Wereldmuseum Leiden
Wereldmuseum Leiden
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Wereldmuseum Leiden is een museum over mensen. Gevestigd in een monumentaal pand, aan de Singel te Leiden, presenteert het museum regelmatig wisselende exposities en toont in de vaste tentoonstelling objecten uit acht cultuurgebieden. Voorwerpen die stuk voor stuk een menselijk verhaal vertellen. Van Oceanië tot de Noordpoolgebieden, van Geisha tot de Boeddha en van Mekka tot Leiden. In het WereldLAB, de speciaal ingerichte kinderruimte van het museum, kunnen kinderen met een interactief spel hun eigen ideale wereld vormgeven. In Wereldmuseum Leiden ontdek je dat we ondanks de verschillen, allemaal hetzelfde zijn.
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4.5
577 reviews
Excellent
283
Very good
252
Average
35
Poor
7
Terrible
0
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N M
32 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
It was difficult to find at first because you have to walk around. The temporary exhibition was not for me. I thought the permanent one was very nice with different areas. I'm into artifacts and there were some very nice ones. Australian Aboriginal art is always beautiful. After an hour and a half I had seen everything.
Written 5 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marianne C
Utrecht Province, The Netherlands98 contributions
Jan 2020
A good collection from all over the world, well organised and displayed, showing how different people live along the globe. Fun for a 5 year old, an anthropologist and a travel-enthousiast. Friendly staff and several fun ways for children of various ages to explore the museum. We were here on a saturday afternoon, and it was not crowded, and not too quiet.
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IngetH
The Hague, The Netherlands67 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
It's great with earplugs or loud music in earphones. What a beautiful exhibition and good explanation of the pieces.
Also a lot of video and that was also the problem for me. That sound was so loud that it made it difficult to read other things. Through the rooms with video with rock music loud and enjoyed the few rooms without video.
Also a lot of video and that was also the problem for me. That sound was so loud that it made it difficult to read other things. Through the rooms with video with rock music loud and enjoyed the few rooms without video.
Written 7 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prepcook
Fussa, Japan309 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
This is one of the best museum experiences in Europe and highly undervalued. It is easy to spend six hours going through every part of the permanent collection and whatever temporary exhibit is on offer. The collection is a fascinating mix of ancient and marginalized cultures that are either vanished or being pushed out by "progress".
There are many interactive features that will please and engage the young which should be part of the draw and seem to be overlooked. The price of admission for a family of four may be steep but it is well worth it.
Almost everything has a written explanation in both Dutch and English but none of the videos are in English which was a little frustrating. Definitely plan to spend time in The Buddha Room, especially if there are not many visitors.
The café has a very nice, very well priced lunch menu and provides a pleasant atmosphere in which to take a break and relax.
There are many interactive features that will please and engage the young which should be part of the draw and seem to be overlooked. The price of admission for a family of four may be steep but it is well worth it.
Almost everything has a written explanation in both Dutch and English but none of the videos are in English which was a little frustrating. Definitely plan to spend time in The Buddha Room, especially if there are not many visitors.
The café has a very nice, very well priced lunch menu and provides a pleasant atmosphere in which to take a break and relax.
Written 26 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FionaL_11
Amsterdam, The Netherlands803 contributions
May 2015 • Family
Visited the Ethnology Museum for the first time today to see the Geisha exhibition. I was very impressed by this museum - the crisp modern interiors, subtle lighting and innovative display of exhibits (display cases lighting up as you walk towards them).
The Geisha exhibition was very good - lots of beautiful kimonos and interesting film clips. The connecting corridor decked with cherry blossom was delightful. I liked the interactive screens - a series of 10 multiple choice questions on different aspects of Geisha history (this was very engaging - I'm sure I will remember far more Geisha facts thanks to this quiz).
The museum has a bright airy cafe and a gift shop full of desirable things.
The museum is walking distance from Leiden Central Station and there is a parking garage (Morssport) close by.
The Geisha exhibition was very good - lots of beautiful kimonos and interesting film clips. The connecting corridor decked with cherry blossom was delightful. I liked the interactive screens - a series of 10 multiple choice questions on different aspects of Geisha history (this was very engaging - I'm sure I will remember far more Geisha facts thanks to this quiz).
The museum has a bright airy cafe and a gift shop full of desirable things.
The museum is walking distance from Leiden Central Station and there is a parking garage (Morssport) close by.
Written 10 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cowfart
Singapore, Singapore283 contributions
Feb 2013 • Family
This Ethnology museum is really top-notch and absolutely deserving of its place in the university City of Leiden - I'll break this review down into a few evaluating points
LAYOUT: Lifts are available for the mobility impaired. The layout of the museum is slightly confusing, and no paper maps are provided, unfortunately - cloakrooms, and toilets are in the basement - this wasn't clear to me at the start.
EXHIBITS: Very comprehensive, with a large section on Africa, Ameria, and Asia each.
Exhibit descriptions on touchscreen machines (there are quite a few around) are in two languages, English and Dutch.
Many of these descriptions consciously try to avoid being partisan.
For an example, the description of a few Indonesian relics made no bones about how they were illegally seized by the governing Dutch authorities from Indonesia during the colonial era - what a contrast from certain British museums which hide the fact that many of their prized exhibits were not legally theirs to begin with!
I really appreciate the frankness about how their ownership is under dispute - and this museum deserves repect for this alone!
In addition, there is currently a temporary exhibit on the Terracotta warriors uncovered in Xi'an - 3 actual figures of the Terracotta Army uncovered in Xi'an, China, are now in the museum!
LOCATION: Extremely convenient to get there by foot if you came to Leiden by train - walkable in 2-3 minutes from Leiden Centraal Station, and difficult not to see the building "Museum Volkenkunde" from there.
