Where to stay in Amsterdam with young kids
Most families book the centre. The residential rings are the better base with small children, and one question decides whether an apartment works at all.
Places checked 1 September 2026
Notes on family travel
When we research a trip for one family, most of what we learn is true for anyone travelling with children. That half gets published here, free.
Destinations
See all 3
The week Amsterdam's playgrounds empty out
The Netherlands staggers school holidays across three regions and Amsterdam is not in the one you would guess. The dates, and what each one does to the city.
San Diego with kids
Three different kinds of water within twenty minutes of each other, which beaches are calm enough for a baby, and which well-reviewed places are shut on the day you were going to go.
Method
Planning a day around a nap that has not happened yet
A day with a young child in it has one fixed point and everything else moves. Build outward from the nap rather than fitting it in.
Checklists
Ten things worth checking before a family trip
The ten checks that decide whether a day works, ordered by what each one costs when it is wrong. About two hours for a week away.
Weighing this up against the other ways of planning a trip? All six are compared here, including the free ones.