ARTIS

A pretty great experience visiting this zoo, only thing I guess could be improved is the little more directions and guidance would be really useful. Please note that there is no tiger in this zoo. Watching a Lion I would say was magnificent and was best of all . All animals were in great condition, only one elephant was visibly stressed

A large zoo with a wide variety of animals and plenty to see and explore! The planetarium was a fun bonus and added something unique to the visit. There are vegan food options available, though a bit on the pricey side. Some enclosures could definitely be improved, especially for the crocodiles, who seemed to have very limited space. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable day. Great for visiting with friends or family.

Normal experience. Expensive prices for the park/zoo but it’s reasonable for the 2 museums. Need more improvements such as more labelling and directions in addition to tour guides to explain about the different activities. Need to add more animals and more spaces need to be added. Too much trees so the view is not clear.

It was super easy to get into the zoo since they had a separate line that was clearly marked for those who already had tickets. I’d recommend going in the early morning to avoid crowds. We left at around 11:30 am and we’re fighting to see around people towards the end of the visit. The animals were fun to see, but did seem like they were quite bored. There wasn’t much for them to do really.

ARTIS Zoo We visited this zoo and bought our tickets online in advance, but you can also get tickets at the entrance. It was a fun and relaxing place to explore. You can see animals like penguins, giraffes, flamingos, hornbills, red-crowned cranes, wolves, zebras, red-necked wallabies, gorillas, and more. There is also an aquarium, butterfly area, and a planetarium. During our visit, it rained, so some animals were hiding. We were excited to see the red panda, but it was hiding too because of the rain. We had lunch at the zoo restaurant and the food was delicious. The weather wasn’t perfect, but overall, it was an enjoyable visit. The rain also gave me a reason to buy a zoo umbrella from the gift shop as a souvenir!

What an incredibly beautiful zoo. The grounds are like a botanical garden with natural barriers between the animals and guests. Lots of cafes and spots to enjoy the zoo with tons of different animals to see. You save a little bit buying your ticket online in advance

This is probably one of my favorite zoos I've been to. I went on a Saturday alone. The enclosures are incredibly designed and the animals look very comfortable and cared for. I spent five hours here and could have easily spent a few more hours if I had the time. Highly recommend for a day out

I have a really nice experience every time I go. I love going here, have a lot of memories from when I was young. Everything in the zoo is beautiful. I like the workers, they are always really nice. I took some pictures that turned out great!

Fascinating zoo. Almost everything is outside in the open. It wasn't busy. Probably because it was super hot (about 97 degrees). It's an amazing zoo! I was able to see every span of animal from every continent. My personal favorites was the zebras and elephants. They were even feeding and giving the elephants showers when I was there. The butterfly house was extremely humid, so be prepared. you'll be here for awhile. I loved it.

Another trip and another zoo to knock off the bucket list. We arrived at Artis a little after the doors opened and it was already pretty packed. One super cool thing about this zoo is that when you walk in, there's a planetarium (sadly, only the little kid show was happening during my visit). My wife and I spent about two hours walking around this zoo and had a pretty solid time doing such. The highs for me included the gorilla exhibit, the red panda, the butterfly room, and the giant birds that were just flying around and landing in all the other animals areas. Did I see everything? No, we didn't go into the bird building and kinda skipped off the reptile exhibit due to some small time restraints but both buildings looked nice enough. Although this definitely wasn't my favourite zoo in Europe so far, it was pretty simple to navigate and had a large amount of animals to look at and see. Overall, Artis is a nice little zoo located in the middle of Amsterdam. The zoo itself is pretty nice and features a lot of different activities, snacks, and a pretty good sized gift shop as well. Would I come back? Sure, as long as the adorable red panda is still around I'll for sure visit on my next visit.

Great place to spend a few hours. They have a wide range of things to see from mammals to reptiles to insects and butterflies. It's not the largest zoo, but the quality of things to see is what's important in my opinion. There is ample space that nothing is crowded. Would highly recommend to check this place out.

You need fairly good weather to enjoy the Artis Zoo, not so much for yourself as for the animals. They were languishing in the heat of an 85F day. The highlights for us: - The giraffes, zebras and antelopes enjoying each other's company in the same enclosure. This bunch seemed to be weathering the weather better than most. - The sweet butterfly garden. - The sea lions could have cared less about the heat and watching them play at deep water level was a hoot. - The enormous collection of giant tortoises lolling about. - The tiny wallabies appeared to appreciate the heat. A massive new enclosure for lions and tigers is under construction. Note that Artis is next door to the Horticus Botanicus (Botanical Gardens), a worthwhile visit. Walk a block away from here for an extra good Australian style lunch at Box Sociaal.

