Vondelpark, Volendam and the Ice Rink
A free Saturday-afternoon family theatre slot running all summer in the middle of Vondelpark is the kind of thing that would anchor a whole page on most cities’ tourism sites, and it barely gets mentioned here.
Vondelpark’s Saturday family theatre, free and easy to miss
The Openluchttheater runs a fixed weekly pattern through its roughly 125-performance, May-to-mid-September season: Friday evening dance, Saturday afternoon family theatre specifically, Saturday evening comedy, Sunday morning classical and Sunday afternoon music. The Saturday afternoon slot is the one built for families, first-come, first-served on a lawn amphitheatre, donation-only, listed in full at amsterdam.nl . Arrive with a blanket and settle in early; there is no reserved seating and no way to guarantee a spot once the lawn fills.
Marken and Volendam: a day trip that actually works with kids
Cheese-tasting stops, clog demonstrations and a genuinely kid-friendly ferry ride between the two villages make this pairing a stronger family day trip than a windmill-focused Zaanse Schans visit, without ruling that one out separately. Bus 316 reaches Volendam in about 45 minutes, and the Volendam-Marken Express ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes each way. Book a Marken and Volendam day tour if coordinating the bus and ferry connections yourself feels like too much with young kids in tow.
Museumplein Ice Rink: a genuine winter-only anchor
Amsterdam’s largest outdoor rink runs 14 November 2026 to 5 February 2027, right between the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk, EUR 16 admission including skate rental. It is a real, current winter family anchor that most Amsterdam content skips in favor of a vague, no-longer-reliable line about skating on the frozen canals. Check current Museumplein Ice Rink hours before a winter visit.
Two attractions that need an age caveat
The A’DAM Lookout’s “Over the Edge” swing suits older kids and teens better than young children, who may find it frightening rather than thrilling, and the Amsterdam Dungeon’s horror-history framing skews older too, so do not assume either one works for a family with young kids without checking first. A standard A’DAM Lookout visit without the swing, and Madame Tussauds without the Dungeon pairing, both work for younger children on their own.
Bring cash for the Openluchttheater’s donation box and check the week’s printed schedule at the gate; the fixed weekly pattern holds, but the specific act on a given Saturday changes. Our day trips guide covers the Rotterdam and Kinderdijk route for families ready to go further afield once Marken and Volendam feel done.