Go wild in Artis-Amsterdam's beloved Zoo

Oldest zoo

Dating back to 1838, Artis is Holland’s oldest zoo and is the third oldest zoo in Europe. With over 900 species calling Amsterdam’s zoo home, the animals vary from the smallest insects to the tall, proud giraffes. There is a great mix of indoor and outdoor attractions - including an aquarium, planetarium, butterfly pavilion, geological museum and zoological research facilities. This means there’s plenty to see and do at the zoo whether it’s cold and raining or hot and sunny. And of course it’s a fun educational trip too.

Lush gardens-listed buildings

Amsterdam's Artis Zoo is set in lush tropical gardens and there are also some landscaped theme gardens, like a Japanese and Dutch garden. Some of the trees are older than Artis itself! Artis also has several historic buildings within its grounds, including the Large Museum (1855), the unique Library building (1867) and the Aquarium (1882). Numerous animal-themed playgrounds are dotted around so children can imitate the monkeys to their heart’s content. If all that looking and not touching is proving a little difficult, there is also a children’s “petting zoo”.

Special attractions

Throughout the day there are shows and demonstrations. In addition to the tropical butterfly pavilion, Artis also has some other special attractions like an "indoor" rainforest for nocturnal animals, a real-life whale skeleton, and an underwater view of an Amsterdam canal – complete with rusty bicycles. On summer weekends, Artis often hosts a series of music concerts and there are always special activities on the programme, like a behind the-scenes tour of the zoo or in the winter, ice-skating. A tip is to buy your tickets online to avoid having to wait in line.

Feeding time at the zoo

It’s not just the animals who can have a tasty treat at the zoo. Dotted throughout are diverse snack stands, little café’s, tea houses, terraces and even stand out of an authentic bakfiets (Dutch box-bike) peddling diverse wares. The Two Cheetahs Restaurant – strategically located near a playground - is worth going to just for the archaeological aspects. While the Butterfly restaurant overlooks – yes, the butterfly pavilion and the Flamingoserre overlooks the flamingos. And traditional Dutch mini-pancakes called poffertjes as well as waffles are available from the Poffertjeshuis, near the children’s petting zoo.

Beloved by locals and visitors alike, you'll be wildly entertained at Amsterdam’s Artis Zoo!