Visiting the Anne Frank House with Kids
The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is one of the city’s top tourist destinations.
The site is a sobering reminder of the horrors suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust and a necessary stop when in Amsterdam.
However, if you’re visiting Amsterdam with children, you may wonder whether or not you can visit the Anne Frank House with kids.
In this post, I highlight what to expect when visiting the Anne Frank House, whether or not it is appropriate for children (and what ages), and provide tips for visiting.
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The story of Anne Frank
Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929. In 1934, at the age of four, Anne and her family immigrated to The Netherlands where her father, Otto, opened a business importing spices. Their decision to leave Germany was largely a result of Hitler and the Nazi party’s rise to power.
Anne was a bright, outgoing young woman who, prior to the war, lived a mostly care-free life occupied with normal pre-teen interests: relationships with her friends, the lives of celebrities, boys, and dating.
But all that changed on July 5, 1942 when her sister, Margot, received a summons to report to a German work camp.
The Frank family knew this meant death for Margot and the entire family went into hiding the next day.
The hiding spot they chose was the annex of Otto Frank’s spice warehouse. Anne’s parents invited another family, the Van Pels, consisting of mother, father, and teenage son, to hide with them in the annex. The two families were later joined by another Jewish man, Fritz Pfeffer.
What they thought would only be a few months in hiding ended up lasting two years.
Over the course of these two years, Anne meticulously documented annex life in her diary.
She wrote detailed entries on droll aspects of everyday life — daily schedules of the annex inhabitants, books read, meals eaten, and personal interactions and disagreements between them.
After two years in hiding, the annex inhabitants were discovered by the Nazis and transported to concentration camps.
In 1945, Anne was taken to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where, at the age of 15, she was murdered. She became one of the six-million Jews to perish in the Holocaust.
Of the eight annex occupants, Anne’s father, Otto, was the only survivor. He published Anne’s diary in 1947 and it became an instant sensation.
Since then, the Diary of Anne Frank has been an international bestseller translated into 70 languages.
Anne’s words continue to impact new generations of readers, raising awareness about the tragedy of the Holocaust and the dangers of not speaking out against hateful rhetoric and actions.
In 1960, the warehouse and annex where the Frank family lived in hiding was opened to the public as a museum. Every year over 1 million people visit the Anne Frank House.
Visitors walk the rooms where Anne and the others spent two years hiding for their lives, learning the story of Anne Frank through quotes and excerpts from Anne’s diary.
This poignant museum allows you to put yourself into the shoes of Anne and her family and experience the harsh reality of Jews living under Nazi persecution.
Logistics of visiting the Anne Frank House
Practical information
The Anne Frank House is open daily from 9 AM until 10 PM.
Tickets must be purchased in advance online and are sold for specific dates and times.
If you are visiting the Anne Frank House with kids, you must also purchase tickets for them. Even babies require tickets (although it’s just a €1 processing fee).
The museum address is Prinsengracht 263-267, however the entrance to the museum is around the corner, at Westermarkt 20.
Purchasing tickets
As previously mentioned, tickets for Anne Frank House must be purchased in advance online. Tickets sell out quickly, so in this section I outline what you need to know to ensure you’ll get a time slot.
Tickets for the Anne Frank House go on sale the first Tuesday of every month for the following month.
For example, if you want to visit the Anne Frank House in April, tickets for the entire month of April go on sale the first Tuesday in March. Tickets are released at midnight, Amsterdam time.
Pro tip: Set yourself an alarm to buy tickets as soon as they go on sale. Tickets sell out fast, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity to visit the Anne Frank House.
Arrival at the house
Arrive at the museum on time for your ticket. Your ticket includes a fifteen-minute window in which you may enter the museum. Once inside you may stay as long as you need.
Enter through the doors on Westermarkt 20, check in at the front desk, and proceed through security.
Make sure to pick up your free audioguide to enhance your experience.
Storage and restrooms
Backpacks, strollers, and other large bags are not allowed inside the museum.
The museum operates a cloakroom where visitors may leave coats, strollers, and small bags. However, they will not store large bags or suitcases. Leave such items at your hotel or in left luggage at Amsterdam Central Station.
Restrooms are located beyond the security gate and down the stairs to the right. These are the only restrooms available until you exit the museum, so take advantage and use them before you enter.
What to expect inside the museum
Visitors to the museum will learn about Anne, her family, and their experience spending two years in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during World War II.
The visit takes you through the offices of Otto Frank’s spice company and into the small annex where the Frank family, along with four other Dutch Jews, lived crammed together until they were betrayed and ultimately deported by the Nazis.
How long will it take to see the museum?
A visit to the Anne Frank House takes approximately one hour.
However, once you are in the museum you may visit at your own speed and stay as long as you like.
Is the Anne Frank House suitable for children?
According to the official website, visiting the Anne Frank House is not recommended for children under 10.
After visiting myself, I agree that the Anne Frank House is not suitable for young children. However, mature children who can refrain from running, yelling, or playing during the hour-long visit would be able to visit.
It is up to parents to make the decision on whether or not to bring their children to the Anne Frank Museum, but please keep these next items in mind:
- The museum is housed within a small and intimate space. There is no room for children to run around, and doing so will disturb other museum patrons.
- The content of the museum is serious in nature and may be disturbing for children who cannot emotionally process war and death.
- The mood inside the museum is somber and patrons are mostly silent during the course of their visit. Children who cannot stay quiet for an hour should not visit the museum.
- Once you enter the museum, the only way to exit is by walking through to the end. If you think that at any point you may need to escort your child out, consider not bringing them inside.
Visiting the Anne Frank House with kids: How to make it work
If you’re visiting Amsterdam with kids who are too young to go to the Anne Frank House, yet still want to visit yourself, here’s my suggestion:
Have the adults in your party split up for your visit. One person can sit in the cafe with the kids while the other tours the museum.
The cafe at the Anne Frank House has an assortment of treats, coffee, and drinks, along with large windows overlooking the canal. It’s a great place to sit and have a snack and some warm drinks with your kids.
When person one is done visiting the museum, person two can begin their visit. Person one can then take the kids to nearby Theo Thijsen playground to burn off energy while person 2 is inside.
This method worked for my husband and me when we spent 4 days in Amsterdam with our kids, aged one and three.
While this increases the amount of time you spend at the museum, it is a stress-free way for both parents to visit the Anne Frank House.
FAQ:
You can visit the Anne Frank House with kids, however it is not recommended for children under 10 years of age.
I would advise against bringing a toddler to the Anne Frank House. The small, narrow space is not suitable for a toddler who cannot stay quiet and still for at least one hour.
While the Anne Frank House does not recommend bringing children under the age of 10, a young baby who spends most of their time sleeping would probably be okay inside the museum. Just note that strollers are not allowed inside.
Tickets for the Anne Frank House can be purchased online from the Anne Frank Trust.
A visit to the Anne Frank House lasts approximately one hour.
Conclusion
I hope this guide gives you all the information you need to decide whether or not to visit the Anne Frank House with kids. If you have any questions that remain unanswered, or you’d like clarification, please leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
Until next time,
Tamar
Planning a family trip to Amsterdam? Check out these helpful resources:
- Book family-friendly accommodation here.
- Learn more about the life of Anne Frank and WWII by taking this walking tour.
- An Amsterdam canal boat tour is a must, especially when visiting with kids.