This scenic museum in Várzea, 11km west of central Recife, contains a huge collection of European and Brazilian art, swords, armor and historical artifacts, all set in fake medieval castles on lovely grounds. While there are some worthwhile pieces here, especially the collection of art from the Dutch occupation of Recife, there's limited written information (audio guides cost an additional R$10) and the best pieces often get lost among the sheer quantity of works covering the walls and corridors.
The replicas of classic sculptures are popular with the selfie brigade but lend the place a bit of a theme park feel while the worthiness of modern assault rifles is debatable.
It's best reached by taxi from Boa Viagem (R$150 to R$200 round-trip with waiting) in combination with a visit to Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand. A one-way taxi from Boa Viagem costs around R$40.
An economic route to the museum is to catch a CDU/Caxangá bus (R$3.20) from Boa Viagem and ask the driver to let you off at the bus stop closest to the institute at the end of its route from where it's possible to walk the last 2.5km. A taxi round-trip from the bus stop to both here and Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand (around 10km in total) runs for around R$80 to R$100.
