If you’ve got a recommendation about accessible child-friendly places in Amsterdam, I’d love to hear it! Click here to send me a message.
ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
Located in Amsterdam’s Plantage neighbourhood, Artis Royal Zoo was founded in the early 1800’s. The zoo is home to a diverse range of animals and wildlife, from reptiles, birds and butterflies, to elephants, giraffes and chimpanzees. Click here to visit Artis’s official website or click here to jump straight to the accessibility page.
- Outdoor entrance via large open gate
- Lifts
- Free entry for wheelchair chaperone
- Wheelchairs available for visitors to borrow
- Accessible toilets with support rails
- Service dogs permitted along special route (note: service dogs must have all required vaccinations)
- Close to public transportation (1 min)
- 5 disabled parking spaces; however they are the width of a standard parking space.
Body Worlds
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
Body Worlds is an exciting museum all about the anatomy & physiology of the human body. Click here to visit the Body Worlds Amsterdam website.
- Automatic entrance doors
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Mobility scooters permitted
- Reduced ticket price for wheelchair users as a small part of the museum is inaccessible
- Close to public transportation (6 min)
- Small part of exhibition located in basement, which is not wheelchair accessible.
Child-friendly Canal Cruise
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
A canal cruise is undoubtedly one of the best ways to tour around Amsterdam. Blue Boat Company offers a child-friendly canal cruise. Children’s tickets come with binoculars and a pirate activity book, as well as a children’s audio guide in English or Dutch. Click here to read more about child-friendly cruises or visit the Blue Boat Company website.
Six out of 15 boats are wheelchair accessible via the wheelchair-friendly dock at Stadhouderskade 501. If you would like to reserve tickets and ensure that you get an accessible boat, please call the afternoon before/ morning of your cruise. Reservations can then be made for a suitable boat and departure time. To make a reservation, email reservations@blueboat.nl or call +31 (0) 20 679 1370
- Wheelchair-friendly entrance to boat via platform lift
- Electric wheelchairs permitted (note: it must fit through a standard doorframe)
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (5 min)
- No accessible toilet onboard
- Mobility scooters are not permitted
Dutch Resistance Museum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM CITY CENTRE
The Resistance Museum is dedicated to sharing the stories of the Dutch resistance efforts during World War II. The Resistance Museum has a special child-friendly section – the ‘Junior Resistance Museum’. This section includes various interactive educational activities. Click here to visit the Resistance Museum website or read more about the Junior Resistance Museum.
- Manually operated entrance doors
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow
- Free admission for wheelchair chaperone (and chaperones of visitors who are visually or hearing impaired)
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (12 min)
- Wheelchair-friendly parking space in front of museum
- Some displays in the exhibitions are difficult to see if you are seated in a wheelchair
Eye Film Museum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM noord (north)
With its fascinating exhibitions and cinemas, the EYE Film Museum is Amsterdam’s museum dedicated to film. Here, visitors can watch films, learn about the history of film and discover how it works. The EYE Film Museum boasts a variety of child-friendly activities, including fun and educational tours, films and workshops. Click here to visit the museum website.
Please email info@eyefilm.nl to reserve a mobility aid in advance. If you are planning a visit to EYE’s cinemas, please also inform the museum staff via email.
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Wheelchair and rollator available for visitors to borrow (reserve via email)
- 2 wheelchair seating places reserved in each cinema
- Close to public transportation (3 min)
- 2 wheelchair-friendly parking spaces in the A'DAM tower parking lot
Madame Tussauds
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM CITY CENTRE
Located near Dam Square and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Madame Tussauds is a wax museum home to wax models of your favourite celebrities and famous faces – from Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana and Barack Obama to Bob Marley, Nicolas Cage and Zayn Malik. Click here to visit the Madame Tussauds Amsterdam website.
Fire regulations only permit 2 wheelchair users in the museum at one time. If you would like to visit Madame Tussauds Amsterdam in a wheelchair, the museum recommends making a reservation beforehand. Call: +31 (0) 20 522 10 10
- Ramp at entrance with automatic doors
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Service dogs permitted (please call the museum beforehand)
- Close to public transportation (9 min)
- Not suitable for battery operated electric wheelchairs or mobility scooters
Micropia
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
Micropia is a fascinating and unique museum all about microbes! The museum has various interactive exhibitions that are enjoyable and educational for visitors of all ages. Click here for more information.
If you will be visiting with a mobility aid, the museum asks that visitors visit the reception desk upon arrival. A member of staff will then use a key card to provide access to the lift.