PRICE: €11 for adults on regular ticket, but I used my Museumkaart to get free entry - very pleased!
NOTE THAT Free year-long unlimited access to this museum (in fact, any of the 400+ museums) is possible with the Museumkaart - if you're into museums throughout the Netherlands (especially in Amsterdam), the purchase of a Museumkaart is definitely worth consideration.
LAYOUT: Lifts are available for the mobility impaired. The layout of the museum is slightly confusing, and no paper maps are provided, unfortunately - cloakrooms, and toilets are in the basement - this wasn't clear to me at the start.
EXHIBITS: Very comprehensive, with a large section on Africa, Ameria, and Asia each.
Exhibit descriptions on touchscreen machines (there are quite a few around) are in two languages, English and Dutch.
Many of these descriptions consciously try to avoid being partisan.
For an example, the description of a few Indonesian relics made no bones about how they were illegally seized by the governing Dutch authorities from Indonesia during the colonial era - what a contrast from certain British museums which hide the fact that many of their prized exhibits were not legally theirs to begin with!
I really appreciate the frankness about how their ownership is under dispute - and this museum deserves repect for this alone!
In addition, there is currently a temporary exhibit on the Terracotta warriors uncovered in Xi'an - 3 actual figures of the Terracotta Army uncovered in Xi'an, China, are now in the museum!
LOCATION: Extremely convenient to get there by foot if you came to Leiden by train - walkable in 2-3 minutes from Leiden Centraal Station, and difficult not to see the building "Museum Volkenkunde" from there.
PRICE: €11 for adults on regular ticket, but I used my Museumkaart to get free entry - very pleased!
NOTE THAT Free year-long unlimited access to this museum (in fact, any of the 400+ museums) is possible with the Museumkaart - if you're into museums throughout the Netherlands (especially in Amsterdam), the purchase of a Museumkaart is definitely worth consideration.
Written 14 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Plugster78
11 contributions
Really like this museum: always interesting, special exhibits on, and the general exhibits are always worth a visit. Great interactive activities. Highly recommended!
Written 4 January 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LilRedFrog
Bunschoten, The Netherlands50 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
We went especially for the temporary exhibition about geishas. The funnest part was the terminals where you could answer questions and test your knowledge of the geisha world. The whole exhibition was a little inconsistent as some items were explained in Dutch and English and some others only in Dutch. The terminals were also only in Dutch.
The screens with videos all had headphones and 2 buttons to switch to English or Dutch. They were misleading as you could have thought that they changed the language of the audio in the headphones while they actually changed the language of the subtitles on the video. This made for awkward moments when you picked up headphones and pressed a button that changed the language for everyone else around also watching it...
There was also no clear route or direction to follow. Once in the last room you had to trace back your steps through the whole exhibition in order to get out. Not very practical.
We then proceeded to visiting the rest of the museum which reflected the same kind of first impression given by the temporary exhibition.
There is no clear route to follow and you will often have to go back a few rooms in order to get to the next section.
I was also a little confused by the clear distinction they made for continents such as Africa, Oceania, Asia, America and Japan/Korea/China. It seems Japan, Korea and China are not part of Asia anymore which was news to me...
I wish they would also better advertise the free entrance when parking at Haagweg Leiden car parking/transferium. We didn't know this and weren't asked at the museum either while I believe it should then be standard.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure I would recommend the museum to family or friends.
The screens with videos all had headphones and 2 buttons to switch to English or Dutch. They were misleading as you could have thought that they changed the language of the audio in the headphones while they actually changed the language of the subtitles on the video. This made for awkward moments when you picked up headphones and pressed a button that changed the language for everyone else around also watching it...
There was also no clear route or direction to follow. Once in the last room you had to trace back your steps through the whole exhibition in order to get out. Not very practical.
We then proceeded to visiting the rest of the museum which reflected the same kind of first impression given by the temporary exhibition.
There is no clear route to follow and you will often have to go back a few rooms in order to get to the next section.
I was also a little confused by the clear distinction they made for continents such as Africa, Oceania, Asia, America and Japan/Korea/China. It seems Japan, Korea and China are not part of Asia anymore which was news to me...
I wish they would also better advertise the free entrance when parking at Haagweg Leiden car parking/transferium. We didn't know this and weren't asked at the museum either while I believe it should then be standard.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure I would recommend the museum to family or friends.
Written 18 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gert v
Rotterdam, The Netherlands4 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
The permanent exhibition is very interestin. The special exhibitions was about the Geisha's in Japan, it runs till May I think.
Written 5 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Weak Knee Traveler
Singapore, Singapore12,826 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
Visited this museum which has pretty close to the train station and by the canal and has interesting exhibits. Worth a visit.
Written 8 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wat zijn de toegangsprijzen
Written 17 January 2017
MuseaOverMensen
Haarlem, The Netherlands
Beste Henk en Lies,
De toegangsprijzen voor Museum Volkenkunde zijn:
Volwassenen (vanaf 19) 14 euro
Jeugd (4t/m 18) 6 euro
Kind (onder 4) gratis
CJP 1 euro korting
Groepstarief (>10 pers.) 10% korting
Studenten 6 euro
Museumkaart, BankGiro Loterij VIP-KAART, ICOM, Rembrandtkaart of Vriendenpas is tevens gratis entree.
Ik hoop u zo voldoende te hebben geïnformeerd! Fijne dag!
Written 30 January 2017
Does anyone know if/when the museum closes for a refurb this year?
Written 26 March 2015
I have checked their website numerous times, but nothing is advised on closing or refurbishment/works. You may need to get in touch with them directly.
Written 15 August 2015
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