Discover Amsterdam the way Rembrandt knew it. From his home on the Jodenbreestraat you walk past the places where he lived, worked and was laid to rest, a city walk full of stories through the historic heart of the city.
Rembrandt van Rijn lived and worked for almost twenty years in the house on the Jodenbreestraat, now the Rembrandt House Museum. The neighbourhood around it still breathes the 17th century: narrow streets, canals and churches that Rembrandt himself knew and drew.
A city walk brings his Amsterdam to life. You connect your museum visit to the real places from his life and turn it into a complete day out.
The Rembrandt House Museum has mapped out the walk Wandelen met Rembrandt: 23 places in the old city centre, where Rembrandt himself tells you the story at every stop. These are six highlights from that route. The numbers match the stops in the walk.
This is where it starts. Rembrandt bought this house on the Jodenbreestraat in 1639, at the height of his fame: a place to live and to work. See his atelier and the collection of etchings before you head out.
The gateway is decorated with bones and skulls: the churchyard used to lie behind the arch. Three of Rembrandt and Saskia's children were buried here, all of whom died shortly after birth.
Above one of the entrances it reads Theatrum Anatomicum, the door for the surgeons. Once a year they held an anatomy lesson here: the world of Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.
What is now the Royal Palace was built in Rembrandt's day as Amsterdam's town hall, one of the largest buildings in Europe. Rembrandt was given a prestigious commission for it: The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis.
Rembrandt died on 4 October 1669, aged 63. Four days later he was buried here. The last twenty years of his life had been hard ones.
The Kloveniersdoelen once stood where the hotel is today. The Night Watch hung there, in the militia's meeting hall on the first floor, to the left of the tower you can still make out in the building.
Tip: book your museum ticket online in advance, so you can start your day without waiting.
Expect about two hours for the full route, not counting your museum visit. You can shorten or extend the walk at your own pace.
Yes. The museum has two worked-out walks along Rembrandt's places in the city, which you can follow at your own pace.
At the Rembrandt House Museum on Jodenbreestraat 4, within walking distance of Waterlooplein and Nieuwmarkt. See also plan your visit.
Certainly. Turn it into a treasure hunt along the stops. For families, our day out with children page is also helpful.
Everything for a complete cultural outing around the museum.
See the day out →Everything you find around the Rembrandt House Museum: markets, museums and monuments.
Explore the area →Rembrandt's etchings, plates and drawings, online and in the house.
See the collection →Your entry ticket gives access to the atelier, the collection and the daily painting and etching demonstrations. Then you step straight onto the street, ready to explore Rembrandt's Amsterdam.
