Entrace of the Artis zoo. Photo: © Artis
The Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. It is a zoo and a botanical garden. The zoo has a huge collection of animals, sculptures and art masterpieces located in 27 historical buildings. Visitors to the Artis Amsterdam will be able to admire several hundred species of animals and trees and plants. Inside there are also a planetarium and the only exhibition in the world on microscopic life, called Micropia.
A quick visit will take you a couple of hours but you can safely enjoy this corner of nature in the heart of the city even longer.
This enchanting natural oasis offers its visitors the opportunity to admire wonderful and rare specimens of parrots, chimpanzees, tropical fish, turtles, flamingos but also 200 types of ancient trees, plants and flowers.
How to best experience ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo?
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Best ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo Tickets
Tickets for ARTIS Royal Zoo
/5Have a wild time at the historic ARTIS Amsterdam zoo
As low as
€25.00
on Tiqets.com
I amsterdam City Card
/5See the Rijksmuseum, ARTIS, Hermitage Amsterdam and more
As low as
€65.00
on Tiqets.com
Amsterdam: ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo Entry Ticket
/5Visit the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo along with the planetarium, the butterfly pavilion, admire the botanical garden, the centuries-old trees in the park, and take a break at one of the restaurants.
As low as
€25
on GetYourGuide.com
Amsterdam Micropia Skip-the-Line Admission Ticket
/5Visit Micropia, the only museum of microbes, and discover an invisible world right in the center of Amsterdam. Learn about microbes in your own body through the means of a body scan, and come to understand more about these highly successful life forms.
As low as
€17.50
on GetYourGuide.com
What is the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo?
It is the oldest zoological garden in Europe. It includes acquarium, planetarium and geological and zoological museums.
When was the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo built?
The zoo was born as one of the first green projects in the Dutch capital. It was founded in 1838 by three members of the Natura Artis Magistra association: Gerard Westerman, J.W.H. Werlemann and J.J. Wijsmuller. It was initially open only to members. Starting in 1851 it was opened to the public during the month of September. In 1920 it was opened year-round to the public, but September remains discount month.
What is there to see at the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo?
The Artis Zoo is a well-kept and clean monumental environment where the habitats of all continents are reproduced and it is not unusual to witness the show of butterflies that, in the pavilions, flutter all over the place, to the race of monkeys climbing from a tree to another, to the flight in complete freedom of the many types of birds in the Birdhouse, to the shy lemurs that hide from the sight of the tourists and to the elegant walk of the giraffes. Absolutely not to be missed is the nocturnal jungle that allows you to admire how zebras, lions and giraffes live at nightfall. There is also an 1882 aquarium filled with tanks featuring coral reefs with sharks, dolphins, tropical fish and seals.
Why is the zoo called ARTIS?
The official name of this fantastic zoo comes from the Latin: Natura Artis Magistra (Latin for “Nature is the teacher of the arts”), although everyone simply calls it the Artis Amsterdam. The zoo is commonly referred to as Artis, because the zoo has three gates with the words ‘Natura’, ‘Artis’, and ‘Magistra’ written above each of them, respectively.
More often than not, only the middle gate was open, so that people who walked through it, seeing that ‘Artis’ was written above it, believed that the zoo was just called Artis. Thanks to this, soon few people knew it by its full name: Natura Artis Magistra.
General informations
Useful information for your visit to the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo.
Location
The Amsterdam Zoo is located in the east of the city, near the Botanical Garden, the Dutch Resistance Museum and the Tropen Museum.
The address is: Plantage Kerklaan 38-401018 CZ Amsterdam
Opening hours
To visit the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo the times are as follows:
- From 1 March to 31 October 9.00 am-06.00 pm
- From November 1st to February 28th from 9.00 am to 05.00 pm
- 31 December from 9.00-16.00 1 January from 10.00 am – 05.00 pm
- Every Saturday of the months of June, July and August from 9.00 until sunset
How to get to the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo
To reach the ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo:
Trams: 9, 14
Attractions nearby
- Dutch Resistance Museum (97 m)
- Tropen Museum (1.6 km)
- Botanical Garden
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