The Artis Zoo in Netherlands was a nice experience with a few animal exhibits that really stood out as world class. The most impressive was the elephant exhibit which featured a large and deep pond where I watched an elephant play and swim for 15 minutes. Rarely do you see that type of joyful behavior from elephants in zoos. The whole herd behaved as closely to a wild herd as I'd ever seen in a zoo. Some of the exhibits weren't as modern and the route to get around the zoo required some backtracking. Definitely a mix of an old historic zoo with more progressive modern exhibits, but you could see and feel that it is headed in the right direction. I look forward to going back next time i'm in Amsterdam!

Wonderful zoo wow! With great student discounts too! Recommend to tourists! Butterflies were to die for!

It's amazing to have a zoo right in Amsterdam. The zoo is perfect for family visits, and love they have little carts you can use to pull the little ones around. The annual pass is totally worth it if you live in the city, as you are only a bike ride away. With our 1.5 year old, we went 4 time in the last 2 months! They have carefully curated their animals, and try hard to provide each of the animals a comfortable spacious habitat. We also really love the up close experience exhibits with the meerkats!

What a cool zoo! Being foreigner I found it super fun to see unique animals I haven't seen before. My kids loved it! We got their via our bikes which made parking easy. My only complaint would be the price for tourists, 20 Euros for kids 3 and up, 25 for adults. Despite the high price I thought it was worth it. Some highlights were the fact they had an aquarium and a really cool park for kids in addition to all the other animals. The park had a huge slide that the kids got to via a huge rope playground. Another unique quality was that for instance the wallabies were loose in an area you could walk through. It created a more intimate environment to see the animals. I would recommend coming visiting here especially if you have kids!

Artis is a fantastic zoo just east of central Amsterdam. The grounds aren't massive (being a city zoo), but they're densely packed with all sorts of creatures. Enjoy elephants, giraffes, vultures, sea lions, penguins, and more. The zoo is extremely lush and navigation is a bit complex, meaning every corner brings a new surprise -- but also meaning it's easy to get lost, so bring a map and stick close to your friends! I spent about three hours here, so if you're on a schedule, consider prioritizing which animals to see and bee-lining straight to them. Overall a great visit!

Let me start by saying this: I don't support keeping animals in captivity unless there is reasoning behind it, but my cousin really wanted to come here on our trip. I put my own feelings aside for this and made an exception for her, as she had never been to a zoo. I wanted her to form her own opinion on the whole matter. The zoo itself is grand, and much larger than I thought it would be. The grounds are something out of a dream - greenery everywhere, gorgeous architecture, and tons of quiet space. Nothing like the zoos here in NYC. The only NYC zoo that could come remotely close to Artis is the Central Park Zoo which is much smaller and much more crowded. This zoo provides a much different experience. Although beautiful, I was still a little heartbroken to see the lions in cages that were too small, and the elephant sadly swaying with a "get me out of here" face. I really couldn't bear it. That's when I was able to talk to a sweet woman who worked at the zoo. I asked her about the lemurs who are allowed to roam free in certain areas, and I asked her if they were recent rescues. She mentioned that they're an endangered species and the lemur we were looking at had lost his parents, so that's when the zoo stepped in to make sure he had a home AND that this species doesn't go extinct. That made me feel better about this particular animal, but I still couldn't shake the sadness in the eyes of the lions and elephants. Do what you will with that, but those are my personal feelings. I did see that some other smaller animals were very playful and had adequate space to roam. This is why I'm so torn about the whole "zoo" idea. Whether you want to debate about the ethics or not, it cannot be denied that the space itself is quite lavish and lush, and the grounds are indeed beautiful. Entry here will set you back about 25€ pp for adults. It's certainly a unique experience.

Artis is by far one of the nicer zoos I've been to. Being a rainy, November day I was quite pleased to see how much each member of our group enjoyed it. The aquarium was informative of the canals and which marine life can be found in them. There was a wide variety of animals and what I found the most interesting was how different species were kept together or nearby. For zoo enclosures, each pen seemed very thoughtfully laid out to meet the animals' needs as best as could be for captivity. I also thought it was neat that some enclosures used water as barriers instead of fencing. The highlight was probably the indoor area where the animals are literally running, jumping, hanging out within touch of you. Tiny monkeys, reptiles, bats, etc. I also liked watching the gorillas. I probably could've spent an entire day watching the mother and baby and the huge silverback. Watching the tot gorillas rough play was amusing too. Every staff member we came in contact with was so pleasant and truly seemed to enjoy their job. Definitely recommend. (** least favorite part was the atrium, but that's personal preference- the birds are flying all around you allowing the possibility to be pooped on. heh)

Wonderful and historic zoo (Europes oldest zoo). We spent a few hours walking around the zoo on a rainy day and it's a nicely maintained zoo with a great selection of animals.

