4 fun campsites in The Netherlands with kids

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Since Yuri’s birth, he’s been with us on our travels. We’ve camped around Europe and also a few times in The Netherlands. Most of the time when we’re on vacation in The Netherlands we stay in a holiday rental or a hotel, but luckily there have been a few times over the years the weather was nice enough for camping. Here are the 4 campsites in The Netherlands we’ve stayed at with a tent or campervan and what we think of them.

1.Camping ’t Schinkel

The first of the campsites in The Netherlands we visited with Yuri. This fun campsite is in the middle of The Netherlands in Hoenderloo on the Veluwe. A beautiful spot in The Netherlands, where a lot of people spend their vacation, go to for a day or on a weekend getaway. The Veluwe is in the province of Gelderland. The Veluwe has lots of moors and forests. Therefore it’s perfect for walking and animal spotting.

To show the size of the spots to camp on. A shaded grass place with trees marking off the boundaries. Our blue tent on it and chairs on the side. Campsites in The Netherlands. — Our spot on camping ‘t Schinkel

We stayed here back in the Summer of 2014 for a weekend getaway. We camped out in our small tent, but the sites are bigger and you can stay in a larger tent or with a caravan here. Next to that they also have dragon eggs to sleep in. Which are still on our to do list.

To show how a playground looked on the campsite. A green grass field, surrounded by spots with boundaries and tents or caravans on them. In the middle a small playground in sand. — A playground on the campsite

There were lots of fun things to do for (small) kids. For example there are playgrounds on each campfield where the kids can play and meet eachother. There’s an animation program with a king (and queen) during schoolholidays. For instance they came to pick up the kids in the morning with a parade and then danced or do crafts with them.

There were two outside swimming pools, one kiddy pool which wasn’t fenced and which was in front of a larger swimming pool which was fenced off. Furthermore there’s an indoor play and animation room, which is under the restaurant.

To do on and near the campsite

The campsite is neat, a lot of cool and fun things to do in the area: there’s the National Park De Hoge Veluwe, Apenheul, Openluchtmuseum, Burgers Zoo, Klimbos Veluwe, Paleis ’t Loo, Veluwse stoomtrein, Zandsculpturen and Koningin Julianatoren. We went to Koningin Julianatoren. It’s a theme park with lots of rides and shows. Walking routes and biking paths are abound on the Veluwe, so if you love that it’s easy to do here. Or drive the North Veluwe Road Trip, which takes about 2.5 to 3 hours.

The campsite has an onsite snackbar, restaurant, minimarket, sanitary buildings and wifi.

We had a good and fun experience on this campsite. The spots were spacious (at least for a small tent). The campsite was carfree, but you were allowed to drive your car on the terrain to load and onload your stuff/caravan. This was great, because this way you could just let the kids play free on the terrain. The campspots were all centered around (large) open fields with a playground in the middle. The kids could play here with ease while the parents could sit and relax and watch the kids play. There were lots of parents with other kids, fun to chat with.

Small kids

The campsite is focused on families with young children. There were lots of other kids to play with for Yuri when we were there during Summer break.

It was a calm camping without a disco. The animatiomteam interacted on a fun way with the kids, completely in their role and they were nice. They knew how to include all the children in the activities. The swimmingpool was not large or with lots of extra’s, but we had fun playing with Yuri in the kiddiepool. There was a heatwave (30 degrees celsius) in The Netherlands when we were here, so a pool was perfect. They’ve modernised the pool now, since 2017 they have installed a long slide.

To show the swimming pool at the campsite, outside and surrounded by a high fence. A simple swimming pool, square formed, with a green fence around it. People swimming in it. Chairs on the sides. Campsites in The Netherlands. — The swimming pool

Camping ’t Schinkel

Miggelenbergweg 60

7351 BP Hoenderloo

+31 553781367

www.hetschinkel.nl

One of the best campsites in The Netherlands with small kids.

2.Camping De Pampel

Another campsite in Hoenderloo on the Veluwe. There are so many campsites in The Netherlands on the Veluwe. It’s a popular vacation spot. This campsite has the same owners as campsite ’t Schinkel, it’s also close by. We stayed here for a week in the Summer of 2017. We stayed in our small tent, but you can also sleep in a log.

