The ship building
Renzo Piano's green design rising from the water.
Elekes Andor — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gamekeeper at Dutch Wikipedia — Public domain · Txllxt TxllxT — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Elekes Andor — CC BY-SA 4.0
NEMO is the Netherlands' largest science museum and its families' most famous landmark: a huge green ship-shaped building rising from the water, designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano (1997) atop the harbour road tunnel — so the building itself is a toy, its sloping roof Amsterdam's largest public square with a free panoramic view of the old city. Inside are five floors of entirely hands-on science: chemistry and physics experiments done by children's own hands, giant bubbles, chain reactions and real labs — everything touched and tried, not just read. Designed for curiosity from age six to teens, and easily consuming a full half day. It is Amsterdam's answer when art museums have saturated the young — and climbing its free roof for sunset is a pleasure in itself, even without entering.
Renzo Piano's green design rising from the water.
Amsterdam's largest square with a view over the old city.
Five floors of experiments in children's own hands.
Oosterdok 2, 1011 Amsterdam
National Maritime MuseumThe National Maritime Museum tells the story of the Netherlands, which is the st4 minutes walk4.6
Dutch Resistance MuseumA museum about how the Dutch lived through the German occupation between 1940 an9 minutes walk4.5
The Auschwitz Monument, WertheimparkA memorial to the victims of Auschwitz in Wertheimpark, designed by the writer a9 minutes walk4.3
The SchreierstorenThe Schreierstoren is a stone tower of 1487, among the last surviving pieces of 9 minutes walk4.4
MicropiaMicropia is the only museum in the world devoted to microorganisms: bacteria, fu10 minutes walk4.6From six it's golden, peaking 8–14. Younger children enjoy the bubbles and water but many experiments are above them. Teenagers find the physics and brain floors at their level. Adults without children: the free roof usually suffices.
Absolutely — the roof is a free public square with cafés, terraces and summer water fountains, its view over old Amsterdam's harbour and towers among the loveliest, especially at sunset. Even non-museum-goers climb it, and it is steps from Central Station.