Not very big but quite entertaining zoo. The ticket is a bit pricy (24€ for adults), but the experience is worth it. It follows the best practices of European zoos: animals walking freely, no bars or cages. You can see the animals in their natural habitant. It also has a planetarium (the shows there have their own timetable) and an aquarium with sea lions and many fishes and other sea creatures and plants.

I saw dead baby mice about to be fed to reptiles. You ain't never gonna see that at the Bronx Zoo, yo. Oh yeah, I saw a llama shoot like 100 chocolate pebbles out its azz. That was cool. Camels, elephants, llamas, goats, baboons, bulls, lions, leopards, turtles, lizards, gators, snakes, spiders, birds, and friggin foreigners...its all here. These lil penguins run at you. No joke. I was scurrred.

Great zoo, but extra $3 euro for a map on top of the hefty entrance ticket? No thanks. The signs are mostly written in Dutch but they have pictures of the animals as well. Self-explanatory. They had some cool and active animals...the chimpanzees were having a turf war which was fun to watch! Definitely not comparable to San Diego zoo but a great place to visit in Amsterdam.

Really great zoo. Huge! Has all the greatest hits in terms of animals. A lot of the enclosures have been upgraded and all are well maintained. A lot of features that not every zoo has, like the butterfly room. It is fairly expensive for a kids activity, but not outrageous by high quality zoo standards. Well worth checking out.

Very surprised with the beauty of the park in the middle of Amsterdam! They have a nice restaurant next to the entrance where you can come and enjoy the few birds and flamingos without buying a ticket to the zoo. Inside is a lot of nature, many benches just to sit down and enjoy the views. I loved the Butterfly place and also an Aquarium (many times better than the "Sea life" in Scheveningen). I visited park on Sunday from 10:30 till 15:00 and it wasn't super crowded, so you really could enjoy every view without being pushed of other people. They also have nice places to eat inside and prices are not as expensive as you would expect for the Amsterdam. Very recommended place to spend your day!

This is an amazing zoo with so many great animals. This is a really good zoo and plenty of things to see. Staff are friendly. Price is reasonable.

I'm not sure if you can say all that much about a zoo other than the fact that it is a zoo. Okay, this is a pretty old zoo, apparently one of the oldest in Europe, however it is still basically a zoo. Mind you, when you like animals, especially exotic animals, then all zoos can be pretty amazing. That was the case for my brother, and the main reason we came here was so he could see the animals. The collection is fairly broad, and they even have an aquarium, and an aivery. The other cool thing, like a lot of zoos, is that they have a recommended path for you to follow so that you can pretty much see all of the animals on display. Like a lot of zoos they also have feeding times, but you generally need to be there at the right time to see it, and they do tend to get pretty crowded as well. As a zoo it was okay, but not fantastic, namely because most of it was looking at animals in cages - well not cages per se, but similar.

Love- Love- Love this ZOO! A full sized zoo in the middle of Amsterdam! Impressive! Starting with a 2€ donation, I opened my huge colorful map and began to explore. I started with the outer perimeter and worked my way in 4 hours. Went on a weekday, busy with kids and dey camps, but fear not, it was more calm and organized than expected. Highlights : Giraffes, beautiful creatures that would tower over us and look down at us in wonder. The elephants were beautiful, wish they were closer to photograph. The small primates house was cool, you're able to get up close and touch a sleeping sloth, curled on a tree branch, small monkeys ran and played inches above your head. Beware, they pee often and freely, peeing on two women who were unaware. * yuck* There is a large bird house with birds flying freely which was cool. Butterfly house was nice, I found there to be more moths than colorful butterflies. Kangaroos were cool to see. The big cats were sleepy on this chilly grey afternoon. Vultures exhibit had actual carcass' of smaller birds and rodents, amazing and disturbing at the same time. Least fave was the Aquarium. Being to many aquariums both international and domestic, I was disappointed with this exhibit as a whole. The lighting is dark in most of the exhibit which takes away from the beauty of the fish, also makes it a walking hazard. The quality of the water was sad, the aquariums seem neglected. Cloudy, murky and dark shouldn't be what you see at an aquarium. The diversity of the fish was nice, I hope they work on this. A lot of empty, abandoned cages where birds used to be. There is a lot of construction going on, building bigger and better. This zoo has a lot of places to sit and eat, more than I have ever seen and a bit pricey. Highlight- saw the camels. People were yelling for their attention, no response. I walked over, yea you know....I did it.. I said " What day is it?" and the sitting camel turned over and looked. lol. hilarious. leave it to an american.....got the pic though! Would come again, early in the day and hopefully after construction is completed. Not all signs/ information placards are in English, so often you're not able to read/understand what your seeing.

