Artis, short for Natura Artis Magistra, is a zoo in the centre of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the oldest zoos of mainland Europe. Next to possessing a zoo, Artis also contains an aquarium and a planetarium. Artis also has an arboretum and a fairly large art collection.
Located in Amsterdam’s Plantage neighbourhood, Artis Royal Zoo was founded in the early 1800’s. The zoo is home to a diverse range of animals and wildlife, from reptiles, birds and butterflies, to elephants, giraffes and chimpanzees.
Stroll among the shady trees, admire the diversity of plants and animals, travel to the stars, enjoy our heritage. Visit ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo and experience nature right in the city centre.
Opening hours
ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo is open every day, including holidays.
1st of March until 31st of October:
9 am - 6 pm
1st of November until 28th of February:
9 am - 5 pm
Holidays:
31st of December: 9 am - 4 pm
1st of January: 10 am - 5 pm
Every Saturday in June, July and August (Zoomeravonden):
9 am - sunset
Parking
ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo has its own parking facility. Visitors can take advantage of discount parking fees. The parking facility is only 150 meters away from the main entrance of ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo. A number of parking spaces for the disabled are available.
Parking tickets are available at the ticket window, the parking ticket machine at the main entrance, or in the ARTIS shop, upon presentation of your admission ticket.
Accessibility
Wheelchair users
The ARTIS grounds are mostly wheelchair accessible. A limited number of wheelchairs are available at the ticket desk, subject to a € 1,00 security deposit. Please note that wheelchairs cannot be booked in advance.
The car park has five disabled parking spaces, for which regular ARTIS parking fees apply.
Chaperone policy
According to our chaperone policy, all visitors who cannot visit ARTIS on their own may bring a chaperone for free. A regular day ticket to ARTIS can be purchased for the visitor and a free chaperone ticket can be picked up at the ARTIS ticket office for the chaperone on the day of the visit.
Accessible toilets
ARTIS has accessible toilets at the following locations:
- Planetarium
- Small Mammal House
- Butterfly Pavilion
- Aquarium (can be reached using the lift)
- Restaurant de Twee Cheetahs
- Micropia (can be reached using the lift)
- Café-Restaurant de Plantage
Children and babies
All toilets are equipped with baby changing stations. It is possible to warm up baby food at the Twee Cheetahs restaurant and the Planetarium café. The little house behind the Camel Field, beside the playground, has a breastfeeding room. You can pick up the key for this room at the ticket office.
Carts suitable for children aged two to five can be found at the end of Papegaaienlaan. These are available to use; a € 2 deposit is required.
Assistance dogs and other animals/pets
Assistance dogs and/or other animals/pets are not allowed in ARTIS. Many of the animals live in open or semi-open enclosures/cages. Visitors wander among the free-ranging animals in the Ape House and Bird House, on Lemurland and the Children's Farm, in the Butterfly Pavilion and the Bennett's Wallaby enclosure. Visitors can also see the pelicans and black-tailed prairie dogs in semi-open enclosures. Some animals and birds, such as guineafowl, roam freely through the whole park. In principle, the animals at ARTIS are wild animals and usually not tame. Unfamiliar dogs and/or other animals/pets could cause them to panic.
A special route for visitors with a service dog was designed in cooperation with the Dutch service dog user foundation (Stichting Gebruikers Assistentiehonden). This route respects the safety of both service dogs and the animals at ARTIS. Please note that access is only granted to service dogs that have had all the required vaccinations. The route map is available at the ticket booths.
If bringing along a service dog is not strictly necessary, ARTIS recommends bringing along a chaperone for free, to provide access to all of the enclosures and so enjoy the full ARTIS experience.
Highlights
