See, discover and believe

Rotterdam has plenty of places that will delight your kids. Like the zoo, Diergaarde Blijdorp, where you can admire the smallest and largest animals. There is also plenty to discover there by doing water experiments in the Oceanium and looking at shrimps and larvae through a microscope. It’s a great location on a rainy day too. Blijdorp has many indoor areas, including a playground, the Biotopia. Speaking of playgrounds, the big play tower in the Oewanja Children’s Jungle is awesome. The playground also has a section especially for toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Miniworld is slightly more compact. The coolest and most beautiful places can be seen here in minute detail. Have a look at the impressive port, the most beautiful and oldest buildings in Rotterdam or see what the city of Rotterdam looks like at night. Miniworld is fun for an hour or two while you can easily wander around Blijdorp for two days.

Villa Zebra is a children’s museum of visual art, where the little ones playfully come into contact with contemporary art. The five play-and-art installations of ZELF! are developed in collaboration with artists for children from 3 to 6 years. Older children can visit the De Moestuin (vegetable garden) exhibition. An investigation into how we could behave in the future.

Discover and do

If your kids want to be more active, there are plenty of other options in Rotterdam.

You can pick apples (to make apple sauce or apple pie at home) at the farm Buytenhof in Rhoon throughout the year. In the farm shop you will also find all kinds of products that come from their garden. And of course, as you would expect on a farm, there are animals that you can pet and feed.

Although there is less picking to be done at the Belevenisboerderijk Schieveen (farm), you can give the lambs a bottle of milk. The toddlers especially love this. And if you lose the kids, you’ll probably find them playing in the hay.

If you are less energetic but still looking for something to do, visit the KunsthalLAB in the Kunsthal. There is a fun workshop every Sunday from 14.00 to 16.00 where you can draw, paint, colour or make your own circus act, shoe monster or magic trick. You can also create your own exhibition and exhibit it in one of the halls. In the Ontdekhoek (Discovery Corner), girls and boys from 4 to 14 years can do experiments and make a sailboat, potato chips or build a dam of rocks. For the little ones (up to 4 years) there is also a toddler morning. They can build a marble track, learn to write with a feather, build bridges, make a puzzle and much more. The Maritime Museum Rotterdam is a family museum. Children can go on an adventure in the port of Professor Plons and playfully learn about ships, cranes, the port and ship transport. The museum now also has an outdoor area where you can take a look on board of working ships and cranes.

Climbing and clambering

If your children have energy to burn, then head to one of the indoor playgrounds in Rotterdam. Fortunately, there are several to be found in Rotterdam and the surrounding areas.

Monkey Town has branches in Rotterdam South and in Delft and Rijswijk which are easy to reach by car. Good to know: The Happy Italy restaurant in Rotterdam Noord has its own mini Monkey Town! Avontura is in Rotterdam, in the Schiecentrale. Although the Ballebak in Ommoord or Rotterdam Zuid is slightly smaller, they have a very large ball pit where the kids can go wild.

If you’re looking for somewhere with an outdoor area too, then Plaswijckpark is a great option. Indoors, you’ll find the (House in the Hill) playhouse of grandfather and grandmother Van der Plas where the kids can jump on the trampolines in the form of beds and can run, clamber and crawl through a jumble of secret tunnels and corridors. For the more outdoor oriented, you’ll love climbing in the Klimpark Fun Forest in Kralingse Bos.

Playgrounds and outdoors

Playgrounds can be found everywhere in Rotterdam. They are not always free (some of them charge a one-euro entrance fee), but there is always plenty to do and experience. The nature playground De Speeldernis, Speeltuin 110 Morgen, the Torteltuin and the Vroesenpark playground are some of the many playgrounds that Rotterdam has to offer. Just outside Rotterdam you can find Speeltuin De Kievit, a playground with an area of ​​10,000 m2, swimming pools and a small petting zoo. There are children’s petting zoos in Rotterdam too, such as De Kraal in the Kralingse Bos and De Wilgenhof in Schiebroek.

Check rotterdam.nl for an overview of all children’s petting zoos in Rotterdam.

Birthday celebration?

There are many locations where you can rent a room for your party. The possibilities and conditions are described on the websites of the various locations.

Overview

Also check the map in Google maps.
More spots for kids can be found in our more extensive overview.