Den Helder with kids is a surprisingly fun destination for families with kids. This port city in the head of North Holland is located right by the sea and offers plenty of variety for a family outing or weekend getaway. Whether you like boats, beach, museums or playgrounds in Den Helder there is plenty to choose from for families with kids. In this blog we list the best children’s activities in Den Helder and give tips for family-friendly restaurants in Den Helder.
Den Helder with kids
#1 Naval Museum
You can go to some great museums in Den Helder with kids. One of these museums is the Naval Museum in Den Helder. Den Helder is known as the home of the Dutch navy, which is why there is also a museum here dedicated entirely to the navy. You can take kids on a scavenger hunt in the museum here. We always find that a nice way to explore a museum.
Kids can learn a lot here about the history of the Navy and what things were like during World War II. Kids can do various experiments in the museum related to technical matters associated with the Navy. There are also a ship and a submarine at the museum that you can visit with kids. Submarine Tuna looks especially impressive.
You can have a great time in this museum for half a day with kids. Especially since there are also different rooms and ships. Kids under 12 pay a reduced rate compared to adults. For more information on the various exhibits, opening hours and admission prices, check out the Naval Museum website.
#2 Fort Kijkduin
Fort Kijkduin, once built by Napoleon, is now a combination museum and sea aquarium. Kids walk through underground passages, climb towers and discover how soldiers used to live here. There are also several things for kids to do in the museum area of Fort Kijkduin. For example, they have an interactive section themed, Soldier for a Day, for families with kids.
At the sea aquarium, you can admire fish, sharks and rays and even feed a shark! You also have a tunnel here, where you can see the underwater world overhead. You can also admire a skeleton of a sperm whale as long as 11 meters. The view from the fort over the dunes and sea is beautiful.
Kids up to 12 years old receive a discount on the entrance ticket. You can park your car for free at the fort. For more information about the museum and aquarium, check out the Fort Kijkduin website.
#3 Play Park The Goldfish
If you are looking for a fun playground for the kids, Playpark the Goldfish is the place to be! This play park is just over a 20-minute drive from Den Helder and there is plenty to do here for kids! In fact, this play park offers three large indoor play halls as well as a huge outdoor playground with slides, trampolines, cable cars and climbing frames.
As a result, you can basically visit the play park all year round with kids. The play park is suitable for kids ages 2 to 12. Parents can relax on the terrace or in the restaurant while the kids play for hours. So even when the weather is bad, this is a recommended place to do something in the Den Helder area with kids anyway.
The play park’s cafeteria is the place to go for French fries and drinks. If you want more extensive lunch or dinner, you can go to the restaurant and here you can find pancakes, meat or fish dishes and pizza.
#4 National Lifeboat Museum Dorus Rijkers
You can go to another museum in Den Helder with kids and that is the National Lifeboat Museum Dorus Rijkers. This museum is dedicated to the lifeguards and there is also a huge amount for kids to do. Kids can stand in a wind tunnel here to experience what it’s like when it’s wind force 10 at sea.
You also have a really cool VR experience here. Here you experience a real-life rescue operation at sea. Aboard port rescue boat Nh1816, kids here are crew members themselves. Someone has gone overboard and together with KNRM’ers you have to rescue the one who is in the water. There is also a knot table, where kids can learn what knots there are and how to tie them.
There is also some kind of interactive game, where kids have to rescue someone and through which they can obtain a rescue pass. The museum also has several lifeboats you can check out. You pay a few euros for an entrance ticket and you’ll quickly spend a few hours here at the museum if you want to see everything properly.
#5 Beach and dunes of Den Helder
You can also easily go to the beach in Den Helder during the hot summer months with kids. Den Helder beach is clean, quiet and family-friendly. There is plenty of room to play or build sandcastles. As a result, you don’t have to search for a spot on the beach as is the case on Scheveningen beach, for example.
Behind the beach are beautiful dunes where you can enjoy hiking or biking. For example, start at Duinoord or the Donkere Duinenbos, which also has a small petting zoo and playground. On hot days, bring your swimming gear; on colder days, a landing net and binoculars!
Other children’s activities Den Helder
In addition to the children’s activities in Den Helder described above, there is more to do. We list some of these activities below!
For example, fifteen minutes’ drive from the center of Den Helder is Swimming Pool Ooghduyne. This is a great place to spend a few hours swimming in the indoor pool with kids. In addition to swimming, it is also possible to play bowling and a game of miniature golf here.
If you love nature, you can take kids to the Helderse Vallei in Den Helder. This nature reserve is closed to visitors only on Mondays and you can find De Helderse Vallei at parking lot the Donkere Duinen in Den Helder. You can take excellent walks through nature with the family here.
Another pool you can visit with the family in Den Helder is Aquacentrum Den Helder. This pool is located just outside the center of Den Helder a few minutes away by car.
And if you really have a lot of time you can also very easily take the boat from Den Helder to the Wadden Island of Texel. There is also plenty to do here for kids and for more information about this island, read the blog Texel with kids.
Family-friendly hotel Den Helder
You can stay in Den Helder with kids in a few accommodations. Unfortunately, not all of these accommodations have great reviews. We would prefer that an accommodation always have an overall score of an 8 out of more than 100 reviews. Unfortunately, most accommodations here do not have that. Still, some options listed below.
Budget accommodation: WadLeuk! (this accommodation does get tremendously good reviews with a whopping 9 as an overall score!)
Mid-range accommodation: Hotel Wienerhof
Luxury Accommodation: BBgebouw39 – at the State Yard
Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Den Helder.
Tips Den Helder with kids
Family-friendly restaurant Den Helder
You can definitely grab a bite to eat in Den Helder with kids. You have several family-friendly restaurants in Den Helder, and we list some options below.
Pancake House The Pancake Valley: a pancake restaurant always appeals to most kids. This restaurant is located slightly outside the center and you can choose from dozens of different pancakes here. There is a play corner inside and outside you have a small playground. Kids can decorate their pancake and often get a surprise with it. In addition to pancakes, you can eat burgers and salads here in Den Helder with kids.
Kade 60: On Willemsoord Harbor you’ll find Kade 60, a modern and spacious restaurant with a family-friendly menu. There is a play corner inside and a large terrace overlooking the ships. The menu includes burgers, pastas, salads and children’s menus with fries or poffertjes. Great to combine with a visit to the Naval Museum or cinema.
Ice cream parlor Laan: to this ice cream parlor you go for the most delicious ice cream. This is the most famous ice cream parlor in Den Helder and the ice cream parlor has existed for more than 100 years. Here they make artisanal ice cream in dozens of flavors. You can sit inside or eat your ice cream on the bench in front overlooking the shopping street. Always a success with kids!
If there is not the ideal restaurant for you, then you should definitely go to Willemsoord. Willemsoord used to be the ship and maintenance yard for the Royal Navy and is now a beautiful monumental part of Den Helder where several waterfront restaurants are located. Here you have plenty of choice!
Best travel time Den Helder with kids
The best travel time for Den Helder with kids is from May through September. During these months you benefit from nice weather, long days and most outdoor activities are perfectly doable. In spring (April-May), the bulb fields around Julianadorp bloom and there are fun spring activities at the fort and museum.
In the summer (June-August) you can enjoy going to the beach, picnicking in the dunes and playing outside at De Goudvis. Late summer and fall (September-October) are perfect for hiking, biking or visiting Fort Kijkduin, which is extra atmospheric then. In winter, indoor activities such as the Marine Museum and Playpark De Goudvis are ideal, although beach walks are also wonderful in the cold.