To show the size of the spots to camp on. A grass field surrounded by pine trees and other trees. The grass is away on some places and there's just sand. Our blue tent is on it and our pic nic table and Yuri is playing in the middle. Campsites in The Netherlands. — Our spot on camping de Pampel

There were a lot of fun things to do for kids. There’s an airtrampoline, which is a favorite for Yuri. On the big field there was a large aircushon/obstacle run. It differed per day what they had there. There’s an animationteam and program during schoolholidays, Big 5 is the theme of the program.

To show the airtrampoline from the campsite. Yuri is jumping on it with other kids. — Airtrampoline

The best of the campsite were the 2 swimming pools. They were by far Yuri’s favorite and he went in twice a day. There was a large outside kiddie pool, which was fenced and had several fun things to play with. There was another pool with a slide and which could be covered with a sliding roff and walls. The pool went from 90 to 140 centimeters in depth. As parents you can sit on the terrace or directly next to the swimming pool and still have an overview of the 2 pools.

To show the swimming pool. In the back os a slide. The roof is partly off. It's slid open. People are swimming in it. Chairs on the sides. — The outside/inside swimmingpool

Other fun things on the campsite for kids is that the garden gnomes walking path Hoenderloo is partly on the campsite, Furthermore near the entrance are deer behind a fence.

To show the deer at the entrance to the campsite. Deer behind a fence, large piece of ground with lots of trees. Yuri waving the deer goodbye. — The deer at the entrance

There are open spaces and a piece of forest where they can play and run around. moreover there’s a train (Pampel express) to pick the kids up for a show. The show was in a theater outside but covered, designed as a haystack. There’s an indoor playground, which is small. Outside there are several playgrounds scattered all around the campsite. Next to the indoor playground is an arts and crafts room.

To show the train for children on the campsite. A small train on wheels for children. Pampel Express stands on the front. It's driving on the road inside the campsite. Campsites in The Netherlands. — The Pampel train

To do on and in the vicinity of the campsite

In the vicinity of the campsite there are several attractions that are fun for families: Apenheul, Koningin Julianatoren, Openluchtmuseum, Burgers Zoo, Klimbos Veluwe, Paleis ’t Loo, Veluwse stoomtrein, bierbrouwerij De Vlijt, Zandsculpturen and Nationaal Park de Hoge Veluwe. Also bike rides and walking is easy to partake in from the campsite.

The campsite has an onsite restaurant with pizza’s and a snackbar. There’s a supermarket, laundromat, privat sanitary buildings on spots and sanitary buildings with a special childrenspart. When we were staying here you had to pay for the wifi, it’s free now.

We had a fun week on this campsite. It was the first time we did this. Paul went to work during the day and Yuri and I did things on the campsite. We didn’t venture out, since Yuri really wanted to be on the campsite and not explore. So we did that, we only explored the campsite.

The spots were spacious, we reserved a staked out place, but you can also stay at the field. We had a lovely spot in between trees. The campsite isn’t carfree, you’re allowed to keep your car on your site. Everyone drove modestly. It was a calm campsite, large but no disco.

To show our spot from a different angle. Our tent at our spot with the sun shining. Blue tent, pic nic table, stuff around and a parasol out. — Our tent at our spot with the sun shining

For kids

Yuri thought the swimming pool was amazing, the kiddiepool as well as the deeper pool with the slide. The sliding roof was ideal, eather rain or shine the pool could be used. Yuri had hours of fun here and went twice a day. For me it was ideal to sit on the terrace and still had a full overview over both pools, so I could keep an eye on Yuri. Yuri’s second favorite of the campsite were the airtrampoline and obstacle run aircushion, big hits for him.

To show what they set out on the big grass field for the kids. — Obstacle run air cushon

The wifi worked near the swimming pool, but a little bit further from the pool it stopped. You had to pay 1 or 2 euros a day for the wifi. To me wifi should be free and working on the whole campsite in this day and age (or don’t have wifi at all).

To show the kiddie pool, large and surrounded by a fence. — The kiddie pool

Yuri liked the Pampel express and show. We loved the kiddieshowers, it was ideal with a young child. The staff was friendly, the animation team was fun. There was an onsite handy elaborate store, although pricy, with bread service. It was so lovely to be in the woods all the time and to able to run and walk there. One of the campsites in The Netherlands I would easily return to.

