I Visited 5 Museums In Europe. Here's My Ranking Of Them
- Oct 26, 2025
- 8 min read
One of the most remarkable parts of my trip to Europe, was all the museums I got to visit. I got to visit FIVE museums in total, and in this post, I will share my experience of them, ranking them from my least favorite to my most favorite. I went to the Museum De Waag, De MuseumFabriek, Oyfo Technology Museum, Rock n' Pop Museum & Rijksmuseum Twenthe. Remember that experiences are subjective, and these are my opinions. Enjoy!š
Here's today's verse;
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7
'De Waag' is a Dutch word that translates to 'weigh house'. The Museum De Waag is located in a city known as Deventer, which is located in Overijssel, the eastern part of the Netherlands. I was coming from another city called Enschede, a forty-minute train ride away, so my visit to this museum was one of my solo trips when I was in Europe.
A unique and fascinating feature of this museum is that this building has been standing here since the 17th century! So, I truly appreciated the unique, beautiful, detailed, and elaborate architecture.
The museum is quite small, with a ground floor and two upper floors. The ground floor, 'Heavy Metals', has exhibits of various items used in ancient times, made of different metals such as tin, silver, and bronze.
I only took one picture here of the items made of silver. It reminded me of 'vyombo vya wageni'/ 'visitor's utensils only'.š
The first floor is 'Deventer Topstukken', which translates to Deventer Masterpieces. This floor has elaborate portraits of individuals who played an essential role in the origin of Deventer as a city. This was my favorite floor, especially the painting of the building in 1665. It was surreal to know that the same building that now houses the museum has been standing tall since the 17th century!
The second floor is 'Deventer Geschiedenis', which translates to Deventer History. This floor has historic items from Deventer.
A tradition that I introduced as I galavanted through the museums was to buy at least one souvenir for memories. Most museums have a small souvenir shop where you can buy various items like postcards, fridge magnets, books, and clothing to keep to remind you of your visit.
I bought this fridge magnet with a picture of the Museum De Waag, this one being taken in the 17th century. It has now found its home on our fridge :).
What I liked about Museum De Waag
ā The architecture of the building, and the fact that it's been standing since the 17th century! Amazing!
ā Plus, behind the museum is another one known as the Speelgoedmuseum, which translates to The Toy Museum. I didn't visit this one, but it displays toys, both modern and archaic. I think it would be a great place to visit with kids!
What I didn't like about Museum De Waag
š“My experience here was not as groundbreaking as I thought it would be. There was not much to look at as compared to the other museums, and most of the accompanying descriptions were in Dutch, so I couldn't understand and fully appreciate the artworks and pieces. However, at the entrance, I was given a translating device that translates the accompanying descriptions of the artworks or items into English, but this option was available only to a select few.
More Info about Museum De Waag
āThe entrance fee is 9.50 Euros. If you want to visit the Speelgoedmuseum, you can purchase a combi card for 12.50 Euros. This converts to about Ksh1500 or Ksh1900.
āThe museum is closed on Mondays, but open the rest of the week from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Final Rating: āāā/5
Next on our list is De MuseumFabriek, 'The Museum Factory', which is located in a town called Enschede, Eastern Netherlands. The story behind this museum is rather tragic, yet it also speaks of the town's strength and resilience.
On 13th May 2000, a fire started in the SE Fireworks factory. This small fire unfortunately spread to another warehouse, housing over 100 tons of fireworks, which led to an enormous explosion. Unfortunately, 23 people lost their lives, and almost a thousand got injured. Over 400 homes were destroyed.
Despite the extensive damage, one wide and long warehouse survived, which is now De MuseumFabriek.
This museum is LARGE, and there's plenty to see. So, I will summarize the whole experience, including a gallery of the most interesting things I saw. Keep in mind that it includes fossils of extinct animals, a large wall of portraits, a steam engine that powers the textile machine they used in the 17th & 18th centuries, an example of a house in the 1800s, and more. So.much.more
What I liked about De Museum Fabriek
ā There is a LARGE variety of things to see. You are guaranteed a rich learning experience.
ā The staff are very kind and courteous. There's a lovely lady who found me touring the 1800s house. She gave me a mini tour of it, explaining how the Dutch people lived during that time. There was also a gentleman who gave me a tour of the steam engines that powered the textile machines and a little history of how they used to be operated in the past.
ā At the entrance of the museum, there's a cafĆ© and souvenir shop. I had a cappuccino and a giant chocolate chip cookie, which was SO yummy from the cafĆ©. I got a fridge sticker of a butterfly from the souvenir shop.
What I didn't like about De MuseumFabriek
š“Like I mentioned before, there is A LOT to see, so it can feel quite overwhelming.
