Is NEMO worth a museum day in Amsterdam?
NEMO stands on the Oosterdok, a green copper ship of a building beached between Centraal station and the water, opened in 1997, designed by Renzo Piano and run as the Netherlands' national science centre. Five floors of hands-on experiments — chains of dominos, a giant laboratory, water physics, human biology — aimed squarely at ages six to fourteen, with a rooftop deck that is free even to people who never buy the ticket. Tickets run from $25 booked, and for families this is the museum that decides whether the rest of the trip's museums happen at all. It is the family pillar of our guide to the museums in Amsterdam.
About This Experience
Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam — the green building across the water from Centraal
Two minutes' walk east of Centraal station across the Oosterdok footbridge
Daily in school holidays; Tue–Sun from about 10:00 in term time — the rooftop is open to all
Booked from $25; Museumkaart and City Card accepted
The Chain Reaction hall and the water-physics floors — the experiments children re-queue for
Check Live Availability & Prices
Entry and the cruise combo, checked live below.
Which NEMO Ticket to Pick
The standard entry covers the whole building; there is no tour tier because the exhibits are the guides. The one real decision is the combo: NEMO plus a one-hour canal cruise, which turns the museum morning into a full family program without a second booking transaction. Weekends and Dutch school holidays fill up — timed booking is genuinely useful here, unlike at the small houses.
- Standard entry — from $25; the whole building, the full day if the children run the itinerary.
- NEMO + canal cruise combo — from $43; museum plus an hour on the water, the low-effort family day.
- Museumkaart / City Card — both cover entry; holiday-period slots still worth reserving.
NEMO Tickets and Family Combos
Entry, the cruise combo, and the other family anchors.
from $25
NEMO Science Museum Ticket
Entry to NEMO, the hands-on science museum in the green ship-shaped building by the Oosterdok, with five floors of experiments and a free public rooftop.
- Hands-on science, five floors
- Rooftop deck included
- Great for ages 6–14
from $43
Canal Cruise + NEMO Combo
A one-hour canal cruise paired with the NEMO entry ticket, the low-effort version of a family day that mixes the water with hands-on science.
- Cruise + NEMO in one
- Certified GYG product
- Family-friendly routing
from $12
Houseboat Museum Entry
The Houseboat Museum lets you step inside a genuine moored houseboat on the Prinsengracht and see how people actually live on the canals.
- Inside a real houseboat
- Prinsengracht, Jordaan
- Quick, charming stop
Side by Side
| Ticket | Format | Price | Book | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEMO Entry | Self-paced, half a day | $25 | Check Availability | 4.4★ | Ages 6–14, rainy days |
| NEMO + Canal Cruise | Museum + 1-hour cruise | $43 | Check Availability | 4.2★ | The full family program |
| Maritime Museum | Ships + the East Indiaman | $23 | Check Availability | 4.5★ | The next family day |
| Houseboat Museum | 45-minute stop | $12 | Check Availability | 4.5★ | The Jordaan hour |
What You'll See
NEMO's floors run from phenomena to profession: the ground levels hold water physics and the Chain Reaction — a room-scale machine of balls, ramps and dominoes that children rebuild for hours — while the upper floors move through the human body, a working lab with real experiments in white coats, and the Technium, where teenagers build things their parents cannot explain. The top floor is the roof: a terrace with water features, city views and the café, free to anyone who climbs the outside stairs, which is why half of Amsterdam knows NEMO without ever buying the ticket.
- Chain Reaction — the build-it-yourself machine hall; the floor children refuse to leave.
- Waterpowers — pumps, dams and the dam-question that made this country possible.
- The Lab — real experiments in real coats; book-minded kids stay an hour.
- Humania — the body floor: reflexes, perception, the queue-worthy reaction tests.
- The rooftop — free, sunny-day packed, the best city-view picnic in the centre.
The Family Day, Built Around NEMO
-
10:00
NEMO at opening
Arrive with the doors; the Chain Reaction floor is civilised at ten and feral by noon.
-
13:00
Lunch on the roof or at the Oosterdok
The rooftop café works in good weather; the waterside terraces below handle the rest.
-
14:00
Maritime Museum
Bus 22 or a 15-minute walk east: the replica East Indiaman is the afternoon's climb, and it sits inside the same ticket family.
-
16:30
Canal cruise, seated
Finish with the hour everyone sits down — the Anne Frank House cruise is the calmest boarding point in the centre.
Know Before You Go
- Term-time it opens Tue–Sun; daily in Dutch school holidays — check the calendar for Mondays.
- From $25 booked; Museumkaart and City Card accepted; the rooftop deck is free regardless.
- Coats go in the free lockers; the building heats up with five floors of running children.
- Under-4s enter free but the floors are tuned for school age; toddlers get the water room and the roof.
- The café is fine, the prices are museum prices — the Oosterdok terraces across the footbridge are the local fix.
Where You're Headed
NEMO Science Museum FAQ
How much are NEMO Science Museum tickets?
Booked tickets run from $25, with under-4s free and the rooftop deck free for everyone. Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card holders enter free with a reservation; the NEMO-plus-canal-cruise combo runs from $43.
What age is NEMO best for?
Six to fourteen is the honest sweet spot — the floors are built around school-age experiments. Younger children enjoy the water room and the rooftop; teenagers get the most from the Technium build floor and the Lab's real experiments.
How long do you need at NEMO?
Three to four hours for a family at child-pace, and whole days vanish for children who treat the Chain Reaction hall as a project. Adults alone should not plan more than ninety minutes — this museum belongs to its audience.
Is NEMO free?
The rooftop terrace is free to everyone, stairs or lift, no ticket — it is one of the best city views in Amsterdam. The indoor floors need a ticket (from $25 booked), which the Museumkaart and City Card both cover.
What Visitors Say
Very fun and enjoyable — many activities and few queues. We had to drag the kids out at closing.
So much to do, especially if you want more of a fun, active museum than paintings.
Very much appreciated by my children, 12 and 16 — which at those ages is close to a miracle.