What to do in Capelle aan den IJssel with kids? Capelle aan den IJssel is a medium-sized city in South Holland that is almost adjacent to the city of Rotterdam. Because of this, you can also get to Rotterdam very quickly from Capelle aan den IJssel and because of this, there are also plenty of children’s activities you can do in the Capelle aan den IJssel area. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Capelle aan den IJssel.
#1 Schollebos
The Schollebos in Capelle aan den IJssel is a fun activity for kids to have fun in the woods for a few hours. We had a great time there for about 2 hours. You can park your car for free at the forest and you have two different playgrounds in the forest that you can visit.
The first playground is a natural playground that looks something like a play forest with some natural play equipment. It’s not super big, but it’s definitely fun to go here with kids if it’s a sunny day in Capelle aan den IJssel. Near the playground equipment, they also have a cable car that the kids can play with.
The second playground that is a little further into the forest and here you have a regular playground and also a section with water. Of course, this is also very nice on a hot day. When we visit the Schollebos with our daughter, it is quite warm and so she plays here in her bikini at this water section. So for kids, don’t forget to bring swimwear.
You also have a skate track for kids and a bike cross track near this playground. You can also easily visit the petting zoo Klaverweide from the Schollebos, which is also located near the forest. Among other things, they have goats, cows, sheep, ponies, pigs, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits here that you can come see. This farm also has a playground. The petting zoo is open Tuesday through Sunday and on Mondays during the summer vacations.
#2 Kralingse Bos
Just over a 10-minute drive from the center of Capelle aan den IJssel is a second forest you can visit with kids and that is the Kralingse Bos. The Kralingse Bos also has plenty to do for families with kids. This forest is also the most fun to visit when it is a hot day in Capelle aan den IJssel.
You can go to the beach at this forest, and at the beach there is also a small pool for small kids that you can visit for free. Also at this forest you have a petting zoo that you can visit. Petting Zoo de Kraal also has a bit of the standard farm animals that you can look at and pet.
You can also feed them, but the animals can be very enthusiastic towards the kids. This also happened to our daughter, causing her to be knocked over by the goats. So keep that in mind! You also have several playgrounds located in the Kralingse Bos, so you can have a great time for half a day in this forest.
If you want to know more about what you can do in this forest, also read our blog Kralingse Bos with kids for more information!
If you are looking for an active activity near Capelle aan den IJssel with kids, the Kralingse Bos is also the place to be. In fact, you can also go climbing in a climbing park here. We climbed here another time when we visited the forest with our daughter and it was very fun.
You can climb a total of 9 different courses at this climbing park, and it depends on the age and height of the kids how many courses they get to climb. We climbed a total of 2 courses at this climbing park and it was a lot of fun! We were given 2 hours for this. If you want more information about this climbing park in the Kralingse Bos, read our blog Fun Forest Rotterdam with kids for more information.
#3 Bowlingcentre Krimpenhof
The previous two children’s activities in the Capelle aan den IJssel area were activities that are especially suitable when the weather is nice, but the next activity is just right when the weather is not so nice. In fact, you can go bowling with kids in Krimpen aan den IJssel which is a 5-minute drive from Capelle aan den IJssel.
You can come bowling at Bowlingcentre Krimpenhof every afternoon and evening, and you can rent a lane for an hour. You can book this in combination with food. For example, they have different packages that you can choose from as a family. Check out Bowlingcentre Krimpenhof ‘s website for the different packages you can book with the family.
By the way, you can still go bowling somewhere in the Capelle aan den IJssel area with kids. At Bowling IJsselmonde, you can also go bowling with the family for an hour, and you can park your car in front of the door for free at this bowling center.
#4 Outdoor Valley
Just over a 15-minute drive from the center of Capelle aan den IJssel, you can go to Outdoor Valley. At Outdoor Valley you can do all kinds of things with kids and we really had a great time here for a whole day. However, this is another activity that is most fun to do when the weather is good.
