Visiting Artis Zoo, Amsterdam with kids
There is nothing more depressing than a bad zoo, unhappy animals crammed into tiny enclosures. But equally, a great zoo is now high up my list for family holidays – and so the Amsterdam zoo was straight onto the list as I planned our trip.
Because Minnie adores animals – all animals, although her favourite tends to vary from day to day. And the chance to wander round spotting monkeys, lions and kangaroos (her furry shopping list in Amsterdam) is unbeatable, particularly if there might be ice cream involved as well.
So if you’re visiting Amsterdam with kids, here’s why Artis Zoo should definitely be on your list.
We had saved visiting the zoo in Amsterdam for our last morning, and after taking trams across the city, we only had a few hours to explore before our flight home – but it would be very easy to spend a whole day wandering around discovering the 700 different species which live there.
Artis Zoo is divided into different areas, including the Bird House and the Butterfly pavilion, as well as outdoor areas such as the Savannah with giraffes and zebras.
Then there was Lemur Land, where you could walk inside the enclosure, and the sea lions, where a special tunnel let you watch them whoosh past through the water.
There’s also an aquarium and a planetarium alongside the animals, both included in the main ticket price. But one of the most fascinating parts – with older kids – is the Micropia, a museum of microbes, although I decided furry creatures beat microscopic ones with a toddler.
The whole zoo is set in a large park, within the Plantage area of the city, so it’s a world away from the canals and gables of the rest of Amsterdam. Here everything is leafy and open, and you feel almost as if you’ve wandered into the countryside.
If the Dutch countryside had such an array of interesting animals, of course.
The layout is all done cleverly too. Nothing seems cramped, and those animals which need a more inventive enclosure – the monkeys and primates especially – have quite cunningly designed spaces to keep them entertained.
You’ll also see different species alongside each other to mimic the ways they might live together in the wild…
There are talks throughout the day – all in Dutch, although you can ask questions in English. And some options, like lions being fed, really need no translation.
We didn’t have chance to hang around for any unfortunately – the lions were evidently conserving their strength as we passed!
With the sun shining, well-maintained paths to scamper along, well-priced ice cream in several cafes, and toilets galore, there was only one thing missing from our day out. The kangaroo my toddler daughter had announced that she had set her heart on seeing.
Fortunately Minnie was pacified with a wallaby. Not least because I told her it was a kangaroo. Shhhhh.
Need to know: Artis zoo in Amsterdam
Tickets cost 26.50 Euros for adults and children aged 13+, 22.50 Euros for age three to 12. Two-year-olds and under are free. If you have an I Amsterdam card, entry is free although when we visited, you still needed to queue up to show your card and get a paper ticket.
The zoo is open from 9am to 5pm from November to February, 6pm in March, April, May, September and October, and to sunset between June and August.
Trams 9 (from Amsterdam Central Station) and 14 (from Dam Square) stop very close to Artis Zoo.
You can also buy a map from the ticket office – the signs are good but I’d recommend this, particularly if you only have a few hours to spend, so that you can plan which animals to see at the zoo in Amsterdam first.
For more ideas of things to do in Amsterdam with toddlers, check out my top picks, plus more things to do in Amsterdam with kids of all ages
PIN FOR LATER: VISITING ARTIS ZOO, AMSTERDAM
Disclosure: My I Amsterdam card was courtesy of the Amsterdam Tourist Office. The decision to visit the zoo, fob my daughter off with wallabies and all other opinions remain my own.
Images copyright MummyTravels
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Ahhhh, I so agree with your comment about bad zoo’s and good zoo’s – in this day and age it’s no longer good enough to just see animals, it’s about seeing happy animals!
Looks like you had a fab morning in Amsterdam Zoo though – love your photos of the Giraffes and the ‘close up and personal’ with the er…Kangeroo 😉
Definitely – and the giraffes were amazing, so lovely to watch them. (And the kangaroo)
We went to Artis Zoo a couple of weeks ago and my daughter absolutely loved it! She doesn’t normally like zoos.
It’s such a lovely example, I think.
This looks like a great day out. What a shame you didn’t have longer but thank goodness for the wallaby! I thibk you can be excused that white lie! 🙂
It’s a lovely zoo – and absolutely, I don’t think she would have been happy about the idea there just weren’t any kangaroos!
This looks like a fab zoo to visit, I agree with your statement about bad zoos being a really poor way to spend you day. It looks like they really take care of the animals they have there and have a large range of animals for a really extensive visit. Minnie looks so enthralled in all the pictures it looks like it was definitely the place to spend the day. Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.
It’s really well thought out, I felt – and she was fascinated, we could very happily have spent longer as there were several areas we ran out of time to see.
This brought wonderful memories back of our visit to Artis earlier this year – we loved walking through the lemurs who were ‘chillaxing’ Also it was wonderful enjoying an Al fresco coffee as the children played in the lovely on site park with a group of giraffes behind them. #countrykids
I loved reading your post at the time – zoomed it into our must see list.
I am always amused in these sorts of places by the signs that are put up saying things like ‘you may worry that our owls are chained immovable on a short rope to sticks in the ground, but actually this is absolutely necessary and mirrors what they do in the wild because reasons’. I always imagine the large number of outraged patrons who have preceded the sign. So I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I could tell the difference between a good and bad zoo from an animal point of view. Or perhaps I haven’t been to a properly bad one. That’s a nice thought.
I may well find out though, because I am pretty sure that wherever we go we will be visiting the local zoo as long as I am with my son. Nice to know Amsterdam’s can be safely added to the list!
Ha, yes, I can imagine – it tends to be big cats prowling miserably that I’ve come across but perhaps they’re happily prowling and I need a sign 🙂
The Giraffes are just so adorable. They are my fave and if I will go to this Zoo I would definitely stay there the longest. Thanks for sharing your lovely experience here =) #countrykids
They’re wonderful aren’t they – those eyelashes! One of the highlights of a lovely zoo.
I so agree with you Cathy, I hate seeing animals in cramped conditions. Lovely that you found a zoo where the animals a bit of room to move and were obviously well cared for, as kids in general love zoos!
Absolutely – the chance to see animals, especially when they’re otherwise endangered, is amazing.