted cats to her until her home was filled. So, she decided to buy them a home of their own…in a houseboat. Run by volunteers, the Poezenboot is now probably the most famous cat sanctuary in the world and receives regular visitors--the curious as well as those looking for new feline friends of their own.