A vacation in the province of Friesland with kids is definitely recommended. We went for a whole week in this beautiful province with our daughter and had a great time with all the children’s outings the province of Friesland has to offer. We enjoyed the green surroundings and the hospitable Frisians. In addition, we were lucky that the weather was beautiful all week (in October!), so we spent a lot of time outside. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Friesland.
#1 Traffic & Amusement Park Duinen Zathe
You can take kids to an amusement park in Friesland. Verkeers & Attractiepark Duinen Zathe is located in Appelscha and we found this to be a really super fun amusement park! We were able to park the car in front of the amusement park for free and you don’t see that at many amusement parks in the Netherlands anymore. The amusement park is very orderly and for our 9-year-old daughter, this amusement park was really perfect.
You have several cool attractions like different roller coasters, the bumper cars, a haunted house and electric boats. In total, there are about 15 different attractions aimed mainly at kids up to 12 years old. In addition, kids can play in many different places.
For example, the amusement park has a large traffic plaza, where kids can ride around in pedal cars. Our daughter absolutely loves that and had a great time here as well. What makes it extra fun for the kids is that a real police officer drives around in a police car to make sure the kids are following the rules. Kids could also get a driver’s license here in the driver’s license shop.
When we visited the amusement park, it was just in the Halloween period and various activities were organized around this theme. For example, our daughter hollowed out a pumpkin and kids could get their faces painted in the theme. Laser gaming was also centered around the Halloween theme which our daughter found extra fun (and exciting). The park also featured several shows.
In addition to all these different attractions, the amusement park also operates on the all-inclusive principle. This allowed us to enjoy free coffee, tea, lemonade, a fresh soup, sandwiches, fries, snacks and water ices throughout the day! In that regard, we found the entrance fee not expensive at all compared to what you get for all this. We had a great time here for a whole day with our daughter.
For more information about the different attractions, the all-inclusive principle and the shows, take a look at the website of Verkeers & Attractiepark Duinen Zathe.
#2 Sanjes Safari
Near Leeuwarden is Sanjes Safari and we also found this family park really super fun to visit with our daughter. This park is a combination of an animal park and a play park. Again, we were able to park the car in front of the door for free and the first thing our daughter does is go play in the indoor area. You have as much as a 2500m2 arcade here, which makes this park a great place to visit even when the weather is not so good in Friesland.
You can build in this section, among other things, and you have the largest monkey cage in the Netherlands here. There is also an area for the smallest kids to play in this huge arcade. Our daughter also really liked the play area at the back of the hall where it was dark and looked like a sort of haunted house.
After our daughter played here for quite a while, we went to visit the animal park. You have several animals here that the kids can see such as the ostrich, the wallaby, the camel, the emu, the crocodile, and then we forget a lot of animals. Again, you have a section that is indoors, which means you can also visit this section when the weather is not so good.
Our daughter especially likes the farm animals that she can get close to and pet. In between, there are several play equipment near the animals’ enclosures, where kids can also play.
After we visit this part in the park, we go to the outdoor area where there is also plenty to do for kids. For example, you also have a traffic park here where you can ride around with kids in pedal cars. There is also a nice little train running around, which of course our daughter had to get on. There is also a large playground, where the kids can play outside.
For the kids who don’t think that is enough, there is also a miniature golf course, jungleriver, cross-country track, sand factory and monorail in this section. In short, also a park where you can easily have a half to full day of fun in Friesland with kids. For more information about this family park in Friesland, check out the Sanjes Safari website for more information.
#3 AquaZoo
You can also go to the zoo in Friesland with kids. AquaZoo is located near the city of Leeuwarden and you can view a total of 30 different animals outside here, including the polar bear, the Amur tiger, the American bald eagle and several species of monkeys. There is also an indoor section at this zoo where you can also view different animals such as the crocodile, turtle and seahorse.
We are given a map immediately upon entering the zoo and our daughter always absolutely loves that. We also carry a pen so she can check off all the animals we meet along the way on the map. The zoo has a program every day where there are presentations about the different animals at different times.
You have different parts in the zoo where you can walk among the animals such as with the ring-tailed lemurs, the penguins and the wallabies. When we visited the zoo, there was also a temporary exhibit with all different dinosaurs located throughout the zoo. You have two eateries where you can go to the zoo for snacks and drinks, and at both eateries you have a large playground.
We always find that ideal, as we had a wonderful lunch at AquaZoo and when our daughter finished eating she played in the playground. You can park your car paid in front of the zoo. For more information about all the animals, zoo events and all the children’s activities, take a look at AquaZoo‘s website.
