19x child-friendly trips by train

Image: Unsplash

Don’t have a car, but do you want to go out for a day with your child? No problem. With these child-friendly trips you can just take the train, it’s that easy.

1. Children’s Book Museum – The Hague

For the bookworm: visit the Children’s Book Museum in the Royal Library of The Hague. The building is literally next to The Hague Central Station. An ABC route has been mapped out for the little ones (up to 6 years old). In this way they learn the alphabet in a playful way and they pass old and new acquaintances such as Pim and Pom, Caterpillar Never Enough and Dikkie Dik. The older children can create their own story, comic strip or rap at the Papiria exhibition.

2. NEMO – Amsterdam

From Amsterdam Central Station, the possibilities are endless (Artis, cruise, Madame Tussauds), but we think the best technology museum is NEMO. Children are here all day long to discover everything related to technology and science. It is only a 15 minute walk from the station.

3. ZOO – Antwerp

If you really want to unpack, you can also cross the border. Antwerp Central Station is an experience in itself and from the hall you can walk straight into ZOO ZOO.

4. Ouwehands Zoo – Rhenen

Prefer a zoo in the Netherlands? Then Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen is a good one. The NS station is 800 meters from the park: roll three times and you’re there.

Also read: 13x the best unknown zoos in the Netherlands

5. Rotterdam Theater – Rotterdam

Are you and your kids crazy about all things theater? Take a look at the agenda of the Rotterdamse Schouwburg. There are many different family and children’s shows and from Rotterdam Central Station you can walk there in a few minutes.

6. Day at the beach – Zandvoort

A little banter or a breath of fresh air on the beach is wonderful. And how ideal: you can walk straight into the sea from the platform at Zandvoort station. So you don’t have to carry miles with beach towels, tennis rackets and toys.

7. Railway Museum – Utrecht

From Utrecht Central Station there is a special shuttle train to this museum. You can simply use your OV chip card for this train and check out again just before the museum.

8. Fairytale Wonderland – Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen is easily accessible by the NS: every half hour a train arrives and departs towards Hoorn and Amsterdam. From Enkhuizen station it is a little longer than a fifteen minute walk to the entrance of the park. You will find numerous attractions such as dinghies, a large playground and the Fairytale Forest.

9. Water Museum – Arnhem

In the Water Museum in Arnhem, your child can do tests and experiments with water in a special lab. It is a stone’s throw from Central Station (note: go outside via the Sonsbeek side). Also nice: the museum is located in the middle of Sonsbeek Park, so you can walk through it immediately afterwards. Tip: also visit the adjacent Grand Café Aan de Beek for a cup of coffee or lunch.

10. Mini World Rotterdam

Only 300 meters from Rotterdam Central Station, so you can enter this museum from the train in no time. At Miniworld you will find over 500 square meters of Dutch landscapes, including the largest covered miniature harbor in Europe.

Also read: Get on a steam train or go back in time with these cool outings

11. Miffy Museum – Utrecht

If you don’t mind walking a little longer, visit the Miffy Museum in Utrecht. You can walk here from Central Station in just under 20 minutes.

12. Veluwe transferium – Nunspeet

Between Nunspeet Station and the Visitor Center you will find the Veluwetransferium Nunspeet: an ideal place to go by train and enjoy yourself for a few hours. There is a large playground, watchtower, brasserie and you can rent bicycles. But a nice walk through the woods is of course not a punishment either.

13. Kidzcity – Utrecht

You have to stumble twice from Utrecht Zuilen station and you have arrived at this gigantic indoor amusement park. Here you will find absolutely EVERYTHING for a day full of play and fun. There is a safari train, children’s theater, climbing maze, castle, horse carousel and so on. You can also throw a nice children’s party there.

14. Brabant Nature Museum – Tilburg

A few minutes’ walk from Tilburg station you will find this fantastic family museum that is also super child-friendly. Everywhere in the exhibitions there are things for children to do: buttons, assignments or extra facts. For example, they can hunt mammoths and make fires, cycle with traveling animals or put on a ‘wolf tattoo’ themselves.

15. Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij – Apeldoorn

Take the train to Apeldoorn to continue your journey from there in a very special way. You go back in time by transferring to an old-fashioned steam train. This golden oldie runs on the Apeldoorn – Dieren route and stops at the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen and Eerbeek.

Also read: Out the door: 8 cheap (or even free) activities with kids

16. Schiphol Airport

You may not think of it quickly, but there is plenty to do at Schiphol – even if you are not going to fly. The train stops under the airport, so in a beep and a sigh you are in the arrivals hall. There is the nose of a KLM aircraft that you can admire, but of course the Panorama Terrace is even more fun: go plane spotting or feel like a pilot in the real KLM Fokker 100.

17. Dinoland – Zwolle

Is your child crazy about dinosaurs? Then take the train to Zwolle station. Within a fifteen minute walk you are in amusement park Dinoland. You’ll find more than 100 dinosaurs from different eras and can do all kinds of activities, such as sieving fossils and claying dinosaurs. And if a brother or sister is not a dinosaur, they can enjoy themselves in one of the playgrounds.

18. Naturalis – Leiden

From life-sized animals to a time travel to the world of dinosaurs: you can see it all in Naturalis. And the great thing: Naturalis is easily accessible by public transport – the museum is within walking distance of Leiden Central train station.

19. Madurodam – The Hague

Madurodam is easily accessible by public transport from The Hague Central and The Hague Hollands Spoor stations: from both stations you can get there by tram or bus within ten minutes.

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