Artis Zoo Amsterdam: A Day With The Animals

The original name of the Amsterdam Zoo is Nature Artis Magistra in Latin. Its foundations were laid in 1838 by Gerardus Frederik Westerman. From 1920 onwards, the Zoo’s continued increase in animal diversity is one of the key stages of its current success. Admission is expensive, but it is necessary to feed dozens of animals, for example an elephant that needs 100 kilos of food a day.

At Artis Zoo, you can see a wide range of animals from marine animals to insectivores, from deer species to camels.

There are also large animals such as giraffes and elephants, which are among the essentials of a good zoo. Those who have the opportunity to come with their telephoto lenses can capture very beautiful shots. The zoo is ideal for animal photography.

There are also daily activities at Artis. For example, during our visit, although we couldn’t understand what she was saying, a keeper said something in Dutch for several minutes and two elephants in the elephant area were making synchronized movements with each other.

We couldn’t understand if it had anything to do with the keeper. They do various presentations like this, which I think are informative about animals, and you can see this type of narration in the gorillas and penguins section and a few other places.

Today, the zoo is home to hundreds of different species of animals, including 200 different types of trees.

They were building a new jaguar area in the middle of Artis, where there is a botanical park for botanical lovers. The aquarium section is also very comprehensive. It has a wide and colorful range from fish to sea plants.

There is also a park area for the children, apart from the activity to observe the animals up close. It’s a beautiful area with climbing, sliding, balancing, tightrope walking, each activity is interconnected and ends with a slide down a high slide.

The zoo’s landscaping is too beautiful to ignore. It is also used as a relaxation area with funnel-shaped trees, sculptures and water fountains.

The water arrangements are so beautiful that they even built a section for small chimpanzees in the middle of the water pool without any glass or protection. I guess the chimpanzees are not good with water and can’t get to the other side.

In order to visit Artis Zoo more easily, you need to have a map as a guide, but they give maps for 2€ when you buy a ticket. Artis Zoo is free with Amsterdam Card.

Where is Artis Zoo and how to get there?

It is located at Plantage Kerklaan 38-40. You can get off at Artis stop with Tram 9 from Amsterdam Centraal and 14 from Dam Square. Do not get off at the Amsterdam Plantage Lepellaan stop, you will have to walk.

You can also take the 10 minute walk to Waterloo metro stop. If you need to fit your visit to the zoo in a short time, you should move quickly, because Artis is a big place.