(Tip!) South Holland with kids: 22x things to do with the family!

South Holland with kids: 22 fun activities in a row!

You can spend weeks in the province of South Holland with kids having fun if you want to. There is an enormous amount to do in this province, which is why we have spent many weekends here with our daughter. So you have fun cities, beautiful beaches, cool activities and very nice amusement parks for kids. South Holland has it all! Based on all our visits to this province, we list the best activities in South Holland with kids.

Table of contents

South Holland with kids: fun cities

You can visit some great cities in South Holland with kids where there is a huge amount to do for families. We list the nicest cities in South Holland below.

#1 Rotterdam: This is the largest city in the province and this is also where there is the most to do for families with kids. In Rotterdam you can easily go on vacation for a week and still not be bored for a moment. So you have one of the most beautiful zoos in the Netherlands (Diergaarde Blijdorp), you have one of the nicest museums in the Netherlands (Maritiem museum) and also a very nice amusement park (Plaswijckpark) where you can easily spend a day with the family.

In addition, you have a beautiful view of the city from the Euromast, you have a super fun forest you can visit and it is also definitely fun to take a look inside the market hall with kids. If you want to see all the activities of Rotterdam in a row read our extensive blog Rotterdam with kids about the city.

#2 The Hague: this is the second largest city in the province of South Holland and here too you can have a great few days of fun with the family! In fact, the city has two fun children’s museums (Kinderboekenmuseum + Museon) that you can visit and also two different amusement parks (Madurodam and Drievliet) that are fun to visit. You can also get to the beach very easily from the city of The Hague in the summer. One of the most famous beach areas in the Netherlands, Scheveningen is located in The Hague. If you want to know more about what you can do in The Hague with the family, read our blog The Hague with kids.

#3 Leiden: This is one of the nicest cities to visit with kids in South Holland, and that’s partly because of its fun downtown. In the summer, all the terraces are full and boats sail through the canals everywhere. You can also take a fun children’s walk through this downtown area that is dedicated to the painter Rembrandt. In addition, Leiden has two top museums (Corpus and Naturalis) that are great fun to visit with kids. For more information about this city read our blog Leiden with kids.

#4 Delft: This city is known for its blue porcelain, but families can also have a great time here for a day (or two). In fact, Delft has some very nice playgrounds in town that you can visit. For example, there are several water playgrounds you can visit with kids and also a number of playgrounds that are within walking distance of the city center. In addition, the center of Delft with its canals is also well worth visiting with the family. If you want more extensive information on what you can do in Delft, read our blog Delft with kids.

#5 Dordrecht: this may not be the first city, you think of when talking about fun cities in South Holland with kids, but still there are plenty of fun things to do here. For example, in Dordrecht you can visit national park the Biesbosch and here is also a very cool climbing forest for kids to visit. Recreation Resort Binnenmaas is also around the corner, where kids can do all kinds of things in this mega playground. A visit to Kinderdijk with its many windmills is also quickly done from Dordrecht. Read our blog Dordrecht with kids to learn more about this city.

South Holland with kids: amusement parks

You can also take kids to a number of fun amusement parks in South Holland. We list the best amusement parks below!

#6 Duinrell: We think this is by far the most fun amusement park in this province. The amusement park has a huge number of attractions for both young children and older kids, and you can easily spend a whole day here. We spent a night at the campground near the amusement park and we can very well imagine families going here for an entire weekend. In addition to the amusement park with all its rides, there is also a super fun water park near it, where you get to go for a few hours. This water park has a huge variety of slides and is also highly recommended to visit. For more information about this park, check out our blog Duinrell with kids.

#7 Drievliet: This amusement park in The Hague, has many attractions that you also encounter at the fairgrounds. This amusement park is especially fun for slightly younger kids, and most of the attractions are also designed for this audience. A big advantage of the amusement park is that kids are allowed in all the attractions (whether accompanied by parents or not). There is also plenty of play equipment for kids at the amusement park. We have visited the park several times and entertained ourselves here all day every time.

#8 Madurodam: We find it difficult to give an exact description of Madurodam, but we put it in the list of funniest amusement parks in South Holland with kids. This is because in addition to admiring Holland in miniature, there are also plenty of attractions at this park. For example, kids can shoot a cannon, play soccer in a field with LED lights and take a flight in an airplane. There are also several playgrounds in the park, making this a great place to spend an entire morning or afternoon with the family.

#9 Plaswijckpark: this park is located in Rotterdam and we had never heard of it at first. This is actually unjustified because this is a really fun amusement park, where you can have a whole day of fun with kids. Thus, this park has enormously fun playgrounds both indoors and outdoors (especially the indoor playground we found original and fun to visit). You can also admire some animals in the park and kids can boat and ride go-karts on a large traffic square. In summer, it is also possible to play in the park’s water playground. We were there when the park opened and left the park in the afternoon when the park was closing.

South Holland with kids:museums

We must honestly admit that we are not that into museums, but you can still go to some really fun museums in South Holland with kids. We list the nicest ones (all of which we also visited).

#10 Maritime Museum: This museum is definitely in our top 3 most family-friendly museums in the Netherlands. For example, the museum has plenty of room for kids to play, so it almost doesn’t feel like a museum anymore. Especially in the Professor Plons section, kids can get to work themselves with a crane, packages and trolleys. The rest of this museum in Rotterdam also managed to keep kids captivated. In doing so, the museum has different activities for different age groups. You can also do a really fun scavenger hunt just outside the museum near the ships.

