Hello Travel Brain Trust!
My wife and I, along with another wonderful couple will be stopping in Amsterdam for a couple of days on our way to Venice to join a RS tour. We'll be there in mid-September 2025. We would greatly appreciate suggestions on places to stay that are easy to get to/from the airport and of course get one immersed in Amsterdam. Mid-range pricing. Thanks in advance for the ideas.
Dan
welcome to the forum, Dan. It would be helpful to have more specifics: what are your interests and what do you want to see in Amsterdam? What do you consider "mid range" pricing (in Euros or USD)? How much actual time you have in Amsterdam? A "couple of days" could mean just the arrival day, one night, and leaving the next. If you're dealing with jet lag, that usually makes the first day more challenging to navigate.
While you fill those details in so people can help you better, take a look through the Netherlands forum, this is a frequently asked question and there are an abundance of ideas and answers to your general questions. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands
Thanks CL! Good questions. We'll be arriving Saturday around noon from Seattle. We leave for Venice the next Monday morning. So, we'll have one full day...and dealing with jet lag. To me, "mid-range" price would be around $250/night. We all like to walk around, so somewhere centrally located would be good. Unfortunately, no time for out-of-town sightseeing this time. We all realize we'll be back!
And thanks for the tip to peruse the forum. I'm on it!
Dan
Your price point may be too low for lodging. We stayed in the Central Canal region which was perfect! We stayed at Hotel l’Ambassade right on a canal. We love Amsterdam and I hope you can find an historic hotel for you and your friends.
In order to be able to advise you, exact dates are crucial. From September 12 until September 16, Amsterdam is hosting the International Broadcasting Convention. A huge convention that attracts more than 45000 participants from all over the world. They all need a place to stay and as a result of this huge increase in demand, hotel rates of hotels in Amsterdam skyrocket during and just before and after the convention.
I suggest you to go to a site like booking.com, plug in your exact dates and budget and see what’s available. If you have questions about possible hotels that come up in your search, don’t hesitate to ask here.
I agree, I think your price point is a bit too low.
Not sure what the rates are for your dates, but this past February we stayed at the Hotel Estherea and absolutely loved it! We paid about $300 US dollars per night, and we had a promo code from their Instagram page that included breakfast. That was a very good deal as breakfast was normally 26 euro per person. The breakfast spread is excellent though. The hotel itself was just beautiful and it was right on a canal in a quiet area, yet walkable to everything. We never took a tram. I would return there in a heartbeat!
Thanks for more info. As noted the dates are going to be key to finding a hotel that suits that price range, if you're there during the mentioned convention you will pay more for sure. It is very easy to get to the central/tourist part of Amsterdam from the airport, so one thing you could consider is staying at an airport hotel and taking the train to/from the city center (the train station is directly under the airport). This would of course be far less charming than staying in city center, but you'd be so much closer to the airport you'll need to get to on Monday morning. Citizen M hotel is 5 minute walk from the terminal (check in time is 2 p.m. which might be about right for your arrival time). Most of the September weekends the rate is between 120 and 180 euro per night. There are other airport hotels, I just happen to have stayed here multiple times.
While you're browsing the forum, make sure to note the info about purchasing tickets ahead for things you want to see - e.g. Anne Frank house requires pre-planning months ahead of time. Especially since you have only one full day to sightsee and it is a Sunday/weekend. Many of the posts about long layovers will be of help to you.
Thanks everyone! I'm learning a lot very fast. First, our nightly budget is going to go up. Second, Booking.com is a big help searching for ideas. And guess when we'll be there...right in the middle of the convention mentioned.
We'll be meeting with our travel partners and narrowing down our options.
Dan
I'll just add that if you are interested in the Van Gogh Museum you will need to book ahead on that. Go to their actual website and book thru there. They start booking about 3 months ahead and you can keep track on the ticketing site as to how full they are getting. They do sell out especially during high visitor times. They do not sell tickets on site, everything has to be booked online. They do not have an app, just book thru the website.
https://tickets.vangoghmuseum.com/en/tickets
If you also want to see the Rijksmuseum they are not as likely to book out since there is not a huge special exhibition coming up. You can also download this museum's app and book your tickets thru the app as well as use it as a guide within the museum. It is an excellent app for an excellent museum.
Anne Frank House is also a timed entry situation and you'd need to book that as soon as your date comes up for sale.
The last place I stayed in Amsterdam was De Ware Jacob Boutique Hotel which is near the Museumplein. However it's Sept prices look way over even your revised budget.
In 2022 I stayed at the Ibis Hotel. I selected the hotel because of its great location. It’s a short walk from Centraal Station, and it’s very close to the hub for many of the trams. While it’s not a five star hotel, my room was clean and the breakfasts were good.
I also recommend that you make entry reservations for the major sites well in advance of your visit. Enjoy your visit!
Steve’s
