NEMO Science Museum

The NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam sits near Central Station and was built in 1997 by Renzo Piano on top of the foundations of the IJ Tunnel. The building, whose architecture recalls the hull of a ship, serves as the tunnel entrance and has a popular viewing platform on its roof, where picnicking is expressly welcome. Originally opened as "New Metropolis" and later renamed, the museum houses a wide-ranging collection spanning all fields of science across four levels. The focus is on hands-on interactive experiments as well as technical and biological education, which is especially appealing to children. With around 300,000 visitors a year, it is a major draw for families and science enthusiasts in the Dutch capital.