Art and Architecture in Amsterdam’s Golden Age: A Tour with Context

Amsterdam is famous for its canals and picturesque medieval town centre. It’s the home of legendary painter Rembrandt and countless other artistic geniuses, from architects to poets and musicians. On this walking tour with Context Travel expert Marko Kassenaar, you’ll see the most notable landmarks from the city’s Golden Age of art in the 1600s, and hear about the artists who created them.

The tour starts at the foot of the Westerkerk (West Church), once the biggest Protestant church in the world. From there, you’ll walk past several impressive canal houses with their decorated facades. You’ll see Amsterdam’s Royal Palace on Dam Square, the Oude Kerk (the Old Church), and Rembrandt House Museum, where the painter lived at the peak of his career.

Marko will also show you the city’s lesser-known sites, like a hidden statue of the great poet Joost van den Vondel and the beautifully decorated Bartolotti House Museum. He’ll share the life story of composer Jan Sweelinck and tell you how Amsterdam's entertainment industry benefited from the invention of... street lighting! This Amsterdam tour ends on the Herengracht canal with a walk along one of the city’s most illustrious addresses, the Golden Bend.

On this 75-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Take in the ‘House with the Heads,’ built by Hendrick de Keyser, now home of the Embassy of the Free Mind
• Learn how typical Golden Age architecture was inspired by the Roman Empire
• View Descartes’ House, where the famous French philosopher once lived
• Gain a complete overview of the artistic richness that was the Golden Age
• Connect with the liberal mindset of Amsterdam and how it influenced life and art in the 1600s
• See the landmarks that played a pivotal role in Rembrandt’s life like the Zuiderkerk (South Church)
• Hear some remarkable stories about the prestigious canal houses and their colorful inhabitants

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a clear view of the richness and variety of the arts in Amsterdam’s Golden Age. You’ll have a better understanding of the artists that lived and worked here, and how they gave the city its still present beauty.

The tour is illuminated with beautiful photos of famous paintings, interspersed with original music from the Golden Age.