Bike riding in Amsterdam with kids at the Vondelpark

With two 8-year old boys in tow, one of our favorite things to do is go bike riding both at home in Seattle and when we travel.  When we went to Amsterdam in February, we were worried it would be too cold or that the weather would be too rainy but we really wanted to bike there.  We were staying at the Hotel Roemer near a park called the Vondelpark and I thought it would be a great place to ride bikes if we had a bit of good weather in Amsterdam and the location near the park was one of the main reasons why I chose the hotel.

Visiting the Rikjmuseum with kids in Amsterdam

We started a rainy morning eating pancakes, strolling by the flower market, snacking on cheese in the cheese shops  and then stopped at the Rikjmuseum for a dry indoor activity.  The kids especially loved seeing the library-it was definitely a magical one.  And there was a beautiful art room where they colored for a while.  We ate a light lunch there and had the most gorgeous coffee.  But our boys still had a lot of energy we needed to burn off.

Bike Riding in the Vondlepark with kids in Amsterdam

So thankfully by the afternoon the sky cleared up.  I read online that A-bike Vondelpark had bikes suitable for my kids that you can book online in advance but we just walked in and were able to rent for a few hours.  This was a perfect amount of time.  We cycled around the Vondelpark and checked out the Kinderkook Kafe, a cafe I read about where kids get to cook their own food, but I think it was more suited to younger children so we biked on.

Amsterdam has cool playgrounds for kids!

We found some fabulous playgrounds where the kids climbed for a while and I am so thankful that my kids still love to play on playgrounds.  There was one with high net climbing structures where they raced like squirrels above our heads.  Another playground had a fantastically huge slide that they enjoyed squealing down in the dark.

I was surprised at how many people were biking through the park even though it was pretty chilly and late February.  Seeing so many bikes everywhere made us love Amsterdam so much. We warmed up with at a cafe in the middle of the park and the hot chocolate and apple pie we ate there were really delicious.

This was such a fun way for us all to be active and hang out in Amsterdam and we would love to go back and bike there again one day.

(PS. Have you been to the Vondelpark in Amsterdam?  There were some birds there that looked like parrots that I was mesmerized with.  Does anyone know if these birds are actually parrots?)

(PPS. Do you bike with your kids?  I’d love to hear where you like to bike!)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)