Just north of Nes village, this centre features an excellent seaquarium in which a number of North Sea species swim around, including manta rays, barracuda and eels. Get shore-to-shore views from the adjacent observation tower and take a 2.2km nature loop walk to Nesserbos forest. The centre offers tours, including wadlopen (mudflat walking), beach walks and net-fishing excursions.
Shutterstock / Natalia Macheda
Natuurcentrum Ameland
Frisian Islands
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Keramiek Museum Princessehof
17.08 MILES
Pottery lovers will adore the Netherlands ceramics museum. Here you'll find the largest collection of tiles on the planet, an unparalleled selection of…
Fries Museum
17.32 MILES
The provincial museum occupies an imposing glass-fronted building sporting a striking wood-and-steel roof that projects out over Wilhelminaplein. The…
Lighthouse
6.16 MILES
Ameland's iconic red-and-white banded lighthouse stands 55m tall on the island's west end. The only lighthouse in the island chain that is open to the…
Eise Eisinga Planetarium
20.52 MILES
The Eise Eisinga Planetarium is named after its builder, an 18th-century wool comber with a serious sideline in cosmic mathematics and astrology. Between…
Oldehove
17.08 MILES
At the northwest corner of the historic core stands the notoriously off-kilter Oldehove – Friesland's rival to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Things went…
Museum Hannemahuis Harlingen
24.07 MILES
Housed in the 18th-century mansion of a prominent Harlingen family, this museum deals primarily with the town's maritime heritage, in particular its role…
Nearby Frisian Islands attractions
1. Lighthouse
6.16 MILES
Ameland's iconic red-and-white banded lighthouse stands 55m tall on the island's west end. The only lighthouse in the island chain that is open to the…
2. De Boschplaat
13.43 MILES
An extensive natural reserve at the eastern end of the island, De Boschplaat was a separate island until 1880, when the channel between the two silted up…
3. Schiermonnikoog National Park
16 MILES
The entire island, except for its single town and surrounding polder, was designated the Netherlands' first national park in 1989. It's easy to lose…
4. Natuurmuseum Fryslân
17 MILES
Let your angels run rampant in this natural history museum, covering Friesland's flora and fauna. Highlights include a virtual bird-flight simulation …
5. Historisch Centrum
17.04 MILES
Read up on the town's history at the city archives, home to a permanent exhibition on the history of Leeuwarden. It also organises guided tours led by…
6. Obe Paviljoen
17.07 MILES
Named after the local Frisian poet Obe Postma (1868–1963), this contemporary wood-and-glass pavilion is razor-sharp in both architectural design and the…
7. Oldehove
17.08 MILES
At the northwest corner of the historic core stands the notoriously off-kilter Oldehove – Friesland's rival to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Things went…
8. Keramiek Museum Princessehof
17.08 MILES
Pottery lovers will adore the Netherlands ceramics museum. Here you'll find the largest collection of tiles on the planet, an unparalleled selection of…