NEMO Science Museum

NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam offers hands-on science exhibitions across five floors, making it the largest science center in the Netherlands.

Planning your visit

NEMO is the green copper ship rising out of the water at the eastern end of Amsterdam's harbour — Renzo Piano designed it above the IJ tunnel, and the sloping roof follows the tunnel's curve beneath. It is the largest science centre in the Netherlands, with five floors of hands-on exhibits covering physics, chemistry, biology, technology and the human body.

Everything is built to be operated. Visitors run experiments, build chain reactions, blow giant bubbles, test bridges to destruction and work through a chemistry laboratory with actual reactions. It is unashamedly aimed at children roughly six to sixteen, and adults without them will find it loud.

The roof terrace is the part everyone should know about: it is free to access without a museum ticket, terraced with water features, and gives one of the best panoramas of Amsterdam's centre and harbour. It functions as a public square with a café.

The museum sits a walk from Centraal Station along the waterfront.

Bookable options include entry tickets and combination formats pairing the museum with a one-hour canal cruise. Current availability is shown below.