#11 Naturalis: we actually knew this museum in Leiden because of Freek Vonk, but he is nowhere to be seen in the museum with a section or something. That doesn’t matter, because even without Freek it is a fun museum to visit. You’ll walk through seven different rooms at the museum, and kids can do a fun scavenger hunt at the museum. Especially the room with stuffed dinosaurs looks very cool. In addition, kids can do many activities here such as, for example, imitating certain nature objects. We were here in the morning and had an excellent morning at the museum.

#12 Corpus: This museum is also located in Leiden and is dedicated to the human body. In doing so, you take a route through the human body (the outside of the museum already looks very cool). The fact that you see different parts life-size and there are also images and sound with the different parts makes it very attractive for kids (and parents) to watch as well. We found this perhaps the most surprising museum we visited.

#13 Children’s Book Museum: this is another really fun museum to visit in South Holland with kids. It may sound a little dull a children’s book museum, but it certainly isn’t. Again, kids can play a lot here, and you’ll see familiar children’s books like Dikkie Dik and Vos and Haas in several rooms. In addition to being able to play a lot in the different areas, kids can also dress up. There is enough to do at the museum to keep you entertained for an entire morning or afternoon with your kids.

#14 Museon: This is the science museum of The Hague and it does remind a bit of the science museum of Amsterdam: Nemo. Here, too, kids can do all kinds of experiments on water, science, history, space travel, sound, climate, humans and animals, volcanoes and earthquakes, Romans and much more. Because kids can do a lot themselves at this museum, they won’t get bored here easily. We had a great time here!

South Holland with kids: best beaches

You can also go to the beach in South Holland with kids. Thus, the province has more than 65 kilometers of coastline. We list the best beaches in the province here.

#15 Scheveningen: this is the most famous beach to visit in South Holland with kids. There are dozens of beach bars on the beach and plenty to do for kids on Scheveningen’s boulevard. So you can go on the Ferris wheel and there is also a large trampoline park. You can also visit Sea Life here. In addition, you can visit Legoland here. This allows you to make a nice change from playing on the beach, eating and drinking, and engaging in a family activity.

#16 Noordwijk: Also on the beach of Noordwijk you have plenty of nice beach bars to have fun with kids. When we visited the beach in Noordwijk, we had lunch at the beach tent (Strandplaats), which is adjacent to the fun playground Speelzandt. A great place for kids to play while parents can eat and drink at their leisure.

#17 Katwijk aan Zee: Here, too, you have plenty of nice beach bars lining the beach for snacks and drinks. Near the beach, you can also go into the Panbos for a nice walk of about four kilometers!

South Holland with kids: other activities

#18 Nature reserve the Biesbosch: this is one of the most beautiful nature reserves you can visit with kids in South Holland. At Biesboschcentrum Dordrecht you can rent whisper boats and explore the nature reserve this way. This does represent one of the most enjoyable ways to explore the beautiful area. You can also rent a rowboat, canoe or SUP board to explore the area. At the visitor center in Dordrecht, you can also find some more information about the beaver and kids can play games. For more information read our blog Biesbosch Dordrecht with kids.

#19 Renzy GPS tour: a fun means of transportation to explore South Holland with kids are Renzy’s electric cars. We rented them for a few hours and explored the area around Lisse and Noordwijk. You encounter beautiful tulip fields here in the summer months and it’s super fun to take these little cars on the road. Kids can do a photo scavenger hunt along the way, where they must try to solve a puzzle. Along the way, you get all kinds of information via audio in the car about the area. We wrote the blog Renzy GPS tour with kids about it.

#20 Kralingse bos: this forest in Rotterdam is definitely a must visit. For example, in the forest you have a beach and a paddling pool, where kids can cool off in the summer. In addition, you have a petting zoo that you can visit and there is also a climbing forest, where kids can go wild among the trees. Several playgrounds can also be found in the forest, making it a great place to spend a morning or afternoon when visiting the province of South Holland with kids. We wrote the blog Kralingse Bos with kids about it.

#21 Klimbos Dordrecht: one of the most fun climbing forests to visit with kids in South Holland is the climbing forest of Dordrecht. Kids at least 1.20 meters tall can complete various courses through the trees here. What we love about this climbing forest is that even the somewhat younger kids are already allowed to climb quite high in the trees, making it a challenge for them as well. We wrote the blog Klimbos Dordrecht with kids about it.

#22 Blijdorp Zoo: the most fun zoo to visit with kids in South Holland is the zoo in Rotterdam. The zoo is divided into different continents, and in addition to viewing animals, there are plenty of playgrounds and play equipment for kids to have a great time. There is also an indoor playground at the zoo for when the weather is not so good. For more information about this zoo, read our blog Zoo Blijdorp with kids.

South Holland with kids: where to sleep?

The province of South Holland is obviously quite large, and you naturally have plenty of accommodations here for families to stay overnight. We list several options from a number of fun cities in the province to stay overnight with your kids.

Rotterdam

Budget hotel: Hostel Room Rotterdam

Mid-range hotel: SS Rotterdam

Luxury hotel: Urban Residences

For a list of all hotels for families in Rotterdam, take a look here.

The Hague:

Budget hotel: Easyhotel The Hague:

Mid-range hotel: Hotel Ibis Den Haag City Centre

Luxury hotel: Marriott Hotel The Hague

For the full range of accommodations for families in The Hague, take a look here.

Lead:

Budget hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Leiden