10 City Card things to do in Amsterdam for science enthusiasts

ARTIS Zoo

Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam

(regular price €25 - free with the City Card)

ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo was the first zoo in the Netherlands. It’s here that nature and cultural heritage come together and where amazing species live side by side. Feel the fluttering of countless wings in the Butterfly Pavilion. Don’t forget the ARTIS-Planetarium, where a trip through space awaits.

Micropia

Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam

(regular price €17.5 - free with the City Card)

Discover the tiniest organisms at ARTIS-Micropia, the first microbe museum in the world. In this innovative museum, you will get to know the world of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which occur everywhere in and around us. With lots of interactive exhibits, a working lab and a bioluminescent room, there’s lots to see here.

NEMO Science Museum

Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam

(regular price €17.50 - free with the City Card)

Descend to the first floor to enter the magical world of science. It’s all about discovery and interactivity at NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam. The kids will love the playful exhibitions where they can experience the wonders of science and technology to their heart’s content. Nothing is off-limits here, and trial and error are encouraged and celebrated. For that much needed refuelling stop, head to the top floor cafe for access to the open terraced roof. Entrance is free and plenty of activities keep the children entertained, such as interactive water features and interactive Energetica sculptures that introduce wind and sustainable energy in a fun and engaging way.

Hortus Botanicus

Image from Barbara van Amelsfoort

Plantage Middenlaan 2a, 1018 DD Amsterdam

(regular price €13.50 – free with the City Card)

Founded in 1638, Hortus Botanicus was originally a herb garden for local pharmacists and doctors. Now it attracts visitors with greenhouses filled with lush tropical plants and flowers, some centuries old.

Wereldmuseum

Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam

(regular price €16 – free with the City Card)

Learn all about the cultures of the world in this beloved museum. Dedicated to exploring humanity and the things that unite us, the Wereldmuseum exhibitions ponder big questions without fear and bring cultural heritage to light in a new way.

Teylers Museum

Spaarne 16, 2011 CH Haarlem

(regular price €15 - free with City Card)

This beautiful art and science museum has been welcoming visitors since 1784. From fossils and minerals to instruments and books, Teylers’ natural history collection will ignite your sense of wonder.

Embassy of the Free Mind

Keizersgracht 123, 1015 CJ Amsterdam25%

(regular price €15 – free with the City Card)

The Embassy of the Free Mind is a museum library, where the European culture of free thinking imparts its knowledge to all those who walk through its doors. Housed in the grand 17th-century canal house of the ‘House with the Heads' on the Keizersgracht, this is the place to learn about history, science, art and spirituality and how they’re all connected. It’s also a platform for freethinkers to talk about life irrespective of religion, culture or age.

Museum van de Geest - Dolhuys

Schotersingel 2, 2021 GE Haarlem

(regular price €20 – free with the City Card)

Following an extensive redevelopment, the Museum van de Geest (Museum for the Mind) | Dolhuys is located in a former asylum and home for lepers. Built during medieval times, it’s now dedicated to showcasing the work of outsider artists and aims to shed light on the creativity of writers, artists, and scientists with mental illnesses.

ARTIS Groote Museum

Plantage Middenlaan 41, 1018CZ Amsterdam

(regular price €17.5 – free with the City Card)

Het Groote Museum (the Museum of Big Questions) hopes to answer your burning questions about science, natural history and human existence through innovative displays. From communicating plants to a competition with a chimpanzee or a scent tunnel where recognition and emotion alternate: get ready to embark on a personal expedition across the museum.

BODY WORLDS: The Happiness Project

Damrak 66, 1012LM Amsterdam

(25% discount with the City Card)

Embark on a fascinating journey through the human body at this new incarnation of the world-famous Body Worlds exhibition. Gaze in awe at more than 200 real anatomical models of the human body, all preserved in plastic using a technique invented by a German physician in 1977. The current theme in Amsterdam is named The Happiness Project and focuses on the effects of happiness on our well-being to explore how our mood can affect our health.