Amsterdam with Teenagers: Activities, Visits and Rules to Know

How a trip with teens differs from one with young children

For younger children, our guide Amsterdam with kids covers the zoo, the farms, playgrounds and getting around with a pushchair. With teenagers, three things change.

• Prices. Many venues charge the adult rate from age 13, but some keep a youth price up to 17, and both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum remain free for under-18s.
• Independence. The rules vary from place to place: at Nxt Museum, young people can go in on their own from age 12; NEMO requires an adult for under-13s, and Moco for under-16s.
• What is off-limits. Coffee shops, bars and some attractions are closed to minors, even with a parent. Better to know this before planning the evening (see below).

Digital and immersive art

Nxt Museum, in Amsterdam-Noord

Nxt Museum, Asterweg 22, is devoted to digital art: large installations of light, sound and images in darkened rooms that you wander through freely. The current exhibition, "Pioneers of Media Art", runs until 10 January 2027. The museum opens Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 8:30pm, and until 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday; it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are sold online only: adults €24.50 (the price varies by time slot), €13.50 for ages 11 to 17, free up to age 10, €15 for students, and €12.25 with a CJP or EYCA youth card. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. The museum warns that the exhibition contains flashing lights and loud sounds.

Moco Museum, on Museumplein

If your teens were to see just one museum on Museumplein, it would often be this one. Moco Museum, Honthorststraat 20, has a permanent display of works by Banksy, along with Warhol, Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kusama, and digital installations you physically step into. The visit is short and very photogenic. Adult tickets from €19.95 online, €17.95 for ages 7 to 17; under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The museum opens from 9am, and until 8pm on Friday and Saturday.

Thrills and a flight simulator in Amsterdam-Noord

Across the IJ, a five-minute crossing on the free F3 ferry (towards Buiksloterweg) from behind Central Station, two neighbouring attractions are especially popular with teenagers.

A'DAM Lookout and the "Over the Edge" swing

At the top of the A'DAM tower, IJpromenade 4, A'DAM Lookout offers a 360° view from 100 metres up. For teens, the main draw is the "Over the Edge" swing, which sends two people out over the drop from the roof for about a minute: €7.50 extra online, minimum height 1.20 m, not advised for people with heart conditions, blood pressure problems or fear of heights. Phones and loose items are not allowed on the swing, but a souvenir photo and video are included free. Admission costs €16.50 online from age 13 (child rate up to 12). Open daily from 10am to 10pm, card payment only.

This is Holland, the flight simulator

A few minutes' walk away, This is Holland, Overhoeksplein 51, takes you over the Netherlands in a 9-minute flight simulator, preceded by two short introductory shows and followed by a stop in the Holland Lounge. Allow an hour in total. Open daily from 10am to 7pm; tickets from €22, or from €19 when you book early online, family tickets from €53, and a combination ticket with A'DAM Lookout from €30. The flight is not allowed for children under 4 or anyone shorter than 1 m, which is no issue with teenagers. Book a time slot and arrive 15 minutes beforehand.

Street art and urban culture at NDSM

The former NDSM shipyard, reached in about fifteen minutes on the free F4 ferry, is the perfect playground for teens into graffiti and photography: hangars covered in murals, cranes and a waterfront quay, all free to explore. In an 8,000 m² hangar, STRAAT Museum shows large-scale works by street artists from around the world: €21.50 for adults, €11.50 for ages 13 to 18, €16.50 for students, free up to age 12 with an adult. Open Monday from 12pm to 5pm and Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. On some weekends, the IJ-Hallen flea market fills the neighbouring halls, a good chance to hunt for vintage clothes.

Science, the human body and history

NEMO Science Museum

NEMO Science Museum is not just for little ones: its five floors of hands-on experiments on technology, the universe and the human body also appeal to secondary-school students. Tickets €21.50 from age 4, €14 with a student or CJP card, with a time slot booked online. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5:30pm. The roof terrace is free.

