ARTIS Royal Zoo + Groote Museum

ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world, you’ll find it full of monuments, centuries-old trees, beds full of colourful and fragrant flowers, and of course animals. As you stroll through the spacious historic city park, you’ll be amazed by the many species living side by side in the Forest House and Bird House. You can also watch giraffes, zebras and kudus intermingling on the Savannah.

You can feel the fluttering of countless wings in the Butterfly Pavilion, visit the new lion enclosure that opened in 2023. Or take a trip through space inside the Planetarium (admission included). Don’t forget to admire the botanical garden and take a break at one of the vegetarian restaurants.

At ARTIS-Groote Museum you will discover similarities between yourself, other animals, plants and microbes through interactive installations. Examples of the fun facts you can discover here are that a human’s intestines do the same thing as tree roots, and that a baby crawls the same way that crocodiles move. To find our place in the world, we have to realise that all life is intertwined.

The Groote Museum building is like a time capsule, it was originally built in the 1850s. It is located on the oldest site of ARTIS and was one of the most modern buildings in Amsterdam at the time. From 1947, it was closed for decades, only recently has the building been renovated and restored, only to be nominated for European Museum of the year in 2024.

Combine your visit to the fifth oldest zoo in the world with a visit to ARTIS-Groote Museum. You can decide where you want to go first or if you visit the museum in the middle of your visit to the zoo. The entrance to the museum is right by the Chilean flamingos south side of the zoo, so combining visits to these two attractions is easy.