NEMO Science Museum Amsterdam Tickets 2026: €21.50, Free Rooftop & Is It Worth It Without Kids?
€21.50 for everyone over 3, a rooftop you can climb for free, and four floors built for children. Which floor adults should go to, when it gets loud, and which ticket to buy. Verified September 2026.
Renzo Piano's green copper hull rises out of the Oosterdok ten minutes from Centraal, and you can walk up its sloping roof without paying a cent. The question is whether the four floors underneath are worth €21.50 to you. With a seven-year-old, yes. Without one, read on before you book.
In 3 minutes
- €21.50 for everyone from age 4, official site. Under 4 free. Museumkaart free. GetYourGuide €22 with a fast-track lane, non-refundable either way.
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:30. Mondays only in school holidays, on public holidays and from April to September.
- The roof is free, no ticket. Floors 1 to 3 are for children; Floor 4 is the one for adults.
How much do NEMO tickets cost?
One price for nearly everyone, which is unusual in Amsterdam:
- Ages 4 and over: €21.50
- Ages 0 to 3: free
- Students (CJP, student card, European Youth Card): €14
- Museumkaart, I amsterdam City Card, ICOM: free
The flat rate is why a family of four pays €86, the price complaint that comes up most in reviews. Tickets carry a start time and the ticket office only sells what is left, so on a rainy Saturday you book ahead or you don't go in.
GetYourGuide sells the same entry for €22 with a fast-track lane. Non-refundable, like the official ticket, so the 50 cents buys the lane and nothing else.
Where to book
Our take: Book the official site if you want to pick your start time and save 50 cents; book GetYourGuide if you already use the app and want the fast-track lane on a busy day. Neither refunds you, so pick a date you will keep.
What is on each floor?
Five levels, and the age of the audience goes up as you climb.
- Floor 1, Fenomena. Physics you can touch: giant soap bubbles, a lightning globe, a gyroscope chair. The daily chain reaction runs here, and it is the exhibit reviewers name most.
- Floor 2, Technium. The Factory, an eight-metre machine that moves tennis balls through gears and screws, and the Maker Space.
- Floor 3, Elementa. The Laboratory: coat, goggles, real experiments at a bench. Families rate this floor highest; one September reviewer's seven-year-old built a mini rocket and refused to leave.
- Floor 4, Humania. Ages 12 and up. An 8.5-metre inverted figure by Florentijn Hofman, a rod you hold as long as you can bear the cold, a dark tunnel about death. This is the floor for adults.
- Floor 5. Restaurant and the door to the roof.
Is NEMO worth it for adults without kids?
On TripAdvisor's Amsterdam forum the local verdict is blunt: "a hands-on science museum for kids like there are many others in the world." A couple who went anyway found what they liked on Humania: the psychology tests, the illusions, the quizzes. About an hour of content.
So: if Humania and the view are what you want, take the roof for free and put the €21.50 towards the Rijksmuseum. With anyone under 13, NEMO is the best rainy-day ticket in the city, and reviews with children aged 6 to 12 report three to four hours inside.
What do most visitors wish they knew before going?
Crowds are the complaint, not the content. NEMO holds a 4.2 across 4,606 TripAdvisor reviews, and the low scores say one thing: too loud, too full, stations occupied or out of order. The museum says it is quieter on weekdays after 14:00. Reviewers agree, and add: never a rainy weekend, never the last week of December.
Bring a 50-cent coin. The lockers take a coin or a NEMO token. Coat racks on every floor are the better option if you will go up to the roof and back: it is windy up there and the lockers are far from the stairs.
The roof works without the museum. On the Amsterdam one-day itinerary with 20 minutes near Centraal, climb the east stairs, look, leave. Nobody checks a ticket.
- Address
- Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX Amsterdam · 10-minute walk from Centraal Station
- Hours
- Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30 · Mondays in school holidays, public holidays and April–September
- Tickets
- €21.50 (4+) · €14 students · Under 4 free · Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card free
- Rooftop
- Free, no ticket · Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30 · Stairs on the east side
- Book at
- GetYourGuide (€22) · official site
- Best time
- Weekdays after 14:00 · Avoid rainy weekends and school holidays
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours with children · 1 hour for adults (Floor 4 + roof)
- Lockers
- 50-cent coin or NEMO token · Coat racks on every floor
Prices and hours from nemosciencemuseum.nl and its ticket shop. They change; check the official calendar before you go, especially for Monday openings.
Last verified: September 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much are NEMO Science Museum tickets in 2026?
€21.50 for everyone aged 4 and over, on the official site. Children 0 to 3 go free. Students with a CJP, student or European Youth Card pay €14. Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card holders enter free. GetYourGuide sells the same entry for €22 with a fast-track lane. Both channels are non-refundable.
Is NEMO worth it for adults without kids?
Not at €21.50 for the whole building. Floors 1 to 3 are built for children aged 4 to 12, and on a weekend they are loud. Floor 4, Humania, is aimed at ages 12 and up and holds an adult's attention for about an hour. If that is all you want, the free rooftop gives you the view and the building for nothing.
Is the NEMO rooftop free?
Yes. The roof is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:30, with no ticket. Take the stairs on the east side of the building. It is the highest city square in the Netherlands and the best free view over the Oosterdok.
How long do you need at NEMO?
Two to three hours for a family, and reviews with children aged 6 to 12 often report three to four. Adults with teenagers spend about two hours. Adults alone can cover Humania and the roof in one.
When is NEMO open on Mondays?
NEMO opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:30, and is closed most Mondays. It opens on Mondays during Dutch school holidays, on public holidays, and every Monday from April to September. Check the official calendar for the exact dates before you go.
If you are planning more than one museum, the Museumkaart covers NEMO, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh, and pays for itself on the third visit.