3 Days in Amsterdam with Kids: Museums, NEMO, ARTIS and Zaanse Schans

<p>Three days in Amsterdam with children: the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, both free for under-18s with a booked ticket, then NEMO and the ARTIS zoo, and a day at Zaanse Schans. With the timed-ticket, free-entry and stroller rules from each place's own information.</p>

Last checked: November 2026. Every fact here comes from our attraction pages, which record each place’s own information, checked in November 2026. Prices are as listed there. Opening times and prices change, so confirm before you go.

Amsterdam’s museums run almost entirely on timed tickets, and some of the best-known ones are free for under-18s only if you still book them a ticket. This plan spreads the big museums over the first day, gives the second to NEMO and the ARTIS zoo, and takes you out to Zaanse Schans on the third. It also covers the options for a rainy day or older children. Every place below has its own page on JuniorTravelClub.

At a glance

• Day 1: Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum
• Day 2: NEMO Science Museum and ARTIS
• Day 3: Zaanse Schans
• Swap-ins: the Anne Frank House, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, the Moco Museum and the Zuiderzeemuseum

Before you go

Book every ticket, even the free ones

Timed entry is the rule here, and children are included:

• Rijksmuseum: everyone must book a starting time, including children and Museumkaart holders.
• Van Gogh Museum: under-18s get in free, but each still needs their own ticket, valid only on the day and time you choose.
• NEMO: every ticket has a start time.
• Anne Frank House: entry is by online timed-slot ticket only, including young children and museum-card holders.
• Royal Palace: each ticket is for a chosen date and starting time.

Know who goes free

• Rijksmuseum: everyone up to 18 gets in free; adults pay €25.
• Van Gogh Museum: under-18s go free. Our page lists adults at €25 from an undated ticket page, so check the current price.
• Moco Museum: children up to 4 get in free.
• Zuiderzeemuseum: children aged 0 to 3 go free.
• Zaanse Schans: visiting the area is free.

Bring a card

The Rijksmuseum doesn’t accept cash anywhere in the museum, so pay by debit card, credit card or another digital method.

Day 1: Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum

Start at the Rijksmuseum, open every day from 9am to 5pm, including all holidays. One booking covers at most 15 people, of whom at most 5 can be aged 18 or under, so a large family group may need two bookings. Once inside, you can stay as long as you like until closing time, so you only need to get the start time right. Free tickets can be cancelled, but paid tickets are non-refundable. The Café, the shop and the gardens are open 9am to 6pm, and the gardens make a useful break between galleries.

In the afternoon, use a second time slot at the Van Gogh Museum. Book each child’s free ticket along with the adults’. Purchased tickets aren’t refunded. Visitors who can’t move through the museum independently may bring a companion free, audio tour included.

Two big museums in a day is a lot for young children, so you could keep one of them for a rainy morning later in the trip. Our tips for big museums with kids can help either way.

Day 2: NEMO and ARTIS

Spend the morning at NEMO. Pick your start time before you go. NEMO says weekdays after 14:00 are often quieter, so on a weekday you could swap the order and do ARTIS first. Lockers are in the entrance hall on floor 0, next to the ticket desk and shop. The rooftop square, the Dakplein, is open daily from 10:00 to 17:30, with the Museumrestaurant and Serrebar and a large terrace, plus a second terrace with a kiosk by the butterfly garden.

Then head to ARTIS, the city’s zoo. Trams 7 and 14 stop at ARTIS/Holocaust Museum, right in front of the main entrance, and the closest metro station is Waterlooplein, a fifteen-minute walk away. All restrooms in the park are accessible, including for wheelchair and mobility-scooter users. If you drive, ARTIS has its own car park at a reduced visitor rate.

Day 3: Zaanse Schans

On the last day, go out to Zaanse Schans. Visiting the area is free. Take Meerplus bus 800 or 801, or the train to Zaanse Schans station. If you drive, parking is limited and there can be waits at the car park, so a P+R is recommended.

For lunch, the pancake restaurant De Kraai is at Kraaienpad 1, next to the car park and entrance. It’s open 9:00 to 17:00 from November to February and 9:00 to 18:00 from March to October.

Swap-in options

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House is about 20 minutes’ walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Our page lists adults at €16.50, ages 10 to 17 at €7.00 and ages 0 to 9 at €1.00, each including a €1.00 booking fee. Only your start time is fixed, and a free audio tour in nine languages is included. Tickets can’t be exchanged or refunded. Part of the museum is a canal house with steep stairs and small rooms, and not every room is accessible to everyone, which matters with a pushchair. Decide for yourselves whether the subject suits your children’s ages.

Royal Palace of Amsterdam

At the Royal Palace, adults pay €13.50. Prams are allowed, but child carriers worn on the back aren’t; you can leave them at the free cloakroom.

Moco Museum

The Moco Museum is free for children up to 4, and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Strollers can’t come inside because of stairs and no lifts, but the crew will let you park one in the garden. Arrive at the start of your time slot for guaranteed entry; there’s a 5-minute margin. It opens 09:00 to 18:00 from Sunday to Thursday and to 20:00 on Friday and Saturday.

Zuiderzeemuseum

For a day out of the city, the Zuiderzeemuseum lists adults at €21.00 at the till or €19.50 online, children aged 4 to 12 at €14.00 or €13.00, and a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children up to 12 at €56.00 or €52.00 online. One ticket covers both locations. Ask in advance if you want to bring a pram or buggy, because they’re only allowed with the museum’s permission.

Good to know with kids

• Book everything, including free tickets for children. Timed slots are the norm.
• Pack light for small museums. The Moco Museum and the Anne Frank House both have stairs, and the Royal Palace doesn’t allow back carriers.
• Use the trams. ARTIS has a tram stop right at its entrance.
• Carry a card. The Rijksmuseum is cashless.
• Pack for a city break. See our city break with a toddler packing list.

Next steps

Travelling further? See our Netherlands and Belgium with kids route. Planning the next city? See 3 days in Rome with kids or 3 days in London with kids.