Yeah its beautifull and the animels was great. But its more populate for kids, expensive and small for that money.

Wonderful grounds which are home to a zoo, aquarium, and planetarium. Zoo offers a variety of large mammals, butterfly enclosure, pair of beautiful jaguars, tank display with fish native to the area. Several dining options or pack your own picnic. I highly suggest spending a few hours at Artis!

Yikes. I should have known that a zoo in the center of a city wouldn't have proper space for large animals. Alas, I had to take an out-of-town'er here and boy do I wish I wouldn't have paid a penny to support such a horrendous place. Large cats: Lions & Jaguars - both are in incredibly tiny enclosures. The lions look underfed and are incredibly squeezed into what is no larger than an Amsterdam apartment yard. The Jaguar had abrasions and cuts on his leg, meat exposed, likely from pacing back and forth, which he did the 15 minutes I watched him. Total sign of distress. Elephants: TINY enclosure. Again, the pacing back and forth showing severe signs of anxiety. Giraffes are in an enclosure that is small, but they could at least pace a little bit further. I can NOT believe this place has been allowed to continue for so long. It's completely mind boggling that Amsterdam city has given the permission for such an outrage AND, I'm pretty blown away that people actually pay money to support this. I would never, ever, ever return. I would never, ever, ever recommend. In fact, I left the zoo feeling incredibly heart broken over what I saw. I've seen better zoos in third world countries. Perhaps the Dutch aren't very connected to animals.

Not only mammals and birds but there are FISH! Great variety of all species. Friendly staff and beautiful birds everywhere. Small enough to see in a few hours but enough variety to spend the day if you desire.

North American zoos, step aside. My mind has been blown by Artis! I've been to many zoos across North America, but none compare to this one. First of all, the layout. The order makes sense, isn't too spread out (you can see almost all of it within a morning), and has lovely gardens in between to take breaks, relax, and enjoy the zoo. Secondly, restaurants! I could never have imagined a zoo where I could sit super close to the animals (in this case, the flamingos in the Flamingosserie) have a reasonably priced, tasty lunch (which included a club sandwich with turkey, bacon and egg, and a heineken) at a sit down restaurant in a zoo! Normally zoos are so overpriced and you sit at a bench and shovel it down. FINALLY (and most important!) the ANIMALS!! There were baby animals everywhere - gorillas, lions, seals, penguins, elephants!! I have never seen so many baby animals in a zoo!! There is a great variety of exotic animals - but not only that, you actually SEE them up close! You could reach out and touch a penguin (if you really wanted to / to many children, if your parents aren't looking). I couldn't recommend a zoo more. If you're visiting Amsterdam, why not take a day and 18 euros and go visit the zoo!

Artis is an ok zoo, it's fairly big for such a city with limited space. I'm not very found of zoos, I don't like looking at caged animals in any way. Artis have very small facilities for some animals and they look very uncomfortable with little space, which makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, or at least I do. It's like they don't have a lot of space to walk or do their business or something. They look frustrated or sad and are usually staying close to each other. I also think it's too expensive for what you get. The area with all the butterflies is pretty nice. You can walk in a closed spacious room and be amongst the butterflies and they can land on you. That is pretty sweet. Some say it's good to take kids so they can see animals etc, but if you can, go to a place such as the apenheul here in the Netherlands, a huge area where the monkeys can walk "free" (although the bigger monkeys are locked up and look rather sad).

I actually loved this zoo. We took the trolley, it wasn't super crowded the day we were there. Yes, we bought the map (it was actually helpful!) and we had lunch there (a little expensive but we ate overlooking the baby giraffes and zebras). Wandered around talking about animals and just generally enjoying the day in the historic zoo. The butterfly garden is great (lots of beautiful butterflies and some friendly birds). Some cute little gardens and sitting areas.

I just love monkeys. I had to go. Money was running low at this point of our trip so we took a gamble coming here but it was absolutely worth the money. Almost every animal you could wan't to see, and some you might not want to (ahh the insectarium!). Monkeys, lions, bears, ELEPHANTS, penguins, sealions, camels.. the list goes on. Don't think I've ever seen an elephant before. Also had a planetarium and a petting zoo, all in a beautiful setting which was clean and tidy, looking more like a park than a zoo. A perfect afternoon stroll. Could be doing with some more interactive stuff using touch screen technology, if I was pushed to find a fault. Won't ever forget those monkeys..

