In short
ARTIS-Micropia makes a usually invisible world available to a museum visit. Living microbes, microscopes and interactive displays connect the very small with everyday life: food, water, the human body and the environments we share. This is a separate museum beside ARTIS Zoo, with its own admission rather than an exhibit reached only through the zoo.
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Prices and hours of ARTIS-Micropia
Micropia normally opens daily 10:00–17:00. Check holiday arrangements before travelling. Daily Lab Talks are currently listed at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30; consult the day’s programme rather than assuming an older schedule is still in use.
Selected partner admission starts from €18 at the 23 October 2026 check. The museum confirms free admission for children up to and including 12. A weekday late-afternoon offer is separately advertised from €9 after 16:00; check its conditions and consider how much visiting time remains.
Hours
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Museum 10:00–17:00
Daily regular hours; check holiday exceptions.
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Lab Talks 11:30 / 13:30 / 15:30
Current programme checked 23 October 2026.
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Late afternoon From 16:00 weekdays
Separate offer; check availability and closing time.
Prices
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Selected partner entry From €18
Checked 23 October 2026; final date and category may vary.
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Children 0–12 Free admission
Up to and including 12; reserve the appropriate category.
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Weekday afternoon From €9
Official after-16:00 offer; conditions and availability apply.
What to discover at Micropia
The museum presents more than 40 species of living microbes under microscopes. Compare what you observe with the interpretation: size, movement and environment become easier to understand when linked to a real specimen. The visible laboratory adds another perspective, showing the work required to care for a living collection.
Living microbes Must see
Observe real specimens through microscopes.
The laboratory
Discover how technicians care for a living collection.
Lab Talks
Check the daily programme for short explanations by the lab team.
Interactive exhibits
Use the Bodyscan and Kiss-o-meter to explore the museum’s questions.
Microbe stamps
Collect stamps while discussing the organisms you encounter.
Quick summary of a Micropia visit
Micropia suggests around 1–1.5 hours for a visit, with extra time for activities and a Lab Talk. Allow a slower pace if you want to return to a microscope or follow the explanations closely. A zoo combination needs substantially more time than this museum allowance alone.
Best moment
A visit that leaves time for a Lab Talk
Crowd
Take turns at microscopes and interactive displays
Kid friendly
Use age-appropriate explanations and the stamp activity
Unmissable
Seeing a living microbe through a microscope
Type of experience
An independent interactive microbiology museum
What to expect
Living cultures, visual interpretation and a laboratory programme
How to visit ARTIS-Micropia
Compare independent Micropia admission from two sellers with a combination that also includes ARTIS Zoo. Standard museum entry does not include the zoo, Groote Museum or Planetarium. Read the actual combination inclusions and reservation rules before buying.
The Lab Talks are part of the public museum programme, not a private guided-tour booking. The wider Amsterdam walking guide linked below describes a separate city activity, with its own itinerary and meeting point.
ARTIS Micropia: Entry Ticket
ARTIS-Micropia: Microbe Museum Admission
ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo & Micropia: Skip The Line Entry Ticket
Good to know
Children up to and including 12 are listed free; choose the correct ticket category.
Micropia has its own entrance and admission.
ARTIS describes the museum as largely wheelchair accessible, with accessible toilets.
Ask about a suitable route and available facilities if your group has specific access needs.
Practical tips
Allow time to focus a microscope and compare specimens.
Check the next Lab Talk when you arrive.
Use the stamp activity as a way to discuss what you have seen.
Keep a zoo visit or a city walk separate in your timetable.
How to reach Micropia in the Plantage district
Use Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, Amsterdam as your destination. Micropia is in the Plantage district beside ARTIS and Artisplein. Navigate to the museum entrance rather than assuming a zoo ticket or zoo entrance is required.
Plan your journey to Plantage Kerklaan 38–40 with the current transport planner and confirm the final walk.
Use public streets and Artisplein approaches to the museum entrance. A standalone Micropia visit does not require entry through the zoo.
Use the city cycle network and park legally without obstructing entrances or pedestrian routes.
ARTIS-Micropia, Plantage Kerklaan 38–40, Amsterdam
Official Transport in Barcelona
Bringing microbial life into the museum
Micropia opened in 2014, extending ARTIS’s presentation of nature into the microbial world. The idea changes the usual scale of a natural-history visit: instead of beginning with animals visible across an enclosure, visitors use instruments to encounter living organisms too small to see unaided.
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The museum’s living collection requires continuing laboratory care. That work is part of its identity, making scientific practice visible alongside the results. A culture observed today is not simply a static object placed in a display case; it depends on the conditions maintained by the laboratory team.
Interactive exhibits connect microbes with familiar experiences. The Bodyscan and Kiss-o-meter help introduce relationships between the microscopic world and the body. They are museum interpretation, not personal medical tests or diagnoses. Use them as starting points for questions and then read the scientific explanation.
Together, Micropia, ARTIS Zoo and the Groote Museum approach nature at different scales. Their proximity makes a combination possible, but each has a distinct focus and admission conditions. A single Micropia visit can be complete in its own right, especially if you leave time for the living collection and a conversation with the lab team.
A living collection and a change of scale
Micropia opened in 2014.
Its collection includes living microbes cared for in an on-site laboratory.
The museum presents more than 40 species for microscopic observation.
A stamp card adds a collecting activity to the visit.
Micropia, the zoo and the Groote Museum examine nature at different scales.
Micropia tickets and wider Amsterdam walks
Find your stay near Micropia
Compare accommodation in the Plantage area using the map centred on Micropia. Check the walking route, evening transport and your wider plans as well as the room rate. Nearby cultural attractions can suit a slower day, but do not assume they share admission tickets.
ARTIS-Micropia visiting questions
Do I need an ARTIS Zoo ticket?
No. Micropia has its own admission. Buy a zoo combination only if you also want the zoo and the offer explicitly includes it.
How long should I allow?
The museum suggests around 1–1.5 hours, plus extra time for activities or a Lab Talk.
Are children free?
The museum confirms free entry up to and including age 12. Reserve the appropriate category.
Are the microbes alive?
Yes. Living microbes are cared for by technicians in the museum’s laboratory and presented for microscopic observation.
When are the Lab Talks?
The current museum programme lists 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 daily. Check the programme for your visit date.
Is the museum accessible by wheelchair?
ARTIS describes Micropia as largely wheelchair accessible, with accessible toilets and a wheelchair available to borrow. Confirm arrangements for your specific needs.
Does a Micropia ticket include Groote Museum?
Not unless your chosen combination explicitly says so. The museums have distinct admission arrangements.
Can I use the afternoon offer for a full day?
No. The advertised weekday offer begins at 16:00. Check the conditions and the remaining time before closing.
