Holland is an excellent choice for a family holiday with the kids at any time of the year. We look at the top five places in Holland that offer the ideal family fun.
- CORPUS – Leiden: This is the body museum – a journey through the human body that will provide the kids with an inimitable education experience that is brilliant fun too. Walk into a giant mouth or take a trip through a huge heart! Situated between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the museum building features a gargantuan sitting human form. The museum uses state of the art 5D effects, sounds and colossal replicas to provide the experience of a lifetime. Learn what happens when you sneeze, how the stomach works and more fascinating facts.
- MIFFY – Dick Bruna House in Utrecht: Kids of all ages are sure to get a thrill out of visiting the home of Miffy, the favourite childhood rabbit. Browse the original drawings of Miffy and revel in the pure Miffy atmosphere. With interactive activities for the kids and TVs running Miffy shows, this is a must. There’s a story telling area which will delight the little ones and even an indoor slide. This museum is an initiative of the Centraal Museum which is just across the street and houses a varied collection of Old Masters who lived in Utrecht together with exhibitions on the history of the city of Utrecht. To add a modern twist, visit exhibitions of contemporary fashion, design and arts.
- ARCHEON – Alphen aan den Rijn: This is a theme park with a difference – it’s an opportunity to experience life in the Netherlands in the prehistoric, Roman and Medieval eras. With farmhouses, huts, a Roman settlement and even a monastery, historic times are brought alive for all to see. Learn about daily life in times gone by – how to bake bread, archery and be a spectator at some epic fights between real warriors. This is a great visit to give your kids a real, hands-on experience of history in the re-making.
- AMUSEMENT PARK DUINRELL: This is a theme park with an added value extra in the shape of what’s reputedly the “best swimming pool in Europe”. The Falcon Rollercoaster will provide the thrills, the Mad Mill and Splash will provide the spills – this place offers everything you could possibly want in a theme park and more. Turbo slides and water funnels abound in the tropically heated Tiki pool, while there are plenty of attractions geared to the littler visitors.
- ROTTERDAM ZOO BLIJDORP: With a well earned reputation for being one of Holland’s most popular visitor attractions, Rotterdam Zoo showcases animals living in simulated natural habitats for a truly educational and unique experience. Boasting a savannah, a crocodile river, a bat cave and even a gorilla island, this zoo is sure to enthral kids and adults alike. An ice cave enables visitors to watch polar bears as they swim while the Oceanium is a 22 meter long tunnel across the bottom of the sea where you’ll get to see a variety of coastal and marine creatures, including sharks, sea otters, turtles, puffins and King penguins. If that’s not enough, make sure you take in the Children Jungle where the kids can climb, slide and swing until they wear themselves out.
