Tropenmuseum

Lonely Planet review

Completed in 1926 to house the Royal Institute of the Tropics, and still a leading research institute, this fascinating museum houses a large collection of colonial artefacts, presented with insight, imagination and a fair amount of multimedia.

A huge central hall, with galleries over three floors, seeks to re-create daily life in several tropical countries. You can visit an African market, a Mexican-style cantina and a life-sized yurta (traditional felt hut) and hear push-button recordings of native instruments. An absorbing part of the exhibit is the Cabinet of Curiosities, the fascinating display of exotica (found in every good colonialist's home) containing ritual masks, long dug-out canoes and dead butterflies.

There's a great giftshop, and the pleasant Soeterijn Café and the Ekeko Restaurant (568 86 44) serve food that relates to current exhibits and performances.

The Tropeninstituut Theater (568 82 15, box office noon- 16:00 Mon-Sat) has a separate entrance and screens films as well as hosting music, dance, plays and other performances by visiting artists.