Exciting wheelchair-friendly activities for kids in Amsterdam
A wheelchair-accessible swing at De Gibraltar playground in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam has a variety of wheelchair-friendly activities for children of all ages. Read on to find out about some of the best weelchair-friendly things to do in Amsterdam for kids!
What to do
Museums
Nemo Science Museum is a children's museum all about science and technology. The museum includes various interactive exhibitions, experiments and workshops.
The Dutch Resistance Museum is dedicated to the national resistance efforts during WWII. It includes an entire child-friendly section of the museum, the 'Resistance Museum Junior'.
The Rijksmuseum has various child-friendly accessible activities including tours, treasure hunts, drawing lessons, and digital games.
The National Maritime Museum teaches visitors about the history of the Netherlands at sea. It has a number of fun, educational exhibitions for all ages and is equipped with accessible toilets and other wheelchair-friendly facilities.
Micropia is a unique museum all about microbes and bacteria, with various interactive exhibitions for visitors of all ages. It borders onto the accessible Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo.
The EYE Film Museum offers a variety of child-friendly activities, including educational tours, films, and workshops.
The Tropenmuseum is dedicated to global cultures and includes a child-friendly section of the museum.
Body Worlds teaches visitors all about anatomy & physiology of the human body.
All of the above museums have a wheelchair-friendly toilet. For further accessibility details, visit the Museums page.
Canal cruises
The Blue Boat Company offers a wheelchair-friendly canal cruise around Amsterdam. Children receive an interactive audio tour (English/ Dutch), along with a booklet, games, pencils and little binoculars.
Libraries
The OBA Public Library near Amsterdam Central Station has a large selection of children's books. This includes books in Dutch, English, and a variety of other languages. The OBA Public Library in de Bijlmer also has a children's section.
Playgrounds
De Gibraltar is an accessible playground opposite Amsterdam's Westerpark. Opening times are Monday to Saturday from 10:00-17:00.
De Gibraltar includes a wheelchair swing, a wheelchair merry-go-round, a wheelchair-friendly sandpit and accessible play areas.
Includes a cosy cafe to enjoy a coffee, tea, and a chat.
The playground cafe is spacious, with ramps where needed.
As stated on the website, the playground staff are welcoming and aware of different dietary needs.
Includes a spacious accessible toilet with grab rails and a small changing table.
Parks
A number of Amsterdam's parks are wheelchair-friendly and great for a day out with children.
Vondelpark is Amsterdam's largest and most popular park, with 47 hectares of nature in the city centre.
Sarphatipark is located in the lively De Pijp neighbourhood in Amsterdam Zuid (South).
Oosterpark offers a green escape in the east of Amsterdam.
Westerpark is big urban park with a variety of historic buildings, cafes, an ice cream parlour, and even a petting zoo, “City Farm”. City Farm is step-free and spacious, making it ideal to enjoy in a wheelchair.
The parks above all have smooth paths that make them easy to roll through in a wheelchair. Nearby restaurants with wheelchair-friendly toilet facilities include No Rules (formerly known as Vondelpark 3) (Vondelpark), Coffee & Coconuts (Sarphatipark), Park Cafe Hotel Arena (Oosterpark) and Bar Kantoor (Westerpark).
The zoo
ARTIS is Amsterdam's zoo, right in the city centre. For details about the accessibility, see my blog post: How wheelchair-friendly is ARTIS?
Where to eat
Podium Mozaiek has a Mediterranean-influenced menu and serves a delicious Turkish Breakfast on weekends.
Dignita is a charming all-day brunch restaurant in central Amsterdam. The Hoftuin location is wheelchair-friendly.
House of Watt is a casual child-friendly restaurant in the Amsterdam Oost neighbourhood.
Pancakes Amsterdam is a family-friendly restaurant that serves all-day pancakes. The Westermarkt location is wheelchair-friendly.
Cafe-Restaurant Amsterdam is a restaurant near the Westerpark. Their children’s menu includes french fries, burgers, pasta, and other options.
Strandzuid is a unique little waterfront beach getaway in the city.
Stork is a spacious seafood restaurant with a view of the IJ River.
MOJO Japanese Kitchen serves sushi and other Japanese dishes near Amsterdam Central Station. Lunch and dinner discounts available for children aged 4-10 years old.
All of the above restaurants have a wheelchair-friendly toilet. Visit the Restaurants & Cafes page for full accessibility details.
Where to stay
While I do not have personal recommendations for accessible hotels, Accessible Travel Netherlands has a number of hotel suggestions.
Final tips
For an overview of nearby accessible toilets in Amsterdam (and beyond) I recommend the app accessaloo
