ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo is a 19th-century zoo in the heart of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the oldest in Europe (opened in 1838) and surrounded by Amsterdams historic canals. The entry includes the newly renovated Aquarium, the Planetarium, daily zookeeper talks, and on weekends a free guided tour. A good choice for families and anyone who wants a half-day outdoors in green space close to the city centre.
ARTIS Zoo is designed as a walk-through park. There is no fixed route, and you will visit habitats, historic buildings, gardens, and educational spaces.
Dive into the newly renovated ARTIS Aquarium and discover different ecosystems up close, including the underwater life of the Amsterdam canals.
These are the activities you can expect during your visit:
Zookeeper talks | Included in your ticket. These educational talks are held in various habitats and cover interesting facts about penguins, jaguars, sea lions, red lemurs, and others. Each keeper talks about the animals in their care, their character, behaviour and daily routine. Currently only in Dutch, but the keepers are happy to answer questions in English.
The Planetarium | Included in your ticket. Watch shows about our universe, our planet and our place in it. These are available in English and are interesting for adults and children alike. Download the ARTIS app to check the daily show schedule.
Weekend guided tours | Included in your ticket. A guide takes you through the park, sharing facts about the buildings, plants and animals. Every tour is different depending on the season.
The zoo also has different vegetarian food spots throughout the park. You can get a coffee and pie near the Planetarium or have lunch at the Waterkant restaurant, with a direct view of the lion enclosure. On sunny days you can also have some fries, ice cream and pastries.
🐠 The aquarium, the third-oldest in the world, offers you a unique journey through aquatic life. Admire colorful coral reefs, meet unique fish, and learn about the role of water in our daily life.
🐘 Two elephant calves were born this winter. Stand at the path alongside the lake for the best view. Seeing them interact with the herd, playing or taking a bath, is worth a visit.
🌊The canals. ARTIS Zoo is built along historic canals; here both worlds mix into each other.
🪐 The Planetarium. This space-themed experience is included in your ticket and super interesting.
🌿 Modernized habitats. ARTIS Zoo is currently updating their enclosures; they are bigger, have fewer animals, and more nature. Small monkeys also have net bridges across the park to move from one side to the other.
Compared to traditional zoos, the ARTIS Zoo habitats are separated by natural barriers and low fences, making the visit more immersive. One of the most fun parts of the visit is seeing the small monkeys cross the “bridges” in the trees.
Our favorite habitats are:
The ARTIS Aquarium: housed in an iconic historic building. The Aquarium houses salt and freshwater fish. The tank you can’t miss is the Amsterdam Canal habitat; here you will see all the animals living in the iconic canals.
The elephant habitat: It has a lake with a path from where you get a unique point of view of the elephants and the canal houses.
The new lion enclosure: it has underground tunnels where you can get eye level with them.
The butterfly habitat: a full tropical microclimate, warm and humid, but full of hundreds of colorful butterflies.
Booking the entry is very easy online, and I also recommend downloading the ARTIS app before you arrive: it has the full daily schedule, feeding times and Planetarium showtimes. The entrance can get busy, so try to arrive early for fewer crowds.
ARTIS Zoo is not the cheapest (€29,50), but also not much more expensive than most activities in the city (€26). Considering you can stay as long as you like and have different programs included, the value is quite high.
ARTIS Zoo is ideal for visitors and families who want to enjoy a green space close to the centre.
Book your activity in under a minute and secure your spot. No hassle, choose your date, reserve instantly, and get ready for an unforgettable experience.
ARTIS Zoo is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00. The Planetarium, ARTIS talks and weekend live guides are included with your zoo ticket, which makes the visit especially good value if you plan to spend a few hours in the park.
You can easily book your ticket online, click on the red button to buy your entrance through their website.
You can also buy your ticket at the entrance, but online you get about €2 discount, it’s faster and less queuing. If needed, you can reschedule your ticket by calling to 020 5233 670. If needed, you can reschedule your ticket by calling to 020 5233 670.
ARTIS has two other museums – both free for kids up to 12 years and you get discount if you book them together:
Micropia the world’s first museum about microbes (from €6 instead of €17).
ARTIS Grote Museum: learn about humans, animals, plant and our whole ecosystem (from €6 instead of €17)..
ARTIS Zoo is pin-only, so it is not possible to pay with cash.
ARTIS has its own parking lot, at a daily rate of €17.50. You can pay at the entrance desk or at the parking machine near the Planetarium. However, on busy days it fills up fast. If you’re visiting on a weekend or during school holidays, it’s safer to use one of the nearby Q-Park parking garages: Q-Park Weesperplein, Q-Park Oost or Q-Park Waterlooplein, all around 13 minutes on foot from the entrance.
Booking a spot at Q-Park in advance is worth it: your space is guaranteed and the barrier opens automatically on arrival. You can cancel free of charge up to 1 hour before arrival.
ARTIS Zoo is easy to reach by public transport from Amsterdam Central Station (16 minutes) and other parts of the city. You can reach the zoo with:
🚋Tram 14 to Muiderpoort station: step out at the stop ARTIS/Holocaust museum.
🚇Metro 51 to Isolatorweg: step out at the stop Waterlooplein and walk 10 minutes
🚇Metro 54 to Gein: step out at the stop Waterlooplein and walk 10 minutes
The ARTIS Groote Museum is an interactive nature museum inside a 170-year-old monument on the ARTIS grounds in Amsterdam, built in 1855. The museum is mostly centred in us - humans - you’ll discover how we, together with: animals, plants, and microbes form one ecosystem. You will do this by touching, smelling, listening, and observing different installations.
The only museum in the world dedicated entirely to microbes, located on the ARTIS grounds in the heart of Amsterdam. The museum makes the invisible visible: living microbes, microscopes and interactive displays show you a world that's everywhere around you and inside you, but impossible to see with the naked eye. Entry includes daily Lab Talks with Micropia's own lab technicians and other interactive activities.
During the tour we learned some interesting facts: The palace is build on top of 13.659 wooden poles. The building has served as a palace since 1808. The Atlas statue represents Amsterdam as the middle of the world.
