Founded in 1838, the Artis Royal Zoo is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and home to roughly 700 species of fauna and 200 species of flora. The sprawling park not only offers a huge collection of exotic animals from near and far, but also an impressive aquarium as well as a zoology museum. Many of the strange beasts that inhabit the zoo live outdoors so you can see camels lounging in the sand or Japanese macaques jumping about. Walk past lions, elephants, buffalo and giraffes in their enclosures or head over to the top-notch reptile house to see pythons, giant tortoises and crocodiles or all manner of creepy-crawlies in the Insect House. You can also view nocturnal creatures in the Jungle by Night exhibit, chimpanzees in the monkey house and strange forms of life from the planet’s oceans in the aquarium. Two cafés and a large children’s playground are also available.