Swimming in Amsterdam

I'll start by stating the obvious. There is a lot of water in Amsterdam.  The city is built below sea level. You don't have to dig very deep before you notice there is sand beneath the street level.  The city is built on reclaimed land from the sea.  There are a lot of canals and rivers. Water sports are very popular here. Actually, all sports seem to be very popular. 

The Swimming Diploma

Teaching swimming to children is a high priority in Amsterdam to prevent children drowning. Children are taught in a diploma system and can start as young as 4 years old.  The first basic skill they are taught is to float on their backs.  For us arriving from UK, this is a new concept and caused much amusement in our house, as my 7 year old daughter has been spending 45 minutes for the last 5 weeks, learning to float, despite the fact she can swim.  The children progress through this diploma system. It becomes important, as children without a diploma, cannot attend school trips or swim in public baths. 

Kinderbads

We are currently having a love affair with the kinderbads. I've worked out there are 4 kinderbads in proximity to our house: Beatrix Park, two in the Amsterdamse Bos and one in the Mirandabad swimming pool. The kinderbads are paddling pools, some big and some are huge. Most have fountains and buckets of toys you can borrow and a cafe.

Open from May - August, the kinderbads are free. It's a great way to spend an afternoon and take a picnic.  

Lake Swimming

We've also discovered lakes with areas roped off for swimming. The Bosban and the Grote Rijver both have areas for swimming in the summer.

Here's a map of the Amsterdam Bos.  This is one area which Google Maps have done a very bad job on, so this map should help.