The Palácio Rio Negro is one of the surviving showpiece houses of the rubber boom — a grand neoclassical mansion of marble floors, gilded mirrors, and dark Brazilian-wood panelling, set in a small garden a few blocks from the river. It served as the official residence of the governors of Amazonas state for most of the twentieth century before being converted into a cultural centre in the 1990s.
Visits are free. Inside you can see the period rooms preserved as they were — the governor's office, the chapel, the salons — and a rotating programme of art exhibitions in the upper galleries. The small Museu Numismático on site holds a surprisingly substantial coin and banknote collection.