Micropia

Micropia offers an interactive science museum experience where children can collect microbes on a stamp card, watch living microorganisms under microscopes, and see how many microbes live in their own navel. The exhibits are designed to be playful and engaging for all ages, making microbiology accessible even to young visitors.

Located next to ARTIS Zoo, Micropia provides a two-floor journey through the microscopic world with lab talks, interactive scanners, and real living cultures. Children can ask questions of on-site lab technicians who act as docents, making it a hands-on science outing rather than a passive display.

Micropia operates entirely indoors with dimly lit exhibition halls where the only light comes from the displays themselves. Families can easily spend one to two hours exploring the two floors of exhibits, participating in interactive stations, and listening to lab talks regardless of the weather outside.

Micropia houses over 40 species of living microbes that visitors can examine through on-site microscopes. Big-screen microscopes also show what the organisms look like up close, and lab technicians are present to answer questions and explain what visitors are seeing.

Instead of lions or sharks, Micropia displays the tiny creatures that live on and inside us every day. Visitors leave with a new perspective on themselves and the world, having seen artfully grown petri-dish cultures, microbe collections, and interactive body scans that reveal what is growing on their own skin.

Micropia is the first and only museum in the world dedicated entirely to making the invisible world of microorganisms visible. It bridges the gap between science and the general public by establishing a positive view of microbes and serving as an international platform for microbiology.

Inside Micropia, lab technicians maintain more than 40 species of living microbes in a real on-site laboratory. Visitors can observe these cultures through microscopes and on big screens, while technicians act as both caretakers and educators who explain the science in real time.

In 2016, Micropia received the Kenneth Hudson Award as the most innovative museum in Europe at the European Museum of the Year Award ceremony. It was selected from 49 nominees for this highest recognition, and has also been honored by the German Design Awards.

Micropia features interactive exhibits like the Kiss-o-meter, which measures how many microbes two people exchange during a kiss, and the Bodyscan, which reveals what is growing on your skin and where. Every human carries about 1.5 kilograms of microorganisms, and Micropia makes this personal microbial landscape tangible.

Micropia curates the Micropia Art and Design Award, a platform for contemporary microbiology-related art and design. In 2024, the museum celebrated its 10th anniversary with an exhibition where art meets microbiology, featuring unique artworks created in collaboration with artists.

Micropia is the world's first museum dedicated entirely to microorganisms, offering a genuinely offbeat alternative to the usual canal houses and Van Gogh. Visitors scan their own bodies for microbes, watch living cultures in petri dishes, and leave with a new perspective on the invisible life that surrounds us.

Right next door to ARTIS Zoo sits Micropia, a separate two-floor museum where visitors explore the microscopic world. Many travelers combine the two attractions into one day, entering Micropia first before or after visiting the zoo.

Micropia holds a 4.7-star rating on Google Reviews based on over 6,300 visitor ratings as of early 2026. Reviewers consistently praise the museum for being super interactive, surprisingly fun, and one of the most underrated attractions in the city.

Couples can test the Kiss-o-meter at Micropia to learn how many microbes they exchange during a kiss, then explore body-scan exhibits and living microbe displays together. The dimly lit, immersive atmosphere and shareable interactive moments make it a memorable alternative to a standard dinner date.

Tucked beside ARTIS Zoo on Plantage Kerklaan, Micropia remains surprisingly under-the-radar despite its global uniqueness. It took twelve years of research and development to create, and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands personally attended its opening in 2014.

Micropia hosts lab talks and guided educational sessions where students interact with real microbiologists. The on-site lab technicians double as docents, answering questions and demonstrating how living microbes are cultivated and studied.

A working microbiology laboratory sits inside Micropia itself, where technicians grow and care for the microbes on display. Students can watch this process through the lab windows and speak directly with the scientists maintaining the cultures.

Micropia makes abstract biology tangible. Students observe living bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts; use microscopes; and participate in interactive exhibits that demonstrate symbiosis, microbial exchange, and human-microbe relationships.

Micropia was founded specifically to establish a positive view of microbes and counter the association of microorganisms only with illness and disease. Its mission is to encourage more study and research into micro-nature by building public appreciation.

