NEMO with kids is one of those Amsterdam days that actually lives up to the hype, most of the time. The green ship-shaped building rising out of the water by Centraal Station is genuinely hard to miss, and once you’re inside, five floors of hands-on science exhibits keep most kids busy for hours without a single “I’m bored.” It’s also one of the few big Amsterdam attractions where touching things is the entire point.
It’s not a perfect fit for every age though, and knowing that before you buy tickets saves you a frustrated toddler and a wasted morning. Here’s what we’ve learned from actually taking kids there, floor by floor, plus the practical stuff nobody tells you until you’re standing in the entrance hall working it out yourself.
What NEMO actually is
NEMO Science Museum was designed by the architect Renzo Piano, the same Renzo Piano behind Paris’s Centre Pompidou, and it shows. The building’s sloped copper-green roof is meant to echo a ship rising out of the harbour, and the inside is deliberately stripped back and minimal so nothing distracts from the exhibits themselves. The museum has been around in some form for over a century, tracking how science and technology in the Netherlands have changed, and today it runs across five exhibition floors plus a rooftop square that’s become an attraction in its own right.
The whole premise is hands-on. There’s very little behind glass, and the museum’s mission is to make science and technology feel accessible rather than intimidating, which is exactly what you want when you’re dragging along a seven-year-old who insists science is boring.
Floor by floor: what’s actually there
Fenomena, on floor 1, is where most families spend the longest stretch. It’s built around everyday physics, light, sound, static electricity, the science behind a rainbow or a crackling jumper. Kids blow giant soap bubbles, spin around in a gyroscope chair, ride a pulley-powered chairlift, and mess about with a lightning globe. There’s also a small history-of-science corner with a mini Teylers Museum display if your kids are into that sort of thing, though ours mostly beelined for the bubbles.
Floor 2 is Technium, all about how everyday technology and objects get made. The centrepiece is an eight-metre working machine demonstrating gears and Archimedes’ screws, and there’s a Maker Space where kids can sit down and actually build something rather than just push a button and watch. Through summer and into autumn 2026, this floor also hosts Game On, a temporary exhibition running from mid-July through late October that lets kids (and honestly, the adults too) play arcade machines and consoles spanning decades, from old Nintendo cabinets up to a PlayStation 5. If your kid is more into screens than science, this is the floor that wins them over.
Elementa on floor 3 zooms out to the scale of planets and atoms, a real 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite, an interactive globe, and a “Protect Earth” game where kids work together to deflect incoming space threats. It plays well for slightly older kids who’ve already got a bit of a grip on space and can follow the bigger concepts.
Humania, the top floor, is different from the rest and worth knowing about before you go up. It’s recommended for ages 12 and up, and it deals with identity, the body, relationships, and mortality in an open, unfiltered way, including a section on death. It’s thoughtful and well done, but it’s not somewhere to bring a six-year-old expecting more bubble machines. If your kids are younger, this is an easy floor to skip.
The roof: free even without a ticket
The Rooftop Square is the part of NEMO that surprises people. It’s open daily, and access is free, you don’t need a museum ticket at all to go up, just take the stairs on the east side or the lift from the foyer if you’ve already paid to get in. Up top there’s a proper city-square feel with wooden benches, a small water feature and planting for kids to poke around, plus a café at the bottom of the terrace and a restaurant and bar right at the top for something more substantial. The view over Amsterdam’s rooftops and the harbour is one of the better free viewpoints in the city, and in summer the square stays open later on Thursdays for evening visits.
Getting there and the practical bits
NEMO sits at Oosterdok 2, right on the water behind Centraal Station. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the station if you exit through the main entrance and head left, though building works around the harbour can add a few minutes, so it’s worth checking a live route planner rather than trusting an old map. If little legs are tired, bus 42 towards Cruquius Island drops you at Kadijksplein, about five minutes’ walk from the entrance.
There’s no parking at NEMO itself. The closest option is the Oosterdok car park about 400 metres away, with Markenhoven and Q-Park Waterlooplein a short walk further out if that one’s full. Inside, there are lockers near the entrance that take a 50-cent coin (or a card-loaded chip if you don’t have change), and an unsupervised area to park buggies. Most of the museum is stroller and wheelchair accessible, though the rooftop’s Energetica displays are the one exception worth knowing about in advance.
Tickets and when to go
NEMO tickets have a set entry time, which spreads visitors out through the day rather than everyone piling in at opening, so it’s worth booking ahead online rather than turning up and hoping. Prices and exact age brackets change often enough that we’d rather send you to check them on NEMO’s own site before you book than quote you a number that’s out of date by the time you read this. If you’re a Museumkaart holder, entry is included, an adult Museumkaart runs €75 and one for under-18s is €39, both with a small registration fee added. The I amsterdam City Card also covers entry and is worth a look if you’re planning to hit several museums in one trip.
Tuesday to Sunday is the standard week, but NEMO also opens on selected Mondays through the school summer holidays, including right through August 2026, so a Monday visit isn’t automatically off the table the way it is at some other Amsterdam museums. Weekday afternoons after 14:00 tend to be quieter than mornings or weekends if you can swing the timing.
NEMO is one of the better rainy-day saves in the city, up there with our rainy day guide for when the weather turns on you. If you’re building out a wider museum day, it sits comfortably alongside the venues in our guide to Amsterdam’s best kid-friendly museums, and it’s often worth checking our deals page before booking, since NEMO tickets show up there from time to time. For more ideas beyond the museum itself, browse our directory of places around the city.
FAQ
Is NEMO good for toddlers?
It’s better for kids from around age four upward. Toddlers can enjoy the bubbles and simple hands-on stations on Fenomena, but a lot of the museum is built for kids who can read instructions and follow a bit of logic, so a two- or three-year-old will get through it faster than you’d expect.
How long should we plan for a visit?
Most families spend two to three hours inside, longer if you add the rooftop and a stop at the café. If you’re combining it with another activity that day, NEMO works well as a morning visit since it tends to be quieter early and after 14:00 on weekdays.
Can we visit the roof without paying for the museum?
Yes. The Rooftop Square is free and open to everyone daily, no ticket required, you can go straight up the stairs on the east side of the building.
Is Humania suitable for younger kids?
NEMO recommends it for ages 12 and up. It covers identity, relationships and mortality in a frank way, so it’s worth skipping that floor with younger children and sticking to Fenomena, Technium and Elementa instead.
