When you talk to people that have the same passion as you do about traveling you get a lot of ideas and inspiration. I enjoy hearing stories about other people and their travels and especially all the details that we try to apply when my family and I travel. Our next trip idea started from a story telling conversation with my collegue who told me about her travel adventures to the Netherlands and Belgium with her kids. She spoke about the beautiful gardens and the abundance of museums and history for the kids to see in both countries. I was inspired. This trip would be just in time as my kids’ school spring break vaction was approaching. So that is where we decided to go.
Netherlands
The first stop on our visit was the renowned Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe. Keukenhof is known for its abundance of tulips and many other beautiful flowers that covers 79 acres in the “Dune and Bulb Region” of the Netherlands. The garden is typically only open for a short 8 weeks out of the year and yet it still draws so many visitors from all over the world. Walking around the garden you’ll see so many beautiful flowers and the landscape is just incredible. There are also boat rides and bike rentals available for an extra fee. Naturally, the flowers and the many colors make for a beautiful scenic bike ride path that surrounds the park. This was already a tell tell sign of the biking culture you hear about in the Netherlands.
One of the surprising highlights was a French fry vendor just outside the park entrance. As we were were entering the park we noticed a lady holding a huge cone full of fries, and we just had to get some. So we asked her where she got them and she responded, “outside by the parking lot, in the bus.” We were a bit perplexed thinking maybe something was misunderstood in translation, but sure enough just across the lot was a yellow school bus with a big sign that said FRIET, so we got two big orders of fries with mayonnaise for dipping and of course they were delicious!
After we left the park, it was time to settle into our hotel for the evening and for our first night stay here we decided to stay close to the airport (also not too far from Keukenhof) so we could get a good night rest without having to drive too far, but first we had to get dinner. We found a small town center nearby where we got dinner at a local Indonesian restaurant called Toko Pandora. Indonesian food is very popular in the Netherlands, and the place we found was a surprisingly good value, with large portions for an extremely reasonable price. This was plenty of adventure for the first day of sightseeing and we were all ready for a good night rest.
The following day we headed to Amsterdam, so much excitement was obvious on our drive into the city. It was early morning and we were all starving and I had my mind set on sampling some dutch pancakes. And, we did just that at The Pancake Bakery. It’s an excellent location tucked in the lower level under a building along one of the city’s many scenic canals, and their pancakes were yummy! They have many variations available, but we all agreed our favorite was the simple pancake topped with the fresh stroop syrup.
The narrow buildings, canals, and bikes were wonderful sights while strolling around the city. Be mindful that bicyclists are everywhere and something to be aware of more than the cars. All this walking does get my kids exhausted so we always check the maps while traveling to find parks for us to rest. In the middle of Amsterdam we found Vondelpark. We got lucky on this trip with sunny warm weather, where just the day before and even the entire week prior was gloomy and rainy. I always pack a compact picnic mat for us to lounge on and I have a montem brand I bought on Amazon, which truly is useful for this part of the trip. This city and especially the park were full of many locals and tourist just basking under the sun enjoying a nice day.
For our next two nights we discovered a unique place to stay, which was a very nice surprise especially for the kids. We spent two nights on a house boat in a modern marina just outside the city of Amsterdam. This house boat had 2 bedrooms, wifi access, and many modern amenities. Staying at different accomodations on our trips certainly keeps it exciting for the kids and this was no exception, being one of the most interesting places we’ve stayed so far in all our travels. It also worked out well for us because hotel prices inside the city of Amsterdam were a bit expensive at the time we were there, so we saved quite a bit staying outside the city. We also experienced some incredible sunsets here.