We went to Artis and really enjoyed ourselves - there was a great variety of animals and we were blown away by the restaurant decor (modern, rustic, very well done). Zoo restaurants are usually cheesy and not very inviting, but these restaurants were light and airy and so unbelievably welcoming, which was definitely a plus when it started to rain. We would highly recommend the zoo to anyone visiting who either 1. has children or 2. likes zoos.

I have mixed feelings about the zoo. First of all the price. HOLY CRAP!!! Outrageously high. For me and my daughter it was 36 Euros ($50.00). Then, after overcharging for entry, they have the audacity to try and charge 3 Euros ($4.30) for a map. The habitats for the animals were very nicely done and are larger than most zoos which is really nice to see. There was a really nice selection of animals from all over the world. There is a kids play area, which was overrun by kids around the 10-12 year range shoving all the little kids around. The management needs to restrict the age and height of kids allowed in the play area. Otherwise the play area is cool. The Planetarium was pathetic. They have a few displays of largely nothing and then a movie theater showing movies about space. If I wanted to watch a movie I could have stayed home. I would highly recommend saving your money for other things and skipping this zoo.

I used to think that zoos were nothing more than animal prisons, but now that I have a child, I've reconsidered that position. Now I think it's a great place to take my 1-year old who looooooves animals, because she gets excited seeing all the animals and can run around on the paths to her heart's content without me getting worried she'll be run over or something. However I did see a sign about lemurs running free, so that's a danger, and there are some small foot bridges that go over water which have no railings or anything to keep her from going over the side, so that's kind of scary too. But they do have little kiddie rickshaws you can use for free with a 2 euro deposit, so if your little one gets tired of walking you can cart them around behind you. Just keep an eye out for any rampaging lemurs. It's nice that they have the animals behind water barriers, aka moats, so they can be on your level and they're closer to you than other zoos that have animals in a deep pit that you look down into. The lions and other big cats were pacing back and forth, which wasn't nice, and I couldn't find the giraffe anywhere, but I guess that's a consequence of packing so many animals into such a small area. The admission cost is outrageously expensive, especially when you consider that most of the staff is probably volunteers, and they rent out their facilities for meetings and banquets all the time, so they're not relying on admission price alone for their funds. But if you're a local with children, then it's not so bad, since you can come back within 3 weeks of your visit and buy a membership for 75 euros minus the cost of admission that you paid, usually 20 euros, and the membership lets you come back as many times as you want for a year. If you need a place for your little one to blow off steam on a regular basis, then that is not such a bad deal.

For a zoo in the middle of a city, there was quite a bit to explore. For all the spots they were selling food or souvenirs, you can't help but wish they gave that real estate to the animals to have more space to roam. Another place where admission is free with a city pass.

Beautiful zoo set in the middle of Amsterdam. I really enjoyed the layout of the exhibits and the lawns and open spaces that made it feel more like a park than an exhibition. The best part though was the abundance of young animals! Young monkeys, giraffes, goats, birds and baboons were always running around and causing a ruckus. Much more active and engaged than the zoos in North America. We didnt have time to visit the Insectarium or the Planetarium but this zoo is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. The only thing that worried me at times was the size of the enclosures. Some of the animals (sea lions, bison, jaguar) need a lot more space than they currently have.

Best zoo ever!! U can spend your whole day here and enjoy the nature with the animals. If you have Amsterdam city pass, it's free entry!! So plan your trip well and make sure u come here

Spent a few hours here today, it was great. My sons loved it as well. Aquarium was amazing! So many different fish to see, very cool!

My boyfriend and I had a great time! I have been to the San Diego Zoo many times and can't believe this zoo I rated so far behind. There are so many exhibits and animals to look at...we were there for hours. The sculpture gardens and architecture were one of our favorite parts as well. Definitely highly recommend to anyone visiting or looking to spend 2-3 hours on an amazing activity.

I've been to a couple of the best zoos in the world, so it's difficult to live up that same standard. I think it's quite nice for being in the city center and offers a lot more than I expected. They have most of the large animals you'd want to see, although some cages are small for those animals, which I wish they could fix. We had a great time walking through the different areas on a sunny day and will go back another sunny day since we love animals! I've also been in the planetarium and liked it a lot. I think Artis is a bit pricey though...

Lots going on as for renovation, but definitely worth a visit. The monkey house is awesome. Great place to just wander and look around.