š“Most descriptions were in Dutch, and this time I didn't have a translating device. So, for whatever I was interested in learning more about, I took a picture and used ChatGPT to translate and learn more š on my own.
More Info about De MuseumFarbriek
āAn adult ticket is 13.50 euros. However, you can get half off if you buy it via an app called Social Deal.
āThe museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 5 pm.
Final Rating: āāāā/5
#3 Oyfo Technology Museum
As a #womanintech, best believe my mind was exploding as I toured this museum! The Oyfo Technology Museum is located in Hengelo, a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is a short bus ride from Enschede, where I was coming from. So, my visit here was like a mini solo trip.
The Oyfo Technology Museum is simply about you and me, and how technology and its evolution have impacted our lives.
In the museum, you'll get to see the evolution of the Mac computer from the first prototype to now, and robots. There are also plenty of interactive games and activities to do. At the entrance, you'll be given a tag that you can use with a robot machine in the museum, to predict your future. These were my resultsš.
'Jij bent ondernemer. Jij wordt groots, dat is zeker. Jij ziet geen problemen, alleen maar kansen. Bedenkt slimme manieren om geld te verdienen en droomt ervan de wereld te verbazen met een waanzinning product en stinkend rijk te worden.'
In English;
āYou will become great, that is certain. You donāt see problems, only opportunities. You come up with clever ways to make money and dream of amazing the world with an incredible product and becoming filthy rich.ā
Look, fate has spoken and I will not deny it!š
As tradition dictates, I got a souvenir. I chose this small fridge magnet, which is a view of the moon(I think!) from space. Just like the rest, it's found its home on our fridge.
What I liked about Oyfo Technology Museum
ā Plenty of interactive games & activities.
ā The robot that might have predicted my future.
ā The fascinating space/galaxy section.
What I didn't like about Oyfo Technology Museum
š“Gosh, I don't think there's anything I didn't like. I loved everything.
Final Rating: āāāā/5
#2 Rock n' Pop Museum
On my trip, I was fortunate to make it to Germany! Particularly, a small town known as Gronau. While there, I got to visit the Rock n' Pop Museum.
I will start by mentioning that this will go down as one of the coolest places I have ever been to.
From the name 'rock n' pop', you can guess what the museum is about: music. The history of it. Global artists who have made an impact, artists who are topping the charts currently, and more.
When you get to the museum, there is a cafƩ where you can grab a cup of coffee and a bite before or after the museum tour. You'll then be given a control device plus headphones.
Now, here's where it gets cool: as you tour the museum, below every section, there are white dots. When you step onto the dots, the music from that era is played in your headphones. How cool!
Then, every twenty minutes, the lights will dim and you'll get a concert experience. A screen will display an artist performer, and the atmosphere will mimic that of a real concert. So, in my lifetime, I can say that I 'saw' Lady Gaga and the late Freddie Mercury 'live'.
What I liked about Rock n' Pop Museum
ā It's not just an experience of observing like many museums are, but an immersive and interactive.
ā Very well organized. and SO COOL!
What I didn't like about Rock n' Pop Museum
š“There was no souvenir shop. I would have loved to get something for memories.
More info about Rock n' Pop Museum
āAn adult ticket is 12 euros.
āThe museum is open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm every day, except on Mondays.
Final Rating: āāāā/5
#1 Rijksmuseum Twenthe
Finally, the Rijksmuseum Twenthe was my favorite amongst all the museums I got to visit.
There was a large variety of items and artwork, some of which moved me to tears! The building looks small and easy to miss, but the experience inside is incredibly enriching.
There's is a large variety of things to see from artworks, portraits, sculptures and more. Plus, it's so well organized so every section flows from one to the other seamlessly.
As a souvenir, I got these three post cards :).
What I liked about Rijksmuseum Twenthe
ā A large variety of sites to see. An incredibly rich learning experience.
ā Well organized.
ā Clear descriptions in both English and Dutch, plus I was given a translating device.
ā Art that moved me...to tears.
ā CafĆ©, however I didn't get to experience that.
What I didn't like about Rijksmuseum Twenthe
Nothing! Everything was awesome
More info about Rijksmuseum Twenthe
āAn adult ticket goes for 16.50 euros. However, just like Museum DeFabriek, you can get a ticket for half the price via social deal.
āThe museum is open everyday except Mondays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Final Rating āāāāā/5
Finally...
Well, it's official! Visiting museums is officially one of my favorite things to do, and I am very grateful that I got to visit these museums. Learning and appreciating the origin of buildings and fully functioning cities helped me expand my mind beyond what I am used to. At least I get to keep the memories and souvenirs with me!
Till the next post,
Miss Kambe.
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