ARTIS - Groote Museum — Attraction in Amsterdam

really beautiful museum. It’s such a privilege to be able to walk in such an old building fitted up, & they are old-fashioned in a sense that there are some books & study places for these books within the museum. It’s nice to see books are still given a place, for anyone reading museum placards, even in such a museum as this, can feel how much more there is to learn which the displays, however well animated, could hold enough info to satisfy. The books point to the place to go - & to browse topical books at leisure is very gratifying.

Downside is that acoustics could be improved - particularly as there are occasional, sudden rather distressing sounds that are played - such as thunderstorm & howling monkeys. This is intended to create an atmosphere, but as someone who is noise-sensitive it gets very uncomfortable. My 11yo who is also noise-sensitive also quickly exhibited irritable behavior after a half hour. However is a personal issue, so still full stars.

Another aspect I think could be checked is ventilation/ airflow. There did not seem to be enough oxygen in the space & after a while I began to develop a headache. However I have yet to differentiate this from the noise so next time will bring my CO2 meter to check.

Despite these issues I had, I would definitely go again. It is just...

Our visit here was relatively spontaneous, but I am SO glad we went--this (along with Micropia) was probably the best curated museum we went to in our two weeks in Europe by a noticeable margin. The exhibit running while we were there was intended to stimulate visitors' understanding of the connections between human, plant, and animal in SUPER interesting and engaging ways--lots to see, touch, listen to, and interact with! The smell hallway was a really cool experience, and the philosophical aspects of the exhibits has stuck with us even after getting home.

I don't know if younger kiddos (under about 10 or 12) would get as much out of this as older kids, teens and adults who can read and explore according to their interests, but this museum is definitely a must-see if you (like me) are the kind of person who wants a hyper-interactive museum experience. Combine your visit with Micropia and/or the zoo itself for a great little afternoon and discounts on tickets! We LOVED this experience and would definitely return next time...

Nice but not essential. Go with kids. Otherwise, I am not sure if it is worth the money.

I paid 5 euro for a ticket (with discount) and combined my visit with Artis and Micropia. I spent 45 to 60 minutes here, mainly to see the building. The building is in line with the rest of Artis. Nice ceilings and staircases. The exhibit (two halls) has a broad scope, and seems to focus on the theory and experience of life. The latter is coupled to a series of interactive displays which include touch, smell, sound and vision. It is nicely set up with eye to detail. Nevertheless, as an adult I quickly lost interest because everything was interactive (as someone else pointed out: sometimes needlessly so). Also, I simply don't want to get all my information from 'public' headphones (hanging from the display). On a rainy sunday afternoon, it was...