If you have already done the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, the part of Amsterdam you have probably not seen is Noord, across the IJ, and the cluster of indoor experiences at Meeuwenlaan 88: WONDR Experience, Barbie: The Dream Experience and Pink Beach. One metro stop from Central Station, and nothing like the first trip.
The first visit to Amsterdam is about looking. The second one can be about doing. That is the difference this page is about.
What is different about Amsterdam Noord?
It is the side of the city most first-time visitors never cross to. Former shipyards, the ferry from Central Station, the walk along the IJ, and at Noorderpark metro a site most first trips miss: WONDR Experience, 1,500 m² of fourteen interactive rooms designed by local artists.
What do you do at WONDR that you cannot do in a museum?
Touch everything. Sink into a ball pit the venue describes as the largest in Europe. Stand under a confetti shower. Sing in a glitter karaoke booth. Get lost in a kaleidoscope. There is nothing to read and no audio guide. A visit takes about 90 minutes and the route is self-guided. The SpongeBob Special is included with every regular ticket.
Is it for adults?
It was built for adults of all ages. Children are welcome accompanied by an adult, but the rooms were not designed down to them. Adults on a city break are among the most common visitors according to the reviews on the venue’s own pages.
What else is on the same site?
Barbie: The Dream Experience, twelve interactive zones across more than 2,000 m² in the same building, with adults-only sessions on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 17:00 with a welcome drink. And Pink Beach, a pink indoor beach bar and brunch spot that you can book without visiting WONDR.
How do I fit it into a second trip?
Give Noord an afternoon. Ferry or metro across, the walk along the water if the weather allows, then Meeuwenlaan 88 for the indoor part. It is the afternoon that will not look like anything from the first trip.
Practical details
Metro from Central Station one stop to Noorderpark, then five minutes on foot. Card payment only. Online tickets are €2 cheaper than at the door. The Museumkaart is not accepted, because none of this is a museum.