ARTIS Royal Zoo: Skip The Line

More than 700 different species of animals call the ARTIS Zoo home. Well, none of them can actually talk, but they live here. And on your visit you'll get the chance to visit the penguins, wolves, giraffes and more. There's also an impressive art collection, a zoological library, a planetarium and 26 more historical buildings. It's a history-filled menagerie, in a quiet and quaint canal district - there's a little something for everyone at ARTIS.Elephants, penguins, giraffes, alligators and more are onsite here at Europe's oldest zoo. Walk through the leafy environment, among the beautiful buildings and soak up the atmosphere and animal sightings. Built in 1838, ARTIS has 27 monumental, historic buildings as part of its campus. (This historic significance is sadly lost on most of the residents).The whole experience is wonderfully wild, yet refined. There's art in its aquarium (alongside the sea creatures), an old-timey zoological library just behind the anteaters, and an excellent restaurant with a terrace overlooking the aviary. Yet another crowd pleaser is the Butterfly Garden – the only place you're likely to find a real life fluttering hairpiece, if one of the hundreds of butterflies lands on your head.