Artis Amsterdam

Artis Amsterdam - the most important information

Natura Artis Magistra (Latin for "Nature is the teacher of the arts"), commonly known just as Artis, is a zoo in the center of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the oldest zoos in mainland Europe. In addition to the zoo, Artis also contains an aquarium, a planetarium, an arboretum, and a fairly large art and sculpture collection. The zoo is a member of the Dutch Zoo Federation (NVD), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the International Species Information System (ISIS), and many other organizations.

History of the Artis Amsterdam

The zoo was founded in 1838 by Gerard Westerman, J.W.H. Werlemann, and others. It was initially open only to members. Starting in 1851 it was opened to the public. In 1920 it was opened year-round to the public, but September remains a discount month. The core of the current zoo property, then the "Middenhof" estate, was purchased by the board of the zoological society "Natura Artis Magistra" late in 1838 in the Plantage. From the start, it exhibited both live and mounted specimens. Artis includes 27 historic buildings. The Aquarium was built in 1882 on land leased from the city on the condition that only a museum ever be built on it. The library dates back to 1867 and the building the 'Ledenlokalen' on the right side of the main entrance dates back to the 19th century as well.

What to see in Artis Amsterdam?

Artis contains 27 historically significant (listed) buildings, bridges, and ponds most of which are still used as animal enclosures, making it a unique place of 19th-century cultural heritage. A part of the art collection is on display in the Aquarium building of the zoo. There is a lot to see here so we are going to suggest the basic things:

Amsterdam Zoo & Aquarium: In the aquarium zone, take a sneaky peak into the contents of Amsterdam’s murky canals.
Amsterdam botanical garden: Learn about the diversity of plants, trees, and shrubs that form the plant kingdom in the Botanical Gardens.
Amsterdam zoo micropia: Dedicated to microorganisms, this part of Amsterdam Zoo will show you a totally different world than the one we live in.
Amsterdam zoo planetarium: In the Planetarium, trace the fascinating evolution of the planet from the birth of the universe to the present day.
Zoological Museum in Amsterdam: The museum houses some of the most interesting scientific collections of the early 19th century, as well as a number of exhibitions.

How to get to Artis Amsterdam?

Artis is located in the center of Amsterdam, so it is quite easy to find it. Here is this list of stops closest to the zoo: Artis; Kadijksplein; Waterlooplein; Weesperplein; Ij Tunnel.You can get to Artis in different ways of public transport:

by Bus: 22, 305, 37, 41
by Train: IC, ICD, SPR
by Metro: 54
by Light Rail: 14

Because Amsterdam is very well connected, there are a lot of ways to transport yourself to Artis fast. On that note, we are recommending Moovit official website where you can arrange the most suitable trip for yourself.

Opening hours for Artis Amsterdam

Artis is open daily, all year round. From 1st of March until 31st of October the zoo is open 9 am - 6 pm, and from 1st of November until 28th of February: 9 am - 5 pm. There are some zoo activities that have different working times:

Micropia: Mondays through Sundays 10 am - 5 pm
ARTIS-shop: Monday to Friday from 10.00 - 16.30 hours. On the Weekends the store is open from 9.00 am until the park closes.
Artisplein: Open daily from 7 am until 11.30 pm.
ARTIS-café restaurant de Plantage: Mondays through Fridays: 9 am - 1 am, and on the Weekends from 10 am to 1 am.

The zoo is very popular and it has a lot of visitors daily. It is obligatory to reserve a starting time online. So in order to do that and to check out the times in which you can visit the zoo, we recommend you to go to the official website of Artis Amsterdam.

Tickets and prices for Artis Amsterdam

There are several shows and activities at the Artis. Here are some prices for some of the activities, and remember to reserve a start time prior to your visit:

Artis tickets: normal (10+ years) is € 25,00 and for children (3 t/m 9 years) is € 20,00
Micropia tickets: for ages over 18 is € 16.00, ages 3-17 is free, and students is € 8,00
Combination tickets Artis and Micropia: for ages 3-9 is €10.50, ages 10 -17 is €13.50 and for students, it is €15.50

These price ranges can be changed depending on the date and other things. Because of that and because you have to book your tickets before going, we are suggesting that you check out the official website of Artis Amsterdam for this as well.

Artis Amsterdam trivia:

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. 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.
During the summer (June, July, and August) on Saturday evenings open till sunset, with a special program called ZOOmeravonden with events for children, music, guided tours, and more.
The last quagga in captivity died at Artis on 12 August 1883. At the time, because all zebras were referred to as quagga, nobody realized that this was the last quagga alive until years later.
Amsterdam Artis is also one of the fewest zoos in Europe to have so many listed buildings within its grounds, namely the Large Museum (1855), the unique Library building (1867), and the Aquarium (1882).
Since June 2020, ARTIS is officially a botanical garden. ARTIS has received this designation because of the special tree collection and the educational stories and activities surrounding the entire fauna in the park. The status is a recognition of the green heritage of the ARTIS Park.