#4 Leeuwarden
The most fun city to visit in Friesland with kids is the city of Leeuwarden. There is enough to do in this city to entertain the family for a few days. We did all kinds of things here with our daughter. First, it is nice to visit the city center. This one is very atmospheric and it is nice to sit on a terrace here with the family.
In addition, it is fun to visit the leaning tower in the center. This is the symbol of the city and you can climb this tower. At the top of the tower you have a beautiful view of the city of Leeuwarden. In addition, we really enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt through the city with our daughter, where you had to find all the miniature dolls. We bought a map at the Leeuwarden tourist office and went looking. They did a really nice job on that for kids.
In addition, we really recommend visiting the Nature Museum of Friesland with kids. You have a very cool attraction here at the museum, and in addition, the exhibits are very family-friendly. We wrote about the city the blog Leeuwarden with kids, in which we listed all the fun kids’ activities of the city.
#5 Wadden Islands
Of course, this list of children’s activities in Friesland should not include a visit to the various Wadden Islands. Friesland has four different Wadden Islands that you can visit and those are the Wadden Islands of Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog. We have now visited several Wadden Islands in Friesland and it was always a success!
At most of the islands you can easily make a tour of the island by (electric) bike and discover these Wadden Islands that way. Note that it can be quite windy so an electric bike is recommended. You can easily visit these different islands in a day, as the ferry goes to the mainland several times a day.
So we took the boat to Schiermonnikoog in the morning, immediately picked up a bike at the port and spent the whole day cycling around the island. At the end of the day, we returned the bike to the port and took the boat back to the mainland.
Other children’s activities Friesland
In addition to the children’s activities in Friesland described above, there are of course plenty of other things you can do in this province. We list them briefly below.
#6 Subtropical swimming pool Swimfun: you can take kids to many pools both indoor and outdoor in Friesland. One of the nicest swimming pools in the province of Friesland is in Joure. You have a very nice whitewater course here and also several slides for the kids. There is also a wave pool and parents can relax in the hot tub of this subtropical pool. This is also a good children’s outing in Friesland when the weather is not so good, for example.
#7 Klimpark Aventoer: If you want to do something active as a family in Friesland then a climbing park is always a fun option. We always find this super fun to do with our daughter. This climbing park is suitable for kids ages 8 and up and has several courses you can climb with the family in Burgum in Friesland. You can even climb 15 meters with kids here. Besides the climbing park, you also have all kinds of indoor activities you can do here such as laser gaming, bowling and miniature golf. So no matter what the weather is, you can visit Aventoer.
#8 Speelbos Joure: we would have loved to go here ourselves with our daughter, but unfortunately we had no time for this during our vacation in Friesland. In fact, they have a kid’s escaperoom here and our daughter absolutely loves it. Furthermore, you have an indoor playground here and you can go laser gaming with kids.
#9 Spijkerdorp: If your kids absolutely love building huts, then this spijkerdorp in the city of Drachten is a fun option. Kids can build a hut here with all kinds of materials. There is also a go-kart track for children and kids can play on various playground equipment.
Family-friendly hotel Friesland
You can spend a great night in Friesland with kids anywhere in the province. We have stayed at several places in Friesland and below we discuss some of these family-friendly accommodations.
Hotel Abdij Dokkum
Dokkum is a fun town to visit in Friesland with kids. We visited the city and stayed overnight at Hotel Abdij Dokkum which is right in the center. This is a beautiful hotel with very nice family rooms that you can book here. In addition, you can also have great food at this hotel (even if you do not stay at the hotel). Following our overnight stay at this hotel, we wrote the blog Hotel Abdij Dokkum, in which you will find even more information about this hotel.
Hotel Restaurant Oostergoo
In beautiful Frisian Grou, we spend the night at the family-friendly hotel Oostergoo. This hotel is really beautifully located on the water and is also an ideal hotel if you are in Friesland by boat and want to spend a night in the luxury of a hotel. Hotel Restaurant Oostergoo also has beautiful family rooms that can accommodate 4 people and you can also have very good food and drinks at the hotel. If you want more information about this hotel, read our comprehensive review about Hotel Restaurant Oostergoo with kids.
Hotel Almenum Harlingen
We also spent a night in the town of Harlingen in Friesland, and Harlingen is also the town where you can take the boat very easily to Vlieland and Terschelling. In fact, the ferry leaves in this city. We stayed here at Hotel Almenum Harlingen and had a very nice cozy apartment here. This hotel is right in the center and you get a delicious breakfast here in the morning. We also wrote an extensive review about this hotel and you can read it in the blog Hotel Almenum Harlingen with kids.
