Booking choice: The Atomium ticket, from $19 per person. Check dates Tour details
The Atomium was built for Expo 58 and reopened after a full renovation on 18 February 2006. For the 20th anniversary of that reopening, it commissioned three new digital art works and built the year around them, as the 2026 programme page explains. Anyone born on 18 February 2006 gets in free all year.
The structure is 150 metres from Mini-Europe's entrance. Most visitors pair the two, and the official combo ticket makes that cheaper.
The quick answer
An adult Atomium ticket costs EUR 17 in 2026 and includes the Design Museum Brussels; the Atomium and Mini-Europe combo costs EUR 35. The Atomium opens daily 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) and closes for maintenance from 18 January to 5 February 2027. The NIMBUS and SUPPLY CHAIN light shows run to early 2027.
What exhibitions are on at the Atomium in 2026-27?
Two temporary light and sound installations, NIMBUS and SUPPLY CHAIN, plus the permanent Expo 58 story, LOOK UP in the lift and the new ROTONDE.
NIMBUS, by the collective Visual System with music by Thomas Vaquié, fills one sphere with light and sound that turns the tubes into giant columns and multiplies the spheres across the walls. It runs from 14 February 2026 to 7 March 2027. SUPPLY CHAIN, by Romain Tardy with music by Le Motel, uses mirrors, moving LED screens and beams to point at the industrial systems behind everyday tech; it closes on 3 February 2027.
Two pieces are permanent. LOOK UP, also by Visual System, turns the 100-metre lift shaft into a light work. ROTONDE, by the Belgian studio Dirty Monitor, rings the lower dome with LED lines on a twenty-minute cycle, visible from outside after dark for free. The Atomium warns that NIMBUS and LOOK UP can disorient people prone to vertigo or epilepsy.
One catch: the Atomium closes from 18 January to 5 February 2027, so SUPPLY CHAIN's real last day is 17 January.
| Installation | By | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| NIMBUS | Visual System | 14 Feb 2026 to 7 Mar 2027 |
| SUPPLY CHAIN | Romain Tardy | 14 Feb 2026 to 3 Feb 2027 (last open day 17 Jan) |
| ROTONDE (outside, at night) | Dirty Monitor | Permanent, from 14 Feb 2026 |
| LOOK UP (in the lift) | Visual System | Permanent, since June 2024 |
| Expo 58 permanent exhibition | Atomium | Permanent |
How much is the Atomium in 2026?
EUR 17 for adults, EUR 15 for over-65s, EUR 9 for students and children over 115 cm; children 115 cm and under go free.
Those are the individual rates on the official price page, and every ticket includes the Design Museum Brussels. Tickets are dated and valid from 10:00 to 17:30 on the chosen day. Wheelchair users and people on crutches go in free.
The official ticket resold on GetYourGuide starts at about $19 and cancels free 24 hours ahead. The Atomium ticket with audio tour adds an app commentary and a city walk for about $33; it is new, with no reviews yet, and the official ticket is enough for most visitors. Expect a queue for the lift: guests report waits of several minutes in summer.
| Atomium ticket (2026) | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, 18 to 64 | EUR 17 |
| Senior, 65+ | EUR 15 |
| Student; child over 115 cm to 17 | EUR 9 |
| Child 115 cm and under | Free |
| Atomium + Mini-Europe, adult | EUR 35 |
| Atomium + Mini-Europe, child over 115 cm to 11 | EUR 21.80 |
| Official ticket on GetYourGuide | From about $19 |
Is the Atomium and Mini-Europe combo worth it?
Yes, if you do both on the same day before 4 January 2027: EUR 35 against EUR 42 at the two gates.
The combo on atomium.be includes the Atomium, the Design Museum and all of Mini-Europe. For an adult that is EUR 7 less than two gate tickets, and EUR 3.70 less than buying Mini-Europe online ahead (EUR 21.70) plus the Atomium (EUR 17). Seniors pay EUR 33.20, teenagers and students EUR 27.30, children over 115 cm up to 11 years EUR 21.80.
