Artis Royal Zoo

Here is the deal with Artis: buy your tickets online, do not bother with the ticket line at the gate. Go on a weekday morning if possible, aim to arrive around 9:30 when the gates open. The first two hours are the best because half the animals are active and most of the crowds have not arrived yet.

Artis Royal Zoo has been around since 1838, which makes it one of the oldest zoos in Europe. That history shows in the best way — the grounds feel more like a 19th-century botanical garden that happens to have animals than a modern zoo with concrete enclosures. My coworker Vera brings her parents here every time they visit Amsterdam, and her dad, who is not really a zoo person, always says "this place just feels different." He is right.

Start with the aquarium building. It is this gorgeous 19th-century structure with a canal-level section that shows you what lives in Amsterdam's actual canals. My buddy Jan says that section alone is worth the entrance fee, and he is a marine biologist so I trust him on fish-related opinions.

From there, walk through the gardens. Artis has old-growth trees, flower beds, and pathways that make you forget you are in the middle of a city. The planetarium is solid if you need a break from walking — shows rotate and they are available in English. Vera's kids love the butterfly garden, which is a heated greenhouse where butterflies just land on you.

Now, the big recommendation: do Micropia. It is right next to Artis and it is a museum entirely about microbes. Sounds weird, sounds boring, and I resisted going for years. Then Vera dragged me there for her birthday and it was genuinely one of the most interesting museum experiences I have had in Amsterdam. You look at live microorganisms under microscopes, there are interactive exhibits about bacteria on your body, and the "kiss-o-meter" that shows how many bacteria you exchange during a kiss is both disgusting and fascinating. A separate ticket is needed but you can buy a combi-ticket with Artis.

Practical stuff: Artis is in the Plantage neighborhood, which is beautiful and walkable from Centrum. You can easily spend half a day here. There is a restaurant inside that is decent but not cheap — I would suggest eating at one of the cafes on the Plantage Middenlaan afterward instead. Vera recommends Cafe Restaurant De Plantage, which is right across the street.

Budget-wise, Artis is not cheap. Adult tickets are around 27 euros, and with Micropia it is closer to 35. But for what you get — a full morning of wandering through one of the most beautiful urban zoos in Europe — it is fair. My friend said she would pay double, which I think is overly generous but the point stands.

One more thing: Artis is not just for families. Vera goes without her kids sometimes because she likes the gardens. I have gone alone on a weekday morning and just walked around with a coffee. It is genuinely a beautiful, peaceful place in the middle of Amsterdam. The animals are a bonus.