Getting to and from Amsterdam city center wasn’t difficult at all. The city of Amsterdam has a lot of small roads, many of which are running along canals, so it can be tricky to drive in the city center. To encourage people to use public transportation and minimize congestion, the city has several Park & Ride (P+R) stations that are conveniently located outside the city. The P+R is an insanely good value and very convenient. It was €8 to park for the day and €7.50 for round trip tickets for 5 people which got us from the P+R station to Amsterdam city center and then back at the end of the day. Just be sure to check the P+R website to see which stations have available spaces as some of the smaller stations tend to fill up early. During one of our days we tried parking at the P+R Noord station however there was a lot of construction going on, and we couldn’t find the designated P+R lot. We ended up parking in a standard lot for the metro station which doesn’t get you the P+R discount however it still wasn’t very expensive (we paid €6), and instead of the discounted P+R transit passes which only get you to the city center, we bought unlimited-trip GVB day passes so we could utilize the entire public transportation system and explore other parts of the city that day.
We headed back to the city the next day and a self-guided boat ride around the canals was our first plan for the day. The large tour boats looked like a lot of fun, but if you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind captaining your own vessel I highly recommend renting your own boat! Most of the rentals we’ve seen are electric boats that seat 6-8 people, they’re relatively inexpensive, and are very easy to drive. We rented from one of the popular vendors called Mokumboot. Be sure to make reservations, especially during peak times, holidays, and sunny weekends. This was easily our favorite thing we did on this trip and if we get the chance to visit Amsterdam again we would do a full day rental. The slow stroll on the boat was such a nice way to see the city without getting tired, and if you see something interesting or if you get hungry, you can find any open space along the canal to moor your boat, hop out, and grab your lunch to enjoy back on the boat! For our ‘local’ experience, we stopped at Konigsplein square (between the Singel and Herengracht canals) where bought some Dutch tulips at a flower stall to look pretty, some local Gouda cheese, fries, fried cod fish, some pickled herring, and Heineken to enjoy on our canal cruise. After our boat ride, we continued to stroll the city and found many cute shops. The kids loved The Mouse Mansion which is operated by a couple who authors children’s books featuring stories about tiny mice. The shop is just lovely, full of miniature scenery with tiny mice showing their stories, and the details of how all the settings are made is fascinating.
Another place that we had to visit was the Albert Cuyp Market in the district De Pijp. There are vendors selling all sorts of various things, but we came for only two items: stroopwaffles (thin waffles with a layer of sugary syrup in the middle) and poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes). When we finally got them they were even more delicious, steaming hot and fresh straight from the pans.
Amsterdam has plenty of Museums, many of which require early advance reservations. As we had not planned for this, we weren’t able to visit any of the museums. There are same-day tickets available, requiring you to visit the museum websites and enter a virual queue, however we tried this and were still unable to get any tickets.
We weren’t too upset because this made a good reason to come back to this wonderful city. Sometimes it is just impossible to fit everything on a trip, however that’s just the reality of traveling. You have to adapt. We still did quite a bit for the short amount of time we spent in this city.
Last but not least, I’d like to just mention some of the things that are legal in Amsterdam. This city is uniquely open to some things that are maybe not as socially nor legally accepted in most other countries in the world. Things like prostitution and marijuana are out in the open. If you have kids like we do just pay attention where you’re going and it’s pretty easy to avoid seeing it, especially since those things are mostly concentrated to just a few blocks in the old city. We’re not exactly trying to shelter our kids and pretend these things don’t exist, but on the other hand we don’t need to directly expose them to it, especially if it just means walking down a different street to avoid it.
My family and I had a great time here in the city and there were still plenty of things for the whole family to enjoy.
After our day in the city and another great night sleep on the houseboat, we checked out and drove up north to the Zaanse Schans which was absolutely beautiful. It was slightly touristy with a steady flow of tour buses dropping people off, but there was plenty of open space so it didn’t feel crowded at all. This cute little Dutch village is very picturesqe and gives you an idea of how things were in the old days, complete with a windmill museum. There are plenty of working windmills to see here, some of which were actually transferred to the this village to avoid the urban development of their original locations. You can even do a tour inside of some to see up close how they work. The Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farmstore is also located inside the village where we sampled various delicious cheeses and ended up purchasing a few to enjoy on our travels. There are plenty of other shops for souveniers, and there are even some barn animals the kids got to feed. We easily spent an enjoyable and relaxing 2 hours here wandering around and soaking in all the sights, then it was time to get back on the road and head to our next place to visit: Bruges, Belgium. But not after a brief detour to another highlight of our trip.
