The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Rijksmuseum

I spent some time living in Amsterdam before having kids, and it's somewhere that is very special to me, and I try to visit as often as possible. There is so much to see and do in the city and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam's crown jewel of art and culture, awaits you. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned museum enthusiast, the Rijksmuseum offers an unparalleled journey through Dutch history and world-class masterpieces. This guide will help you make the most of your visit to one of Europe's most magnificent museums. Planning Your Visit and Booking Tickets The Rijksmuseum welcomes over two million visitors annually, so advance planning is essential. Purchase your tickets online at least a few days before your intended visit to avoid disappointment and lengthy queues at the entrance. The museum offers various ticket options, including standard admission and combination passes that include other Amsterdam attractions. Consider visiting during weekday mornings or ......

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Amsterdam - the perfect child-free weekend destination

When you’ve got young kids, nothing beats a family holiday . Getting away together is a fantastic way to spend quality time, keep the youngsters engaged, and even teach them a thing or two. One thing’s sure getting them used to flying and new cultures when they’re young is always a bonus. What’s more, there are plenty of family-friendly vacation spots to make the most of when travelling together and some Kid-focused hotels even host fun clubs should you want to mix culture and travel with also the odd break for an hour or two. However, a short child-free break can be a really positive experience. I recently went to Durham for two nights, it was the first time I had ever left our kids for more than a night, that's over 7yrs of not one proper child-free weekend away and you know what it went really well. Then kids loved having fun with their grandparents and we had a fantastic time exploring the historical northern town of Durham we all felt renewed and refreshed from our week......

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Why Amsterdam is the Perfect Family destination

Around this time last year we were coming back from a week-long trip to Amsterdam, we had spent a few days in London before taking the train down to the coast and the overnight ferry to the Hoek of Holland, then a high-speed train into the city as part of the Rail Sail ticket Stena Lines offers. That trip was not our first family break to the Dutch Capital, in fact, the year before we flew from our local airport with KLM , a very quick and easy trip from Cardiff and KLM flies from most UK airports maki,ng Holland a very accessible destination. For some people Amsterdam may not be their first choice when thinking of a family-friendly European destination but it truly is a wonderful city that you will fall in love with as soon as you arrive. The locals are very friendly and welcoming of families and there is a fantastic array of things to see and do. If you are only going to be in the city for up to 72hrs I would recommend getting the iAmsterdam Card which includes......

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Embracing slow travel with Stena

As some of you may already know we enjoyed an amazing break to Amsterdam during the summer as I have mentioned it a few times on the blog but in this post I really want to focus on the journey and not so much the destination. We are avid travellers and love sharing our passion with our kids and for myself personally it's very much about enjoying the ride and as quick and convenient flying is taking an alternative route can be so much fun and really open up a whole different adventure. We have done the Eurostar to Brussels and Paris as well as high speed trains across France and thought it was time to take to the high seas in a little overnight crossing from Harwich to the Hoek of Holland. The Stena Hollandica Before heading over to Holland we spent a few days in London, something which we do as a family every year, taking in all the museums, coffee shops and open spaces before hoping on the train to the coast with our rail sail tickets from Stena Lines , basical......

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Movenpick hotel and vintage guide Amsterdam

On our recent trip to Amsterdam with KLM , we stayed at the 4 star Movenpick hotel , situated a short walk away from Central Station which is very convenient if your flying into Schipol or inter-railing to the Dutch Capital. I have to say, having lived in Amsterdam I was a bit apprehensive before we arrived as I thought it may be further out of the city centre than it really was but it ended up being only around 10 minute walk from the hotel to the centre and is right next to the water and offers a relaxing and peaceful location, plus if you don't feel like walking than there is a tram stop right outside the hotel which goes directly to Central station within a few minutes. Mr A relaxing in our room and the stylish lobby area Our Room We stayed on the 8th floor in a Junior Suit and the first thing we noticed when we opened the door was the large window and amazing view across the city. The room was lovely and spacious and had a separate living area and a very comfy ......

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Our Amsterdam Adventure Part 2

So as some of you may already know last month we flew off on a little weekend adventure from our local Airport, Cardiff with KLM to the Dutch Capital of Amsterdam. It was great being back in a city I had been privileged enough to have lived in for a few months before having Mr A. We were really lucky with the weather and the whole weekend was dry, sunny and warm which meant we got to walk around the city and enjoy places like Jordaan, the flower market, the Buddhist temple on the outskirts of the red-light district and all the beautiful canals in the city centre. One of the things we want to do as a family was a little cruise on the canals but after walking past some peddle boats the little man was immediately taken by them and was desperate for us to hire one, which we did and well what a hairy thing to do - those canals are so busy with boats of various sizes but once we got a hang of the peddle boat and found a few quite waterways we really had a lot of f......

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Amsterdam Family City Break Part 1

Mr A loved all the street art in Amsterdam  So a couple of weeks ago we had the chance to go on a very exciting mini adventure, a short city break to Amsterdam right from our home base of Cardiff with KLM Fly Local campaign and I have to say flying from our local airport really does beat driving to Bristol which is where John flew from to Berlin two weeks prior to our trip. There is something very convenient about knowing exactly where to go and how long it's going to take you to get there and the whole check in was so quick and easy, I think this was helped by the fact we took the 6am early morning flight so the airport was pretty quite anyway. The lovely staff at Cardiff Airport invited us in to the executive lounge before our flight which added to the excitement of Mr A's first flight. The lounge was well stocked with various drinks and light snacks as well as a moment of calm before we boarded the KLM city hopper. The Executive lounge at Cardiff Airport Our......

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A little Amsterdam teaser

If you follow us on twitter and instagram you will already know that we recently flew off to Amsterdam with KLM Airlines from our local Airport, Cardiff for a fun filled weekend in this beautiful and culturally packed city. We cannot wait to share our experience with you and how family friendly this colourful city really is. Flying from our local airport meant we had as much time in the city as possible and also meant less stress with getting to the airport in time. As soon as we arrived the little man was intrigued with all the street art, food and vibrant nature of the place. I thought I would put up a few teaser photos before the large posts follow later this week. ...

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