Amsterdam is an expensive city to visit, but it’s a surprisingly cheap one to actually live in with kids, if you know where to look. Between the parks, the free ferries, and a handful of petting zoos scattered across the city, you can fill an entire weekend without opening your wallet once. This isn’t a “hidden gems” list either. Most of these spots are exactly where Amsterdam parents already take their own kids on a Saturday.
Here’s our running list of free things to do with kids in Amsterdam, organised by what you’re actually looking for: somewhere to run around, an animal to meet, a boat to ride, or somewhere to sit down when everyone’s tired.
Amsterdam’s best free playgrounds and parks
Vondelpark is the obvious starting point, and it earns it. The park has several separate play areas rather than one big playground, so you can pick based on your kids’ ages. The newest is the Klauterpad, a climbing trail woven between the trees near the Willemsparkbrug entrance, built from timber and rope rather than plastic. Near the Groot Melkhuis café there’s an enclosed playground with a zipline and a toddler-only corner, plus a paddling pool for hot days. In June through early September, the open-air theatre in the park puts on free children’s shows on weekend afternoons, worth timing a visit around if you’re there in summer.
Oosterpark, east of the centre, gets less tourist traffic and has one of the better climbing structures in the city, a long timber “play garland” that winds through part of the park with different climbing challenges along its length. There’s a separate, gentler area for younger kids nearby, and a wading pool for summer. It sits right by the terrace of Hotel Arena, so if you’ve got a coffee habit to feed, that’s your spot.
For something bigger, Amsterdamse Bos is the forest on the city’s southern edge, technically in Amstelveen but a short bike or bus ride from Amsterdam itself. It has two dedicated playgrounds within the forest, open space for scooters and balance bikes, and the Bosbaan rowing lake to walk or cycle around. It’s the kind of place where a free afternoon can genuinely turn into a full day, so bring snacks and don’t over-plan it.
Free animals your kids can actually pet
Amsterdam has close to twenty kinderboerderijen, city farms, and nearly all of them are free to walk into. The one worth the special trip is Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve, a working goat farm tucked inside Amsterdamse Bos. Entry costs nothing, though a small donation is appreciated, and kids can buy a cup of feed for a few cents to hand-feed the goats. It’s open Wednesday to Monday, roughly 10:00 to 17:00, and closed on Tuesdays.
Closer to the centre, the petting zoo inside Amstelpark sits right next to the park’s playground, with goats, rabbits, chickens and a couple of donkeys, open daily. It pairs naturally with the rest of the park, which also has a mini-golf course and a small children’s train if you want to stretch the visit and don’t mind spending a few euros. In De Pijp, Kinderboerderij De Pijp is smaller and more of a neighbourhood spot, but it’s free, low-key, and a good option if you’re already staying south of the centre and don’t want to trek out to the forest.
Free rides and views on the water
The single best free activity in Amsterdam with young kids might just be the ferries across the IJ, departing constantly from behind Centraal Station. You don’t buy a ticket, you don’t tap a card, you just walk on with the bikes and the buggies and ride across to Amsterdam Noord. The Buiksloterweg route runs 24 hours and departs roughly every six minutes during the day. For most toddlers, five minutes on open water with the wind in their face beats most paid attractions in the city, and if you’re already in Noord, it’s an easy excuse for pancakes or a play at NDSM before heading back.
Less known: the rooftop of NEMO Science Museum is open to everyone, museum ticket or not. You reach it via steps on the building’s east side, and it’s free every day from 10:00 to 17:30, later on Thursdays in summer. You get one of the better skyline views in the city, plus enough open space up there for kids to run around, without paying the museum’s entrance fee at all. If you do want to go inside, that’s a paid ticket, but the roof alone is worth the stop.
Markets, libraries and other free indoor stops
When the weather turns, the OBA library at Oosterdok is one of the best free indoor spots in the city with kids. The children’s section on the lower floor is enormous, with a good English-language collection, low seating built for small bodies, and a three-metre model of the Mouse Mansion dollhouse that keeps kids occupied for a surprising length of time. Upstairs, the library’s rooftop terrace is open to the public from roughly April through October and has one of the better free views in the city, plus a café if you need a coffee.
For something livelier, Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp costs nothing to walk through and gives kids a genuinely different kind of stimulation than a park. It’s open Monday to Saturday, closed Sundays, and even if you’re not buying anything, the noise, the stroopwafel smell, and the sheer number of stalls make it worth a slow wander. Go on a weekday morning if you want to actually move a buggy through it, Saturdays get properly packed.
A few practical tips
- Bring your own snacks and water. None of these spots are expensive, but cafés inside parks add up fast if you’re stopping at every one.
- Free doesn’t mean empty. Vondelpark and the ferries get busy on sunny weekends, so if you can go on a weekday, do.
- Check the weather before committing to an outdoor plan. If it turns, the OBA library or NEMO’s rooftop (which has some covered seating) are easy fallbacks, or see our rainy day guide for indoor options.
- Most of these are genuinely stroller-friendly, but the goat farm and forest paths get muddy after rain, pack shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.
None of this requires much planning, which is really the point. If you’re building out a longer visit, our weekend in Amsterdam with kids guide mixes in a few paid stops alongside days like these, and if you’re travelling with a toddler specifically, our toddler survival guide covers naps, buggies, and which of these spots actually work at that age. On a wet day, our indoor playgrounds guide has paid backups worth knowing about, and if you want a proper museum day, see our guide to Amsterdam’s best kid-friendly museums. For more spots year-round, browse our directory of places.
FAQ
Is Amsterdam expensive with kids?
Museums, canal cruises and attractions add up quickly, but the city’s parks, playgrounds, petting zoos and ferries cost nothing, so a genuinely full day out is possible without spending anything beyond food.
What’s the single best free thing to do with kids in Amsterdam?
The ferries across the IJ from behind Centraal Station. They’re free, run constantly, take buggies and bikes without any fuss, and most kids love them more than attractions you pay for.
Are the petting zoos really free?
Yes. Amstelpark’s petting zoo, Kinderboerderij De Pijp, and the Ridammerhoeve goat farm in Amsterdamse Bos are all free to enter, though the goat farm welcomes a small donation and charges a few cents for feed.
