Step into the Golden Age as you explore the streets of historic Amsterdam and the masterpieces of the Rijksmuseum. This immersive private tour connects the city’s past with its most celebrated artworks.
Walk through centuries-old neighborhoods, hear stories of the people who shaped the city, and then see their world come to life on canvas. With your expert guide, you’ll experience Amsterdam’s history both outdoors and indoors, making this tour the perfect blend of storytelling and art.
* tour price based on 4,5 hours including VAT, excluding entrance fees. For more hours the price will be adjusted accordingly.
Highlights
- Stroll through historic neighborhoods with your private guide.
- Learn about Amsterdam’s Golden Age and its famous guilds.
- Discover the real-life locations behind famous paintings.
- Explore the Rijksmuseum with expert insights into Dutch masterpieces.
- See Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and other iconic works up close.
Optional additions
- Add a visit to the Rembrandt House, where the artist lived and worked, creating some of his most famous masterpieces.
- Extend or customize your walking tour to discover more of Amsterdam.
- Extend your museum tour to include more artworks and historic artefacts.
What our guests say about this tour
"FANTASTIC TOUR"
We had a wonderful combination tour. We were enraptured for hours and it really helped us to see the highlights and have a real understanding about what we were seeing. We all loved it – and would thoroughly recommend it!
Katie, UK
"PERFECT COMBINATION!"
Huibert took great care of our family! He was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We did a walking city tour and then a visit to the Rijksmuseum. We learned a lot. I think the combo of two hours indoor / two hours outdoor worked great!
Mike, USA
FROM THE CITY STREETS TO THE MASTERS CANVASES
Go on a walking tour through the Golden Age. Your journey begins at the Waag on Nieuwmarkt, once a medieval city gate that later became the heart of trade and craftsmanship in Amsterdam. Here, the city’s surgeons once gathered for public dissections—a spectacle immortalized in Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp. Though this painting now hangs in The Hague, the stories of innovation and commerce still echo in the surrounding streets.
As you walk towards the Rijksmuseum, history unfolds before your eyes. In the Staalstraat, you’ll stand where the textile guild once ruled. This very street inspired Rembrandt’s The Sampling Officials (or The Syndics), a portrait of the guild’s leaders assessing their fine cloth—just as they did right here centuries ago.
Further along, you’ll pass by the site where Rembrandt painted The Night Watch, a commission for a local civic guard company. You’ll learn how these citizen-soldiers once protected the city and why Rembrandt’s revolutionary depiction of them made history.
Throughout the walk, your guide will share insights into daily life in the 17th century, from bustling markets to powerful merchant families. By the time you reach the museum, you’ll have stepped into the world of the Dutch Masters—ready to see it all reflected in their paintings.
Exploring the Rijksmuseum
After a short break upon arrival, you’ll continue your journey inside the Rijksmuseum, home to the greatest masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age. As you move through the galleries, you’ll recognize scenes from the streets you just walked.
Stand before The Night Watch and recall the very place where it was created. See The Sampling Officials and imagine the textile guild’s headquarters in the Staalstraat. Marvel at Vermeer’s tranquil interiors and understand how his luminous portraits captured a different side of the era.
With your guide’s expert storytelling, the art becomes more than just paintings—it becomes a vivid connection to the city you’ve just explored.
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