Affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, this museum offers a glimpse into the life and culture of the ancient world. From the Egyptian to the Roman period, and including the Greeks and the Etruscans, the institution puts forth exhibits featuring mummies, textiles, pottery, sculpture, domestic goods, and decorative objects. The influence of particular cultures on successive generations is addressed, and the models and artifacts representing various time periods prove enlightening. Traveling exhibits can also be viewed.

Via a host of artifacts and interactive exhibits, this terrific museum documents Amsterdam's growth and development from the medieval era to the present. Within the walls of the city's former orphanage, the museum delivers artwork, archaeology, porcelain, silver, and illustrative models. Although the content may seem a bit staid at first glance, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how engaging this journey through the centuries can be. The lovely courtyard makes a wonderful place to catch your breath.

Seeking to expand the biblical knowledge of visitors and to illustrate the influence of the age-old text on the people of the Netherlands, this informative museum is a must for religious scholars and those who delight in their faith and in history. Set in two remarkable, 17th century buildings, the museum helps flesh out the world of the Bible and of the Levant and boasts period artifacts, temple models, significant printings of the Bible, and the artistic works of Dutch believers. Built from the collection of Leendert Schouten, the museum also offers lovely ceiling paintings and a private garden complete with plants known to the ancients.

AMSTELVEEN. Housed in a contemporary, geometric structure, this recent addition to the cultural landscape elucidates the creative movement of a mid-century coterie of artists, who derived their collective name (CoBrA) from the cities where they practiced (Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam). The colorful, expressive art strikes a particular chord with modernist aficionados, who find delight in works by such figures as Jorn, Appel, Corneille, Constant, Alechinsky, and Dotremont.

RED LIGHT DISTRICT. Exploring various aspects of human sexuality, this museum is a curious amalgam of dioramas, exhibits, and art from our era and from ages past. Strewn across five floors are displays that articulate different fetishes (including bondage scenarios), that play pornographic animation, and that illustrate how sexuality and erotica are communicated through drawings, postcards, photographs, and the like.