Outdoor Valley consists of two locations that are close together and where you can do different things at both locations. You pay one fee here and then you can do all kinds of activities organized here throughout the day. We start the day here with tubing. This involves going down a mountain with a tire. Our daughter thought this was a super fun activity.
You can also get into a net course here, and there are also all these big balls for kids to play with.
Then we move on to the other location. Here again our daughter participates in very different activities that are organized. For example, she builds a raft with other kids and takes it out on the water and participates in the mud race where you have to complete a certain course. We are lucky with the weather, which also makes it no big deal if she gets wet.
We will also go canoeing at Outdoor Valley and our daughter will go down a zipline. For more information on opening hours, price and the different activities you can do here, take a look at Outdoor Valley’s website.
#5 Blijdorp Zoo
You can also visit one of the nicest zoos in the Netherlands near Capelle aan den IIssel. Blijdorp zoo is a 15-minute drive from the center of Capelle aan den IJssel and you can also have a great time here with the family for an entire day. The zoo is divided into different continents and you will find many of the great African animals such as the elephant, rhino and lion.
In addition to seeing all the animals, you have plenty for kids to play with at Blijdorp Zoo. You have several playgrounds located within the zoo itself, including an indoor playground for when the weather is less clement. You also have several dining options here at the zoo, including a restaurant near one of the playgrounds.
This zoo is located in Rotterdam and if you want more information about this zoo, read our blog Zoo Blijdorp with kids. Anyway, there are of course many more fun kids activities in Rotterdam that you can easily reach from Capelle aan den IJssel in a short time. You can think of the Euromast, Plaswijckpark and the Market Hall in Rotterdam that are fun to visit with kids. For all children’s activities in Rotterdam, check out our blog Rotterdam with kids.
Family-friendly restaurant Capelle aan den IJssel
You have several nice family-friendly restaurants to visit in the Capelle aan den IJssel area. We list some of them below.
Pannenkoe: This family-friendly restaurant is located in Krimpen aan den IJssel about a 5-minute drive from the center of Capelle aan den IJssel. You can eat different kinds of pancakes here, but the restaurant also has several meat dishes. Kids get a coloring station and crayons with their food at this family-friendly restaurant, and they can play in the restaurant’s play area with a kitchenette and dollhouse.
Petit restaurant Schollebos: in the Schollebos in Capelle aan den IJssel, you can have dinner at this family-friendly restaurant. You can sit inside or outside on the terrace at this restaurant. Again, you can eat pancakes with kids, but they also have sandwiches, meal salads and various meat dishes. You can also park your car here for free if you are visiting the Schollebos with kids.
Family-friendly hotel Capelle aan den IJssel
You don’t have very many family-friendly hotels in Capelle aan den IJssel where you can stay. The only hotel you can book here is the NH Capelle Rotterdam, which has several family rooms. For more information about the NH Capelle Rotterdam hotel, take a look here.
Of course, you do have a lot of different options in Rotterdam and we have slept in quite a few accommodations ourselves by now. We list a few recommendations below.
Hostel Room Rotterdam: this is a nice hostel that has cool family rooms for families. Nice atmosphere here in the hostel, where you can still enjoy a game of old-fashioned shuffleboard with kids. For more information about this hostel, take a look here.
SS Rotterdam: spending a night on this old cruise ship is super fun. The SS Rotterdam is already a sight in itself, but sleeping on it as well is totally awesome. For more information about the SS Rotterdam, take a look here.
Hotel The James Rotterdam: if you are looking for a luxury hotel in the city center, this hotel is highly recommended. We actually liked everything about this hotel when we stayed here with our daughter. For more information about Hotel The James Rotterdam, take a look here.
Urban Residences: if you are looking for a luxury apartment where you can sleep with the family, this is definitely recommended. This is one of the nicest apartments we have slept in in Rotterdam, though. It is located right in the center of Rotterdam and from the apartment you have a beautiful view of the city. For more information, take a look here.
