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Although there are no particular facilities for children (beyond triple rooms and cots for babies), this family-run hotel in the Museum Quarter is noted for its friendliness. A stuffed owl in an alcove provides the name. The hotel has a neat little garden, and fresh flowers in the fairly plain rooms.

Cheerful, friendly and simple, this canal house in Plantage has a welcoming attitude to children, with family rooms. Breakfast is no longer served (there are places nearby) but hot and cold drinks, fruit and cookies are on offer during the day.

Animal-loving children will enjoy staying opposite the Poezenboot. The family-run hotel has an excellent location on a pretty stretch of the Singel, and small but characterful bedrooms. Under-sevenyear olds stay for free, and babysitting can be arranged.

Treat the children to life aboard a houseboat. Amsterdam House has eight of them available for short or long rentals (from €150), as well as apartments and hotel rooms.

In the same family for three generations, this elegant hotel mixes modern facilities with traditional surroundings and a warm atmosphere. Baby baths and high chairs are available, and babysitting. A new wing with 20 rooms should be ready in 2005.

This small waterfront inn is a good option for families who prefer to stay outside the city centre. Just 10 km (6 miles) from the city by bus or bicycle, it’s in a charming village and there are family rooms.

Recently renovated, this is an excellent two-star hotel in the Museum Quarter, with three- and four-bedded rooms. The yellow breakfast room is particularly jolly.

This immaculate, good-value hotel has a wonderful antique breakfast room and spacious contemporary bedrooms that can accommodate up to six people.

Teenagers might put up with parents in this famous Art Deco hotel overlooking the neon glare of Rembrandtplein, once the meeting-place of artists and poets. There are family rooms, and the kids can escape to the buzzing Schiller Café.

Parents may prefer old-world character, but children usually like their hotels to look spanking new, like this recently opened three-star hotel in the Canal Ring. Some rooms sleep three or four, and there is a brasserie for breakfast and snacks.