Amsterdam for a couple in their 50's

Amsterdam is absolutely perfect for what your looking for. There is a very strong cafe culture. Just look up the term “brown cafe Amsterdam” to see what I mean. In addition to that the city is ideal for wandering around aimlessly, pausing at a canalside terrace etc etc.

The only downside are your dates. From September 11 through 14 there is a huge convention in Amsterdam; the International Broadcasting Convention.
The convention takes place in a convention center just on the outskirts of the city center, but hotel rates throughout the entire city skyrocket during the time frame of the convention as well as the days before and after the convention. Before you book your plane tickets I would look at hotel rates first.

If staying in a somewhat residential area, Amsterdam is lovely for what you at describing, but the train system is so great you could stay in a different town. I loved my day in Leiden.

Absolutely Amsterdam will meet your wishes! And you can pop on a short train ride to Haarlem! We loved the Corrie ten Boom House - WWII location where Jews were hidden by family. Beautiful smaller city.
Enjoy - I'm jealous. Amsterdam is one of my favorite places. And consider reading Russell Shorto's book: Amsterdam. I loved it and can't wait to get back to experience the city is a new way.

Due to the costs and crowds, you might consider staying elsewhere until the convention is over. You'll still have plenty of time in Amsterdam. It's a GREAT place to visit and easy to avoid the red light district and party scene, which is definitely a thing. Take a look at https://sweetshotel.amsterdam to see if that's your type of place. It's a dispersed "hotel" housed in retired bridge houses. I haven't stayed there because most of the units haven't suited my needs. For meals, I recommend Zwaantje (http://zwaantje-restaurant.nl/?lang=en), near Anne Frank House. Also, Sampurna (https://www.sampurna.com) or other restaurant offering rijsttafel (several recommendations on the Forum). I have twice enjoyed an evening canal tour with Those Dam Boat Guys. It's BYOB. You can get picnic food at https://www.sterkstaaltje.com. Pro tip: if you're on the last trip of the night and are offered the option to go to the Marina, take it. There is a very good bar nearby for bitterballen (https://www.blaauwhooft.nl).

To add to G3rryCee's suggestion, my husband and I stayed at two of the Sweets Hotel units and loved them.

Hey, thanks everyone. I'm glad there seems to be a consensus in favor of Amsterdam.

I did noticed that the hotel prices are insane. I started off thinking I'd look for a suite. We're booking the airfare on points so I figured I could afford to splurge on the hotel. Well, let's just say I was quickly disabused of that idea! The prices are similar to Paris, London, or Manhattan. In fact, I think I could get a better deal in one of those places. I won't be deterred by that. I'll have to back off the suite idea though.

I do have Haarlem and Utrecht on my radar for day trips. I don't want too much movement. Truth be told, my wife started off this process by suggesting we go to Florida for the week. She wanted to sit by the pool and relax. That will peak hurricane season so we decided not to chance it. It was a bit of a stretch for me to convince her to head to Europe again. Like I said, we just returned from France. So I will keep this slower paced than our usual. Hence, one hotel for the entire week.

I just downloaded the Shorto book. Thanks.

I'm familiar with the Sweet Hotels. I watched a YouTube video on one. They look cool but it's not for me on this trip. I'm looking for something conventional, quiet, that definitely serves breakfast. Neither of us favor searching for breakfast when we're abroad. We like to go to the lobby, eat, drink coffee, and hit the road for the day.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I definitely want to do a boat ride so I'll go with Those Dam Boat Guys. Cool.

I suggest (I'm a broken record on this) that you include cycling in your wandering. Obviously, you can't guarantee the weather, but if it is pleasant, using a bike to get around is a wonderful option for Amsterdam and the immediate "countryside". With a bike, you can see the city, the suburbs, and the farmlands with ease.

Regarding hotels, one hotel we stayed in was the Kimpton De Witt which has bikes you can borrow to try things out. An easy "no cost" intro that hooked us immediately. We've also rented bikes (also easy), and our hotels have had good bike parking options for those rentals.

Options for non-city days - ride to Haarlem, ride to Zaanse Schans, ride to Edam, Broek in Waterland, & Volendam, ride to Ouderkerk or Sloterplas, ride Vondelpark and Westerpark. And definitely take the free ferry ride that gets you to many of those places.

Enjoy! Tons to see and do IN Amsterdam and NEARBY Amsterdam.

Thanks, Tom. We will rent bikes. We did in France also. We will follow the rules!

Also, over the weekend, after another round of looking at hotels and being sticker-shocked, I'm re-thinking my stance on hotel breakfasts. Actually, I'm thinking about not staying at a hotel at all. I started looking at AirBnB. There are some nice looking places on there. I'm intrigued by the houseboats.

In addition to the convention mentioned earlier, the hotel tax in Amsterdam is over 30% (see this discussion: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/amsterdam-insane-hotel-tax-in-2026). The city also has significant restrictions on AirbNB type places so the supply of those is also limited.

If you have flexibility and the sticker shock is too significant, then consider staying in one of the outlier places suggested or simply choose another city - plenty of choices.

The hotel tax in Amsterdam is not 30%. For hotels, Airbnb etc the tourist tax in Amsterdam is 12.5% of the room rate.
Source; website of the city of Amsterdam; https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/municipal-taxes/tourist-tax/

Yes, there is a big convention that week, but honestly it seems there is always something going on and hotel prices high.

As others alluded to, staying in Leiden, even Utrecht, or Haarlem is an option. Public transport is frequent and fast, so Amsterdam is nearby, and each of these towns have a great local culture and nightlife. If you are into craft beer, there is a great beer culture in the Netherlands, with a number of breweries and beer bars well worth a visit.

I had considered an AirBnb for our time in Amsterdam and the owner asked me to contact her on What's App before finalizing the booking. She truthfully told me that there are restrictions on number of days she's allowed to rent the unit and offered me a greatly discounted rate for an off-the-books stay. I declined. This was many months before our trip and if she'd been "caught" before our trip we'd be left in a pickle. Found a nice apartment-type "hotel" instead (Dutch Masters Amsterdam) - we like to have kitchen and washer access so it was perfect. Booked an apartment with access to an outdoor space - we enjoy our relaxing time in the evening.

I like your idea of a houseboat, and AirBnB is as good as any other platform to find one, I suppose. There is also this site (I haven't used it, just found it via Google): https://www.bookahouseboat.com
I'm a devoted AirBnB user (and former host), but Amsterdam is a city in which I have switched to hotels because of the housing crisis faced by local residents. Another Forum user commented that a good way to use AirBnB responsibly (not only in cities facing a housing shortage) is to screen out full-time rentals by looking at the photos for indications that it's the person's actual home that they are vacating temporarily for you. These places are usually better equipped, especially in the kitchen. Also, look for a license number, and don't take the negotiations "off-platform." As with anything, read the views, especially the bad ones.