My husband loves oysters and as soon as he heard I wanted to plan a trip to the Netherlands, one of the first things he did was find an oyster farm to visit. He has been talking about this one particular oyster farm several weeks before the trip and convinced me to stop by on our way from Amsterdam to Bruges. I am so glad he did! It was a slight detour along a very scenic drive to a little town by the water that has been cultivating oysters for years. The day we visited was very windy and oh so cold, much different from the prior two days when it was warm and sunny.
There were not too many restaurants or stores in this town and we easily picked the one restaurant that was obviously open and had people dining in it. As you enter the front of the restaurant you get an open view of the oyster farm. They specialize in local Dutch oysters and feature many other seafood platters. They also specialize in lobsters, with a retail market out front that has a tank full of oysters of various sizes. It’s apparently popular with the locals because the entire time we were dining there was a steady stream of customers buying lobsters and bags of oysters to take home to eat. The owner was very friendly and we especially appreciated him taking the time to come over and talk to my kids. After lunch we strolled through the property and saw plenty of oysters inside the water that were freshly harvested and ready for processing. The entire site is set up like a little museum showcasing the history of their oysters and their farm. It was a charming little place.
It was time to leave the oyster farm and drive to Belgium.
Here’s a map of all the places we’ve visited up to this point in the trip (showing the Netherlands only destinations)
Belgium
BRUGES
Our first stop in Belgium was the town of Bruges, which was only a quick one and a half hour drive from the Oyster farm.
When we arrived in Bruges, it was even more magical than it looks in pictures (and in that movie that was filmed there). Just driving into the old medieval town through the grand gate and over the stone roads gave us this dreamy feeling. We were fortunate to reserve an underground parking space at the hotel where we stayed, because parking can be a bit challenging in any of the old historic medieval towns throughout Europe if you can drive in at all, and being able to park directly at the hotel was extremely convenient.
After a quick check in at the hotel, I took a nap with my girls while my husband headed off on his own and discovered the Beer Wall. It was an interesting attraction featuring bottles of various Belgian beers, but the real attraction is the bar where it’s located. They have all Belgian beers on tap, and not just from the major producers but from all sorts of independent and smaller brewers. Combined with great prices and an amazing view outside of the canal, it’s a must stop for anyone who enjoys a good beer.
After we woke up from our nap, we walked around the town to meet up with my husband, not before getting lost and wandering the streets with the girls, taking a ton of pictures and seeing all sorts of interesting things. Being in the car for a few hours my little ones were just so thrilled to be outdoors, let alone an old mysterious looking town with some neat buildings and small cobblestone streets. Eventually we met up with the husband and made it to the Market Square in Bruges. This is where the historic Bruges tower is. Being night time, the tower was closed and we weren’t able to walk up. There are numerous cafes and restaurants around the market square which provide outdoor seating to enjoy a snack, drink, or meal. The kids were hungry and of course wanting more fries, we got some at Friterie 1900. (Despite the so-so reviews of this place, the fries were fresh and hot and tasted great, especially with an orange Fanta to wash them down.)
Night time set in quickly and the town transformed, with much less pedestrian traffic. It was fun being the only people wandering down the cobblestone streets, some of which were along canals. We were all getting hungry and stumbled upon a nice place for dinner, Brugge Die Scone. The town of Bruges sees its share of tourists, and there are numerous restaurants catering to them with menus in 10 or more different languages. This restaurant was no exception, however the prices were very reasonable and it was a great location. The food was surprisingly good too, especially for a last minute decision that we didn’t have time to research.
