Micropia Amsterdam: The World’s Only Microbe Museum – Tickets & Guide

Micropia Amsterdam is easy to walk straight past — it hides behind a modest door beside the city’s zoo, and plenty of visitors never realise it’s there. That’s a genuine miss, because inside is the only museum on the planet devoted entirely to living microbes. If you’re curious about the invisible life crawling across your skin, your food and every surface you touch, this is the one place in town that shows it to you, alive and moving.

I’ve sent a lot of friends here, usually the ones who tell me they’ve “already done the big museums.” Micropia surprises almost all of them, because it’s nothing like a room of glass cases. You spend your visit hunched over microscopes, watching real organisms wriggle, glow and creep. Below I’ll walk you through what to expect, how long to allow, what tickets tend to cost, and whether it’s a good fit for kids.

What is Micropia Amsterdam?

Micropia is billed as the world’s only museum dedicated entirely to microbes and microorganisms. Its whole job is to make the invisible visible: it takes the bacteria, fungi, tiny animals and other life you normally can’t see and puts them in front of you through living cultures, high-powered microscopes and hands-on science exhibits.

What sets Micropia Amsterdam apart from a typical natural-history display is that you’re looking at real living organisms, not models or animations. There are dozens of microscope stations, each pointed at something alive. Expect to meet tardigrades (the famous “water bears”), glowing bacteria, slime moulds, and a wall of petri dishes carrying fungi and moulds in colours you wouldn’t expect from something growing on old bread.

What you’ll actually see

The layout guides you past station after station of live microorganisms. Because these are living cultures, no two visits are identical — a colony that looked one way last month may have spread or shifted by the time you arrive. A few highlights that tend to stick with people:

• Tardigrades — microscopic animals that can survive being frozen, boiled and even sent into space. Watching one lumber across the view is oddly charming.
• Glowing bacteria — colonies that give off real bioluminescent light in the dark exhibit rooms.
• Slime moulds — strange organisms that solve mazes and creep toward food without a brain.
• The petri-dish wall — rows of fungi and moulds that turn “gross” into genuinely beautiful.

The rooms are deliberately dim so the microscope displays and glowing cultures stand out. It’s calm, a bit theatrical, and easy to move through at your own pace.

The interactive exhibits (this is where it gets fun)

Micropia leans hard into hands-on science, and the interactive stations are what most people talk about afterwards. Two signature ones:

The Kiss-o-Meter is exactly what it sounds like. You kiss a sensor and it estimates how many millions of microbes you’d swap with a partner in a single kiss. It’s a crowd-pleaser and a genuinely clever way to make the point that we’re all covered in living things.

The body-scan / microbiome station shows which microbes live on and inside your own body — the huge community of bacteria that call you home. Kids and adults both tend to linger here. You also get a stamp card with little assignments to complete as you go, which turns the visit into a light treasure hunt for younger visitors.

Lab Talks and getting the most from your visit

Throughout the day, lab technicians give short Lab Talks about the living organisms on display. These are typically listed at around 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30, though times can change, so glance at the day’s schedule when you arrive or check the official site first. Catching one is worth it — hearing a real technician explain what you’re squinting at through the microscope adds a lot.

My honest tip: don’t rush. The temptation is to glance at a few microscopes and move on, but Micropia rewards the people who actually stop, focus each scope properly and try the interactive tests. Time one part of your visit to line up with a Lab Talk and you’ll get far more out of it.

How long does a visit take?

Most people spend roughly 1 to 1.5 hours inside. If you use every microscope, do all the interactive tests and sit in on a Lab Talk, allow up to around 2 hours. It’s compact compared with a big zoo or art museum, which makes it a great half-day pairing with something else in the area.

Tickets and prices

Prices shift by day and are usually cheaper booked online, so treat the figures below as a rough guide and confirm current pricing on the official ARTIS site or your chosen booking page before you go.

If you’re planning to see more of the ARTIS complex, a combination ticket that adds the zoo (with its planetarium and aquarium) can work out cheaper than buying separately. And if you already hold the I amsterdam City Card, entry is currently included with no advance reservation needed — the card is simply scanned at the door.

Check tickets & prices →

Where it is and how it fits with ARTIS

Micropia sits within the ARTIS complex in the leafy Plantage neighbourhood of Amsterdam-Oost, at Plantage Kerklaan 38–40. It shares the organisation with the ARTIS Zoo and stands right next door, but it’s a separate building with its own entrance. Worth knowing: the zoo keeps longer hours than the museum, so don’t assume they close at the same time.

Micropia’s own opening hours are daily, roughly 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry before closing. Hours can vary by season and by day — one combo listing even showed an 11:00 start — so confirm the day you plan to visit. Being in Plantage, it slots neatly into a day that also takes in the botanical garden, the Jewish Cultural Quarter or a canal walk. If you’re still mapping out an itinerary, our guide to things to do in Amsterdam can help you build the rest of the day around it.

Is Micropia Amsterdam good for children?

It’s an interactive museum aimed at curious visitors of all ages, and it’s family-friendly. That said, the concepts are microbiology, so it lands best with roughly age 8 and up. Younger children enter free and can enjoy the buttons, scans and stamp card, but the dark rooms and abstract ideas can be harder for little ones to stay engaged with. For science-minded kids and teens, though, Micropia Amsterdam is a genuine hit.

Veelgestelde vragen

Is Micropia in Amsterdam worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you like science, nature or seeing something genuinely different. It is the only museum in the world built entirely around living microbes, and watching real organisms through the microscopes is memorable in a way photos never quite capture. It is compact, so it pairs well with the zoo or other stops nearby.

How long does a visit to Micropia take?

Most visitors spend about 1 to 1.5 hours. If you use every microscope, try all the interactive tests and attend a Lab Talk, allow up to around 2 hours. It is smaller than a major museum, which makes it easy to fit into a half day.

Is Micropia suitable for children, and what age is it best for?

It is family-friendly and children up to and including age 12 currently enter free. The microbiology concepts suit roughly age 8 and up best. Younger children can still enjoy the interactive stations and stamp card, but may find the dark, abstract exhibits harder to engage with.

Is Micropia included in the I amsterdam City Card?

Yes, it is currently included with the I amsterdam City Card, which also covers the ARTIS Zoo and the Groote Museum. No advance reservation is needed, as the card is scanned at the entrance. Card terms can change, so confirm on the official site before relying on it.

Can you see live microbes at Micropia?

Yes. Almost everything on display is alive rather than a model or animation. Through dozens of microscope stations you can watch tardigrades, glowing bacteria, slime moulds and walls of fungi and moulds. Because the cultures are living, the exact sights shift over time.

Is Micropia part of ARTIS Zoo?

It is part of the wider ARTIS organisation and sits right next to the zoo in the Plantage area, but it is a separate building with its own entrance. You can visit Micropia on its own, or buy a combination ticket that adds the ARTIS Zoo and its other attractions.

How much does a Micropia ticket cost?

Adult entry is roughly 17 to 18 euros, with the official ARTIS site listing about 17 euros online and 18 euros at the counter. Students pay a reduced rate of around 10.50 euros, and children up to and including 12 currently enter free. Prices change often, so check the official site or booking page for current pricing.

What are Micropia’s opening hours?

Opening hours are daily, roughly 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry before closing. Times can vary by season and day, and the neighbouring ARTIS Zoo keeps longer hours than the museum. Confirm the hours for your specific visit date on the official site before you go.