Camping de Pampel

Woeste Hoefweg 35

7351 TN Hoenderloo

+31 553781760

www.pampel.nl

3.Minicamping Polderflora

This small and idealic campsite is in Alphen aan den Rijn, which is situated in the midwest of The Netherlands, it’s in the area called the Randstad and in the province Zuid-Holland (South Holland).

To show the magnificient sunset we had. n the right half of a white campervan. Standing on fake grass. The fake grass is surrounded by real grass. Behind the grass is bushes and a creek. Behind the creek is a field. ON the horizon the sun is setting and the sky is colored yellow, red and blue. Van life. — Sunset at our camping spot

We stayed here in the Fall of 2018 for one night. We were with a campervan, there weren’t any people in tents, too cold. The other people were also in campervans, campers or caravans. There are also a few holiday rentals. It’s the smallest of the campsites in The Netherlands we visited.

A white camper van, parked on fake grass, The side door is open. Behind is also open. Paul is standing their. Cooking our dinner on the kitchen in the camper van. Van life. — Paul making dinner

Fun for kids on this campsite is the hay stack with a lot of Donald Duck magazines in Dutch, sitting areas and lots to read. Further more there are fun animals and a petting zoo. Lots of grass, ideal for kids to run and play. It’s however near the water without any fencing. For adults: we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and free sight over the water and field.

What’s close by and on the campsite

Close by is Archeon, which we visited before coming to this campsite. Other fun things are Esports game arena and vogelpark Avifauna. Alphen aan den Rijn is about 5 kilometers away. Leiden is about 14 kilometers away, a cosy university city with old buildings, canals and museums. Gouda is also close by, with the cheese market, a beautiful city hall and syrup waffles. The area is ideal for biking and walking.

To show the view we had on our spot. Looking out on the polder. You see a small creek covered in green. A field behind the creek. Campsites in The Netherlands. — The view on our spot

The campsite has an onsite sanitary building, picnic tables, spots with partly real grass and artificial grass. Moreover there’s free, really good wifi from glass fiber and there are carfree spots.

We had a fun stay here for a night. It was a fun, not too large campsite. Very clean sanitary building. A nice, friendly owner at the reception. Beautiful and idyllicly placed on large grass fields, which were well kept. We had a beautiful sunset over the polder. You could watch a lot of miles over the water and fields. It was a really calm, rustic campsite. Yuri was in heaven, since there was a whole stack of Donald Duck magazines which he hadn’t read yet.

Minicamping Polderflora

Rietveldsepad 4b

2409 AA Alphen aan den Rijn

0172-588827

06-14553893

info@polderflora.nl

www.polderflora.nl

4.Camper Park Kinderdijk

The last one of the campsites in The Netherlands. This camper park is in Alblasserdam in the provence of Zuid-Holland. The southwest of The Netherlands. Ideal in the neighbourhood of Kinderdijk. We stayed here in a campervan in the Fall of 2018.

To show the spots at the camper park. Just for parking a camper. Concrete parking lot with hook ups and the Kekke camper van on it. Campsites in The Netherlands. — Our spot at the camper park

This camper park isn’t especially fun for kids. You’re not allowed to play with a ball here. There’s no grass or anything else for kids. But there’s free wifi, that works good. We simply stayed here because it was ideal to visit Kinderdijk. You can go to Kinderdijk with a boat, the bus or on bike. With a waterbus/fast ferry to Rotterdam or Dordrecht and than a ferry to Kinderdijk. This is what we opted for. You can also go by bike on the paths of the Alblasserwaard and Krimpenerwaard. There’s also a boat rental nearby, to explore the rivers on “your own”.

The campsite is completely on concrete, it’s a parking lot with full hook ups. It’s fenced off and there’s a small sanitary building. The site has good wifi. Another great option for staying close to Kinderdijk is Van der Valk hotel Ridderkerk, if you’re not camping.

Camper Park Kinderdijk

Marineweg 3A

2952 BX Alblasserdam

+31 653219901

www.camperpark-kinderijk.com

camperparkkinderdijk@gmail.com

So these are 4 campsites in The Netherlands we’ve been to and enjoyed.

If you’re looking for other campsites in Europe, then check out our blog about campsites in Croatia.

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