Things to do
Indoor activities in Amsterdam
Good ways to spend a rainy day — from interactive attractions and family outings to film and indoor entertainment.
Amsterdam gets plenty of drizzle, and the city is well prepared for it. Most of the places below sit within walking or tram distance of the centre, and several are open late enough to fill an evening.
We grouped them by what you are after, so you can pick something that suits your group rather than scroll a long list.
Fancy something active? Many clubs have covered courts for padel in Amsterdam, and for indoor karting near Amsterdam you don't need to go outside either.
Interactive attractions & museums
Illusions, wax figures, microbes and immersive art — attractions built to be experienced rather than just looked at. Handy when you want something different from the big art museums.
Centrum
Amsterdam Dungeon
A theatrical, special-effects attraction recounting Amsterdam's darker history.
Centrum
Body Worlds Amsterdam
An anatomy museum of real preserved human bodies, on the Damrak.
Westerpark
Fabrique des Lumières
An immersive digital art centre at Westergas projecting masterpieces across vast walls.
Centrum
Madame Tussauds Amsterdam
The famous wax museum on Dam square, with lifelike figures of stars and royals.
Plantage
Micropia
The world's only museum of microbes, part of the Artis complex.
Upside Down Amsterdam
A playful museum of optical illusions and photo-friendly rooms.
Indoor with kids
Soft play, trampolines and hands-on science. For more ideas, including playgrounds and family restaurants, see our full guide to Amsterdam with kids.
Zuidoost
Ballorig
Spacious soft-play — ball pit, slides, climbing — parents enter free.
West
Candy Castle
A colourful play paradise inside a former church — slides, trampolines, ball pit and go-karts.
NEMO Science Museum
A hands-on science museum for families in a ship-shaped building, with a free rooftop terrace.
West
Playhood
A creative role-play indoor playground in the Houthavens, with Escapehood escape rooms for older kids.
This is Holland
A 5D flight experience soaring over the Netherlands' landscapes, in Noord.
Centrum
VROG Trampoline Park
A trampoline and freerunning park with a jump tower, airbag and air arena — for older, energetic kids.
Film & cinema
From the national film museum on the IJ and a 1921 cinema palace to small film houses and IMAX. Compare them all in our guide to cinemas in Amsterdam.
Eye Filmmuseum
The Netherlands' film museum in a striking white building on the IJ in Noord.
Amsterdam-Noord
FC Hyena
Boutique cinema with a restaurant and natural-wine bar on the IJ in Amsterdam-Noord.
Westerpark
Het Ketelhuis
Film house on the Westergas site since 1999, with a restobar and terrace.
Plantage
Kriterion
Student-run cinema and café on the Roetersstraat, founded in 1945.
Oud-West
LAB111
Film house in a listed building in Oud-West, with bar-restaurant Strangelove.
Amsterdam-Zuidoost
Pathé Arena
Large multiplex in Amsterdam-Zuidoost with 14 screens, including IMAX and 4DX.
Grachtengordel
Pathé Tuschinski
A spectacular 1921 Art Deco and Amsterdam School cinema near Rembrandtplein.
De Pijp
Rialto De Pijp
Film house on the Ceintuurbaan for more than 100 years, near the Sarphatipark.
Indische Buurt
Studio/K
Student-run cinema, café-restaurant and cultural venue on the Timorplein in the Indische Buurt.
Haarlemmerbuurt
The Movies
Amsterdam's oldest cinema (1912), with four art deco screens on the Haarlemmerdijk.
Just outside Amsterdam
Close to the city but in a neighbouring municipality — worth the short trip if you are staying on that side of town.
More ideas
- Museums in Amsterdam — the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh and many smaller collections
- Amsterdam with kids — playgrounds, indoor play and family days out
- All attractions — everything worth seeing, indoors and out
- Getting around — trams and metro keep you dry between stops