Body Worlds

On Damrak, five minutes from the station, Body Worlds displays more than 200 real human bodies and organs preserved by plastination, built around the theme of happiness and health. It makes a powerful visit for a teenager interested in biology, provided you tell them what to expect. Adult tickets €22.50 online, reduced rate for ages 6 to 17, open daily until 10pm: a good option for a rainy evening.

The Anne Frank House

Many teenagers have read the Diary at school, which makes a visit to the Anne Frank House especially moving. The museum sets a minimum age of 10. Tickets cost €7 for ages 10 to 17 and €16.50 for adults, sold online only: sales open every Tuesday at 10am for visits six weeks later, and slots go fast.

Bikes and ferries: the freedom to get around

Renting bikes is often the teens' favourite moment. At MacBike, which has a branch next to Central Station (Oosterdoksstraat 106), a city bike costs €13.95 for three hours and €17.95 for the day, with optional insurance; you leave a credit card, or an ID and €50 in cash per bike. A teen of adult height rides an adult bike. Before setting off, go over the rules: ride on the right, stick your arm out to turn, never hold your phone while riding, and lock the bike by the frame with two locks. The IJ ferries, free for pedestrians and bikes, then take you across to Amsterdam-Noord with no effort.

For trams and the metro, note that the child-rate GVB 24-hour ticket (€5) is only valid up to age 11; from 12, a teenager pays the adult fare (€10). All ticket types are covered in our guide to getting around Amsterdam.

Eating and shopping

For meals, street food halls suit everyone, since each person picks their own stall: at De Hallen, a former tram depot in the west of the city, or at the Albert Cuyp Market, where you can try a warm stroopwafel Monday to Saturday. For shopping, teens enjoy the small boutiques of the Nine Streets, between the canals, and the second-hand shops, including the IJ-Hallen flea market at NDSM on some weekends (entry €6.50).

The rules for under-18s

In the Netherlands, several restrictions are aimed squarely at minors, and ID checks are frequent.

• Coffee shops: entry is for over-18s only, on showing an original ID. The rules are detailed in our guide to coffee shops in Amsterdam.
• Alcohol: it is only sold and served to over-18s, and the Heineken Experience is closed to under-18s, even with an adult.
• Red Light District: it is open to everyone, but photographing or filming the windows is forbidden, as is smoking cannabis or drinking alcohol in the street. The Red Light Secrets museum is closed to under-16s. Prepare your teens for what they will see, or go through during the day.
• On the street: turn down any offer of drugs in the street; what dealers sell is often adulterated.

Saving money: youth discounts

• Free up to and including age 17 at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, with a €0 ticket that still has to be booked.
• Youth Museumkaart: €39 up to and including age 18, compared with €75 for an adult. It gives free entry to NEMO and 30% off at Moco; a card bought on the spot at a participating museum is temporary and valid for up to 5 visits within 31 days.
• Youth and student cards: Nxt Museum accepts the CJP or EYCA card (€12.25), NEMO charges €14 with a student or CJP card, and STRAAT Museum has a student rate.

Price summary for a teenager

Prices observed in October 2026, tickets bought online unless stated otherwise.

A sample two-day plan with teens

Day 1, Amsterdam-Noord. F3 ferry to Buiksloterweg, This is Holland late in the morning, then A'DAM Lookout and its swing. In the afternoon, the F4 ferry to NDSM for street art and STRAAT Museum. In the evening, Wednesday to Sunday, Nxt Museum, open until 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday.

Day 2, the centre by bike. Rent bikes near the station, ride around the canals, then Moco on Museumplein. Lunch in a street food hall, shopping in the Nine Streets, and Body Worlds in the evening if the weather turns.

Further reading

To explore the north bank beyond the attractions, read our guide to the Amsterdam-Noord neighbourhood. On rainy days, pick from what to do in Amsterdam when it rains, and for shopping, our guide to shopping in Amsterdam lists the streets and addresses worth knowing.