NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam

At NEMO Science Museum you are allowed to touch almost everything. Walk in and you hear it straight away: buttons clicking, balls rolling and children shouting that their experiment worked. The large green building rises from the water of the Oosterdok, a few minutes on foot from Amsterdam Centraal station. Inside, you find out how light, sound and electricity work, and what happens in your own body. On top waits a renewed rooftop square with views over the city. NEMO calls itself the largest science centre in the Netherlands.

What you do at NEMO Science Museum

NEMO is not a place for walking quietly past glass cases. You discover how a bridge stays strong, how optical illusions fool your brain and how lightning forms. In Fenomena everything revolves around light, sound and static electricity, and you can stand inside a soap bubble. In the Laboratory you carry out real experiments, and the Chain Reaction demonstration shows how energy passes from one object to the next. On the fourth floor, Humania lets you learn about your own species through games, tests and objects. Check the day programme when you arrive, because workshops and demonstrations change daily.

The green ship by Renzo Piano

The striking green building was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and opened in 1997. It rises out of the water of the Oosterdok and sits above the IJ tunnel. The museum itself is much older. It started in 1923 as the Museum van den Arbeid, a museum of labour on the Rozengracht, and later became the NINT. When it moved into the new building it was renamed newMetropolis, and from 2000 it was known as Science Center NEMO. It has carried its current name since 2016.

The rooftop square of NEMO Science Museum

On top of the building lies a large sloping square that reopened in 2025 after eight months of work. The old leaking roof was replaced with wooden decking and planting of 75 species, an idea Renzo Piano already had in the 1990s. Up here you can study the clouds, measure air quality and spot city birds, while the planting gives plants and animals a place to live in the middle of Amsterdam. You reach the square by the stairs on the east side, and you do not need a museum ticket to go up. It is open free of charge every day.

Planning your visit

Tickets come with a start time. Booking online guarantees you entry on the day you choose; at the door you can only buy a ticket if there is still room. Arriving a little early or late is fine, and once inside you can stay until closing. The museum notes that weekday afternoons outside the Dutch school holidays are quieter. Holders of a Museumkaart, the Dutch annual museum pass, or the I amsterdam City Card get in free but still need to book. Small lockers are available, but there is no room for suitcases. For more ideas, see all museums in Amsterdam.

Frequently asked questions about NEMO Science Museum

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