The trade-off is flexibility. The combo is a dated ticket bought direct, without the free cancellation of the GetYourGuide versions, and Mini-Europe shuts from 4 January to 12 March 2027, so the combo is useless in that window. If the weather is uncertain, two GetYourGuide tickets with free cancellation cost a few dollars more and let you drop the outdoor half. Our combo guide runs the numbers for families.
| Adult, one day | Total | Free cancellation? |
|---|---|---|
| Official combo (atomium.be) | EUR 35.00 | Not offered |
| Mini-Europe online + Atomium | EUR 38.70 | No, Mini-Europe is non-refundable |
| Both at the gate | EUR 42.00 | Pay on the day |
| Both on GetYourGuide | About $43 | Free cancellation to 24 h |
What is on at the Design Museum Brussels?
A Czech graphic design show from 16 October 2026 and a Pierre Lallemand retrospective from 20 November, both to 7 March 2027.
The museum is at Place de Belgique 20, a few minutes' walk from the Atomium, and your Atomium ticket gets you in. Its programme for the season: Val Saint-Lambert & Design, 1958-2000, on Belgian glass, until 25 October 2026; IDENTITA: The Story of Czech Graphic Design from 16 October 2026 to 7 March 2027; and Shaping the Possible: Pierre Lallemand, Designer from 20 November 2026 to 7 March 2027. The permanent Plastic Design Collection is the reason to go back.
Opening hours are 11:00 to 19:00, later than the Atomium, which makes it the natural last stop of a Heysel day. Guests split on it: some find it small, others call it the highlight. It costs nothing extra, and it is open while Mini-Europe is closed.
When is the Atomium open over winter?
Daily 10:00 to 18:00, with short hours on 24 and 31 December and a closure from 18 January to 5 February 2027.
The hours page gives 10:00 to 18:00 every day, with the ticket office and last entry at 17:30. On 24 and 31 December it opens 10:00 to 16:00, and on 25 December and 1 January from noon to 18:00. The annual maintenance closure runs from 18 January to 5 February 2027.
Put that next to Mini-Europe's calendar and there are three winter windows: both open to 3 January, only the Atomium from 4 to 17 January and 6 February to 12 March, and neither from 18 January to 5 February. The Mini-Europe winter closure post has the park's side of the calendar.
| Winter 2026-27 | Atomium | Mini-Europe |
|---|---|---|
| To 3 January 2027 | Open | Open |
| 4 to 17 January | Open | Closed |
| 18 January to 5 February | Closed | Closed |
| 6 February to 12 March | Open | Closed |
| From 13 March | Open | Open (2027 season) |
The official Atomium ticket with the Design Museum included, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide.
Check dates Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
How much is the Atomium in 2026?
EUR 17 for an adult, EUR 15 for seniors, EUR 9 for students and children over 115 cm. The Design Museum Brussels is included.
When is the Atomium closed in 2027?
From 18 January to 5 February 2027, for annual maintenance. It also closes early at 16:00 on 24 and 31 December 2026.
How long does NIMBUS run at the Atomium?
From 14 February 2026 to 7 March 2027, in one of the spheres. SUPPLY CHAIN ends on 3 February 2027.
Does the Atomium ticket include Mini-Europe?
No. You need the EUR 35 combo for both, and it only works while Mini-Europe is open, to 3 January 2027 and again from mid-March.
Ready to book
Book your ticket
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Atomium Ticket with Design Museum
- Entry to the Atomium and its exhibitions
- Entry to Design Museum Brussels, 8 minutes' walk away
- Smartphone game for the visit
Mini-Europe Entry Ticket
- Entry to Mini-Europe and the Spirit of Europe exhibition
- Guidebook in several languages
- Children under 115 cm go in free
Atomium Ticket with Audio Tour & City Walk
The Atomium with an app commentary and a city walk
