Dutch Golden Age: Private Tour of Amsterdam & Rembrandt's House

Believe the hype The Netherlands' 'State Museum' is an unmissable attraction. It has grown remarkably since its inception in 1800 as the National Art Gallery, after which it moved to its neo-Renaissance building in 1885; the collection gradually outgrew this housing, and 2003 saw the beginning of an extensive €375 million renovation and expansion by Spanish architects Cruz y Ortiz, which took ten years to complete before opening to great acclaim in 2013. In this improved setting the Rijksmuseum displays the most acclaimed artworks of the Golden Age: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Hals and van Dyck are all here in abundance, as well as a superlative collection of still life paintings. You'll also find some later artworks by van Gogh and Mondrian (the Van Gogh Museum is nearby). Golden years These masterworks are set among a fascinating wider survey of Dutch material culture, from musical instruments to prints, ceramics, miniature ships and classical photography. The Dutch Golden Age saw the Netherlands at the forefront of science and trade as well as in art - having grown from a possession of the Holy Roman Empire in 1590, throughout most of the 17th century it was the world's foremost maritime and economic powerhouse.  There's never a dull moment in any of the museum's rooms: its six levels display around 8,000 fascinating objects of art and history from its collection of around a million pieces, as well as a smaller Asian collection in the newly constructed Asian Pavilion. Other highlights include the Hartog Plate, the oldest known artifact of Western exploration in Australia, and the stern of the HMS Royal Charles, captured from the English fleet in 1667.

Oldest in townAmsterdam’s Oude Kerk was consecrated over 700 years ago. Before the Reformation of 1578, it was a Roman Catholic church; afterwards, it became an important centre of Calvinism, and remains so today. The church is set in a square called Oudekerksplein, situated at the edge of the city’s red light district. The square is overlooked by prostitutes’ windows, and is adorned by a 2007 bronze statue named Belle, inscribed with the message ‘Respect sex workers all over the world:’ an arresting conjunction of the city’s oldest building and its oldest profession. Heavenly musicOude Kerk’s sober Protestant interior makes for a contrast to the city’s Roman Catholic churches. It hosts a magnificent Baroque organ, and its medieval wooden vault ceiling is the largest in Europe, providing extremely good acoustics.Owing to its previous use as a cemetery, the church floor remarkably consists entirely of gravestones: Johannes Vermeer, perhaps the foremost artist of the Golden Age, is buried here among many other Dutch notables. Rembrandt was a frequent visitor, and the church holds the tomb of his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh.

Damming the AmstelDam Square got its name the same way Amsterdam did: it began life as a dam of the Amstel river nearly 750 years ago. As the city grew so did the dam, until it became large enough for a town square, and it has been at Amsterdam’s heart ever since. Paved with the Dutch capital’s distinctive cobblestones, the square today is a great place to breathe among some of the city’s most notable attractions: Madame Tussaud’s, the 15th century Gothic Nieuwe Kerk, the Royal Palace and the swish department store De Bijenkorf are all here. Hub of the NetherlandsLooming over Dam Square is the National Monument, built in 1956. This impressive white pillar commemorates the victims of World War II. As an important centre not only of the capital but of the Netherlands as a whole, National Memorial Day is held here every year on 4 May. At other times of year the square plays host to a variety of events: you may encounter a funfair, market stalls or even an ice-rink. There is also a horsedrawn carriage tour that leaves from the square.Sit down here with a coffee or beer to watch the world go by after a busy day of shopping or sightseeing: always busy with trams, bikes and people, you’re unlikely to miss Dam Square on a trip to Amsterdam.

The Rome of the NorthOverlooking Dam Square is the magnificent Koninklijk Paleis. First built as a city hall during the 17th century Dutch Golden Age, the building’s ornate Baroque exterior and luxurious marble halls tell of the prosperity of the time.Amsterdam at this point was thought of as the ‘Rome of the North’ - today it’s more commonly described as a Northern Venice - and the architect Jacob van Campen was inspired by Roman administrative buildings in its construction for the city’s councillors. From statehouse to palaceIn 1806 the building began to serve a rather less civic function, as Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Louis seized it for his palace upon becoming King Louis I of Holland. It changed hands between various French and Dutch regents over the following years, before finally becoming the property of the Kingdom of the Netherlands again in 1936.Today, the royal family still use the palace for official and ceremonial functions around 10 times annually, and it is open to visitors most of the year. Audio tours explain the uses of its opulent rooms, which feature impressive chandeliers and marble sculpture. Particularly lovely is the Great Hall (Groote Burger-Zaal), which features three vast marble floor maps by famed cartographer Joan Blaeu, displaying the northern and southern hemispheres and one of the earliest maps of the heliocentric solar system.

Floating flowersA surprising apparition in Singel, Bloemenmarkt has floated on Amsterdam’s innermost canal since 1862. Historically, barges used to sail here up the Amstel from their smallholdings; today daily fresh flowers arrive by van, and fifteen florists and garden shops display their colourful wares in an array of covered stalls that are perched on piles.The market is open seven days a week. In season traditional Dutch tulips are readily available, as well as bulbs (which you can take home as they’re cleared for import), seeds, larger pot plants and a range of rather tacky souvenirs. The colours on display are wonderful, and the plants good quality. Most hotels in Amsterdam can provide vases if you want to brighten up your room with some local blooms. TulpenmanieThe Dutch have had rather a soft spot for flowers ever since the ‘tulip mania’ of the Golden Age. After their introduction in the 16th century, tulips quickly became a coveted and luxurious status symbol, and very profitable for merchants; demand and speculation grew to feverish levels, and during the 1630s some single tulip bulbs sold for ten times the annual wage of a skilled craftsman. Luckily, the prices you’ll pay today are a little less steep.