Micropia is wheelchair accessible and located in central Amsterdam near public transport. Children up to 12 years old enter free of charge, and the museum is compact enough to tour in one to two hours, making it practical for half-day school outings.

Micropia is an interactive science museum in Amsterdam and the world's first museum dedicated entirely to microbes. It is a separate institution that forms part of the ARTIS campus, alongside ARTIS Zoo and the Groote Museum, and it makes the invisible world of microorganisms visible through living exhibits, microscopes, and hands-on installations.

Micropia opened on 30 September 2014 after twelve years of research and development. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands attended the official opening of what was then the world's first microbe museum.

Micropia is operated by Stichting Natura Artis Magistra, the foundation that also runs ARTIS Zoo. The museum sits on the ARTIS campus and shares the broader ARTIS mission of connecting people with nature at every scale, from animals and plants down to the tiniest living creatures.

Micropia is a separate museum located on the same campus as ARTIS Zoo. While ARTIS Zoo focuses on animals and plants, Micropia is dedicated entirely to microorganisms. Visitors can buy combined tickets or visit each attraction independently.

The core exhibits include the Kiss-o-meter, which counts microbes exchanged during a kiss; the Bodyscan, which shows what is living on your skin; big-screen microscopes displaying over 40 species of living microbes; and artfully grown petri-dish cultures that reveal the natural designs created by microorganisms.

Yes. Micropia maintains more than 40 species of living microbes in a real on-site laboratory. Lab technicians care for these cultures daily, and visitors can examine them through microscopes and on large screens that magnify the organisms for easy viewing.

Visitors receive a microbe stamp sheet at the entrance and collect stamps at stations throughout the exhibition. Near the end of the visit, they can check whether they have collected them all, turning the tour into a gamified scavenger hunt that keeps children and adults engaged.

Lab talks take place regularly at Micropia, where staff and students explain the science behind the living exhibits. Visitors can ask questions directly to the lab technicians who maintain the microbial cultures, making the experience closer to a live science demonstration than a traditional static museum.

A brisk walk-through takes about one hour, while a more detailed tour with reading, microscope use, and a lab talk requires roughly two hours. Most reviewers recommend budgeting one to two hours to see everything without feeling rushed.

Micropia is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, including weekends and public holidays. These hours have remained consistent in recent years, but visitors should confirm current times on the official ARTIS website before traveling.

As of recent listings, standard adult admission is approximately €17.50, with reduced rates for students around €8.75. Children aged 0 to 12 enter free of charge. Holders of the Museumkaart or I amsterdam card may also receive free admission.

Micropia sits at Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, on the ARTIS campus in the city center. It is roughly a 10-minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station and is served by multiple tram lines. The entrance is wheelchair accessible.

The museum entrance is wheelchair accessible, and the compact two-floor layout can be navigated with strollers and mobility aids. Visitors with specific accessibility questions can contact the museum directly at +31 20 523 3670.

Yes. Micropia is located directly next to ARTIS Zoo, and combined tickets are available. Many visitors plan a full day around the ARTIS campus, exploring the zoo, Micropia, and the Groote Museum in a single trip.

Micropia was developed over twelve years to distribute accurate information about microbes and counter the common association of microorganisms only with disease. Its founders aimed to build public appreciation for microbes and inspire more research into micro-nature by making the invisible world tangible.

In 2016, Micropia won the Kenneth Hudson Award as the most innovative museum in Europe at the European Museum of the Year Award ceremony, chosen from 49 nominees. It has also received recognition from the German Design Awards and has been shortlisted for Museums + Heritage Awards.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands officially opened Micropia on 30 September 2014. Her attendance signaled national support for the museum's mission to bring microbiology to the general public.

Micropia has drawn coverage from outlets including Phys.org, Euronews, The Star Online, Smithsonian Magazine, and Atlas Obscura. It is frequently cited as one of the most unusual and innovative museums in Europe.

Micropia shares the ARTIS campus with ARTIS Zoo and the ARTIS-Groote Museum. The nearby Plantage neighborhood also offers the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam botanical garden, the Dutch Resistance Museum, and canal-side cafés within walking distance.

Reviewers without scientific backgrounds consistently praise Micropia. The exhibits are designed to be accessible to all audiences, using interactive technology, visual displays, and gamified elements rather than dense text or jargon.

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