- Automatic entrance doors
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (9 min)
- Disabled parking spaces in ARTIS car park; however they are the width of a standard parking space.
- The lockers are not wheelchair accessible (staircase only)
- Some interactive activities are not accessible to wheelchair users
National Maritime Museum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
The Maritime Museum in Amsterdam highlights the deep connection between The Netherlands, Dutch culture, and the sea. It holds a number of fun and interesting exhibitions for all ages, and even includes a historic VOC ship. Click here to visit the Maritime Museum website.
- Lifts
- Accessible toilets with support rails on each floor
- A limited number of wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (3 min)
- Disabled parking spaces at nearby Kattenburgerstraat parking lot
- Mobility scooters are not permitted
NEMO Science Museum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
NEMO Science Museum is a fantastic child-friendly museum about science and technology. The museum includes various interactive exhibitions, experiments and workshops. Click here for more information.
- Lifts
- Accessible toilets with support rails on all floors except 3rd floor
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (8 min)
- Accessible terrace with beautiful views
- The rooftop exhibitions are not wheelchair accessible (due to access via staircase)
OBA Public Library (Oosterdokskade)
location: amsterdam city centre
The OBA Public Library at Oosterdokskade is a lovely large modern facility well-equipped for visitors with reduced mobility. One of the floors includes a large selection of English-language books, as well as DVDs, sheet music, and much more. Unlike the OBA Public Library in Amsterdam South East, the city centre location offers FREE Wi-Fi for all visitors.
The OBA Public Library is very child-friendly, with a whole floor dedicated to (international) children’s picture books, novels, and more.
Click here to visit the OBA Public Library website. Please note: the review below is specifically about the OBA at Oosterdokskade 143.
- Entrance has a revolving door (with wheelchair button to slow it down). A platform lift takes you into the main library.
- Lifts
- Accessible toilets with support rails
- Close to public transportation (10 min)
- Many books Dutch, English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian books available
- Wifi is available for FREE for all visitors.
- Accessible restaurant with outdoor terrace
- Certain books are located on high shelves and not within wheelchair-reach
Rijksmuseum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
The Rijksmuseum is one of Amsterdam’s most iconic museums. Dedicated to art and history, it is home to a vast selection of artwork including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid. The museum has various child-friendly accessible activities including tours, treasure hunts, drawing lessons, and digital games. Click here to visit the Rijksmuseum website or read more child-friendly activities like the family activity guide.
Additional useful information: The Rijksmuseum offers special maps showing wheelchair-friendly routes and toilets. Visitors unable to wait in line for medical reasons can obtain a Fast Pass.
Click here to read more about the museum’s accessibility. To reserve a wheelchair, rollator, walking stick or foldable chair, please email: groepen@rijksmuseum.nl
- Entrance via lift
- Lifts
- Accessible toilets with support beams
- Mobility scooters allowed
- Wheelchairs, rollators, canes and foldable chairs available to borrow
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (5 min)
- Wheelchair-friendly parking spaces nearby
- Free admission for wheelchair chaperone
- The museum does not have official changing tables and facilities for adults. However, there is a first aid bed/table in a private closed off area. Please let a member of staff at the information desk know if you would like to use these facilities.
Ripley's Believe it Or Not
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM city CENTRE
Ripley’s Believe it Or Not is home to hundreds of artefacts, fascinating oddities, optical illusions, and all things strangely entertaining. Click here to visit the official website.
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails on 2nd floor
- Mobility scooters allowed
- Close to public transportation (3 min)
- Wheelchair users who buy tickets at the museum (*not online*) get a discount of 7.50 euros
- If you would like to use the lift, please speak to a member of staff at the front desk. You will be provided with a lift access card.
Tropenmuseum
LOCATION: AMSTERDAM oost (east)
Located in a spectacular historic building, the Tropenmuseum has a variety of permanent and changing exhibitions dedicated to global cultures. The museum also has a special child-friendly section for families and younger visitors. Click here to visit the Tropenmuseum website or read more about the Junior Tropenmuseum.
Additional useful information: Extra personalised tours are available.
- Entrance doors are manually operated
- Lift
- Accessible toilet with support rails
- Several wheelchairs available for visitors to borrow
- Service dogs permitted
- Close to public transportation (5 min)
- Two wheelchair-friendly parking spaces available at the adjacent Amsterdam Tropen Hotel (free for disabled parking permit holders).
- Free admission for wheelchair chaperone
- Mobility scooters are not permitted
