Practical information

Below you’ll find a selection of childcare services and babysitting options in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Tales
Amsterdam Tales offers incidental babysitting services. All of their babysitters are qualified professionals—either certified primary school teachers or trained childcare workers. Many of them are also mothers themselves, which means they’re very used to creating a safe, warm environment for children of all ages. Families can choose to have the babysitter come to where they’re staying, or, if preferred, can host children in their own homes—which are fully equipped for little ones. The rate is €29 per hour. 
 

• Website: AmsterdamTales.com
• Email: amstales@gmail.com
• WhatsApp at +31 6 31 234 648 
   

Sitly 
Sitly is an online dashboard where families and childcare providers can connect. There are a lot of babysitters available in the city of Amsterdam; many available for occasional babysitting gigs as well. You can browse around for potential candidates with good reviews free of charge, but the downside is you will have to purchase a subscription (1 month = €19,95) to be able to communicate with them (and then don't forget to cancel your subscription right away). Rates are usually negotiable, but often around €12 per hour.

• Website: Sitly.nl/Amsterdam

A selection of cafés in Amsterdam that are suitable for children and families during your stay at IDFA.

• Coffee + Kids | A Toy Shop, Coffee Bar, Creative Space in one.
• Groot Melkhuis | Waterside Terrace in the middle of Vondelpark with a kid's playground.
• Minimarkt | Kids Store with Coffee corner for the parents.
• Skatecafé Karin & Yvonne | Open Thursday-Saturday this is the best place to have dinner or drinks with your skate-mad kids. 

• Pannenkoekenboot (Pancake boat) | A 75-minute boat ride on the IJ-river, with unlimited pancakes and a ball pit. Great place to have lunch or dinner with your kids while sightseeing
• NEMO | The science and technology museum in Amsterdam for all ages. Discover five floors filled with exhibitions, experiments, and workshops.
• Het Muizenhuis | A mini-museum. You might be familiar with the popular book series of the Mouse Mansion, now see where it all began.
• East Indiaman replica ship | Visit the replica of the East Indiaman Amsterdam ship at the National Maritime Museum. Learn about life on board and reflect on our colonial past. 
• Resistance Museum Junior | Learn more about The Netherlands in World War II.

November is a busy month in Amsterdam. We recommend booking your accommodation early to ensure availability and reasonable prices. Below is a selection of hotels offering family and multi-person rooms. (Note: Prices below are an indication.)

Low Price Range (Hostels, <€170 per night)

• StayOkay Amsterdam Oost - Family Room.
• Generator Hostel - Private 4 Bedroom.
• Amsterdam Teleport Hotel - Budget 4-person Family Studio.

Medium Low Price Range (€170-250 per night)

• Volkshotel - L Room.
• The Alfred Hotel - Quadruple Room.
• Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel - Family Room.
• StayOkay Amsterdam Vondelpark - Family Room.
• Ibis Styles Amsterdam Amstel - Family Attic Room. Stadhouderskade 131. 
   

High Price Range (€300< per night)

• The Social Hub Amsterdam City - Play Room.
• Bunk Amsterdam - Room for 4 (Family).
• Prinsengracht Hotel - Garden House.
• Pulitzer Amsterdam - Family Package. 
• NH Collection Amsterdam Flower Market - Family Room.

Amsterdam in November brings temperatures from between 3 to 10°C (37 to 50 °F), with a high chance of rain. We recommend bringing a warm coat, waterproof jackets, and an umbrella (flying: checked luggage only). Pack a warm sweater, as it's the kind of weather best spent indoors in the cinema.

Layers are strongly recommended, as indoor venues are well heated and you'll be comfortable inside even when it's cold outside. Extra socks can be useful, in case you get caught in the rain and your shoes get wet. If you tend to feel cold easily, a hot water bottle can also be useful to warm up your hotel bed at night.

IDFA does not have a dress code. Where what makes you feel comfortable—whether you're attending premiere screenings, the Opening Night, or Awards Ceremony. Most attending wear smart casual attire for these events—but ranges from people in jeans to cocktail attire.

Amsterdam is generally safe and easy to navigate, including the city center at night.

Public transport operates until around midnight, with nighttime bus lines still operating throughout the night. As in any major city, we recommend staying aware of pickpockets and watch your belongings in busy areas. If you leave your coat or bag at a coatrack, please take your valuables with you.

Amsterdam is a cycling city, and trams and bicycles are part of daily traffic. Walking in central Amsterdam can feel quite busy if you are not used to this shared street space. Cyclists are everywhere, and not all of them strictly follow traffic rules. Please pay attention when crossing streets.

Be aware that cycle lanes can sometimes look like pedestrian paths, but are not. They are usually marked in red or green and/or feature a bicycle symbol on the ground. Please avoid walking on these lanes.

Also take care when crossing tram tracks, as trams often have the right of way and can approach quickly.

In the Netherlands, the standard plug types are C and F, with a voltage of 230V and frequency of 50Hz. Like almost all Continental European countries, the Netherlands has standardized on the German plug and socket system. More info can be found on worldstandards.eu.

Events in the Netherlands typically start on time. Dutch people tend to value punctuality, so when an event is scheduled for a specific time, that is usually the exact starting time.

If there is a reception or walk-in period before the start, this will always be clearly indicated in the schedule.

When meeting each other for the first time, the Dutch usually shake hands. When they are familiar with one another / friends, they give three kisses on alternating cheeks. Covid has changed these things over the past years and we do still see some elbow bumps, but mostly it is returning to pre-covid times.

In professional settings, people in the Netherlands usually greet each other with a handshake. Among friends, greetings may include three kisses on alternating cheeks, though this varies and has changed since Covid.