The next day we woke up and I got some pastries for breakfast along with fresh coffee. We also saw a boat tour that went around the canals and when my girl saw a bunch of white swans by the water, she just had to run over to see them up close. We walked around checking out the various shops and the open market in Burg Square. This farmers market is open on Wednesdays from 8am to 1:30 PM. We got there just in time and got some delicious roasted chicken. My husband found a vendor selling steamed mussels which were delicious. This is also a great way to save some money while traveling, by eating at outdoor markets instead of at a sit-down full service restaurant.
Belgium is known for its chocolate, and there were so many different chocolate shops around Bruges. Leonidas is one of our favorites becuase it’s such a great value for a quality chocolate. We also stopped by several other high end chocolate shops and bought a few individual pieces. While delicious, we kept going back to Leonidas. I highly recommend any of their caramel filled chocolates, especially the squares!
Another night in Bruges would have been fun, but one night was plenty to do some quick sightseeing and enjoy the views both in person and capturing them in photos. It was time to head on to our next destination: Brussels
Brussels
The hotel we picked in Brussels was another interesting place: an old factory that had been renovated into a ‘hip trendy urban hotel’ (a.k.a. hipster hotel). They offer standard hotel rooms, but also have another section with hostel-like amenities with shared dorm-style rooms and shared bathrooms. We had a standard room for the family, complete with six beds and a private bathroom. The room was quite large by European standards and very modern and clean. The hotel featured an on site bar, laundry room, and a very large kitchen available for anyone to use. There was also a gameroom for the kids with some toys for the little ones and a few arcade games for the big kids like my husband. This hotel was in a very nice location, conveniently located close to a metro station which allowed us to easily get to the old city. We could have walked, but taking the metro saved us some time and kept our legs fresh for some walking around the old city.
We first visited the Grand-Place (Grand Square), which is the central square of Brussels. This place is a must visit. It’s a huge town square surrounded by opulent buildings. We grabbed an outdoor table at a cafe on the square for a quick snack and drink and soaked in the sights. At this point evening was setting in and it got cold, however the cafe had plenty of wool blankets available to keep us cozy. Having been traveling for a few days now, I just remember this was a nice relaxing break with a great view of the square.
No visit to Brussels would be complete without snapping a picture of Manneken Pis, the urinating statue.
We strolled back to our hotel, exploring several small streets, and stopping to get a few waffles (not just one!) from the various vendors.
The not so glam part about traveling with a family of 5 and only carrying backpacks was laundry. So this had to be tackled quickly so we could explore more of the city. Luckily the hotel we stayed in had a laundry machines. After some the laundry, we headed to our room to get another good night sleep. Busy travels and doing so much in such a short time ensure that we sleep well.
On our last day, we headed back out to explore more of the city. We discoverd a wonderful little outdoor market-style seafood restaurant called Noordzee – Mer du Nord, where we got more oysters, steamed razor clams, mussels in garlic wine sauce, and their signature fish chowder. All of which were delicious and fresh, with the chowder piping hot to warm us up on the chilly morning.
Being the last day and traveling home the next day, I had to get some chocolates to take home, both to share with family and friends and some to eat myself. I normally don’t take home too many things but Brussels was an exception so I brought home a lot of chocolates.
My husband visited the Brasserie Cantillon, which is a very popular brewery making a very unique style of beer. There, he did a self-guided tour of the brewery which included some samples at the end. Then before returning to the hotel, he stopped at a great bar nearby for a few samplers of other local beers as well. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but according to him both of these places should be visited by anyone who enjoys beer. For more info on his visit to Brasserie Cantillon and the Moeder Lambic bar, see my separate post about them.
This trip had a little of everything for the whole family to enjoy. Every part of it was just perfect for us. We loved the sightseeing, food, and drinks in both of the countries we visited.