Artis, founded in 1838 in the Plantage district, is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the few located right in a city centre. The park combines enclosures, large aviaries and 19th-century buildings, with an aquarium and a planetarium included in the ticket. Two museums complete the site: Micropia, devoted to micro-organisms, and the Groote Museum, about the links between humans and the living world. Allow half a day for the zoo alone, a full day with one of the museums.
Highlights
The flamingo pond
A colony of pink flamingos lives around a shaded pond in the historic part of the park. It is one of the most photographed spots in Artis, with its tall trees and paths laid out in the 19th century.
The aquarium
The aquarium building, opened in 1882, keeps its neoclassical facade on the Plantage Middenlaan. Inside, the tanks show coral reefs, freshwater fish and a reconstruction of an Amsterdam canal seen from underwater.
The savannah and the large mammals
Giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and other grazers share a vast savannah area. The park is also home to elephants, lions, jaguars, gorillas and chimpanzees, spread between outdoor enclosures and heated buildings.
The planetarium
Included in the zoo ticket, it screens shows about the sky and space throughout the day. Check the day's programme at the entrance or in the free Artis app.
Micropia and the Groote Museum
Micropia, opened in 2014, shows the bacteria, yeasts and viruses around us under the microscope. Since May 2022, the Groote Museum has occupied an 1855 building, the oldest purpose-built museum building in Amsterdam, which had been closed to the public for 75 years. Both are on the Artisplein, Plantage Kerklaan 36, with a separate or combined ticket.
Opening hours and prices
The zoo is open every day from 9am to 6pm from 1 March to 31 October, and from 9am to 5pm from 1 November to 28 February. Micropia and the Groote Museum are open every day from 10am to 5pm, the Groote Museum until 10pm on Thursdays. Zoo: from €29.50 online for ages 13 and over (€32.50 at the gate), from €25.50 for ages 3 to 12 (€27.50 at the gate), free under 3. Micropia or Groote Museum: from €17 online (€18 at the gate) for ages 13 and over, free up to age 12. Combined ticket for the zoo and one museum from €35.50 online.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Prices vary by day: buy online, it is always cheaper than at the gate. A late ticket, valid from 4pm, costs €15 for the zoo and €9 for a museum. Payment is by card only, no cash. You may bring your own picnic. Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam. Tram 14 from Central Station (Centraal Station) and Dam Square, stop Artis, in front of the entrance. Trams 7 and 19 to Alexanderplein, metro 51, 53 or 54 to Waterlooplein, buses 22 and 43 to Kadijksplein, then about a 10-minute walk. Paid car park 150 metres from the entrance (€17 per day).
Opening hours
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