Hi
We are doing Amsterdam for 5 nights in the first week of Aug. Looking for suggestions on what are good areas to look for hotel stay other than the city center (as the prices are extremely high in the center on my dates). Criteria is good and quick accessibility to the city center on public transport.
Are airport hotels a good idea in terms of connectivity to the city and tourist attractions?
We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids 9,6)
thanks
We are staying in Haarlem in September. I thought the rates were good there.
We have always stayed in Haarlem during our visits. Probably mostly habit but we like the quietness and less city hassle of Haarlem. It is a ten minute train ride and another ten minutes walk to our hotel. It is just more relaxing and a lot cheaper. It works for us.
Haarlem, ever popular among Stevesers, is a fine choice. So few minutes by train.
Maybe though once you're committed to train to Amsterdam, 10 minutes vs 20 or even 30 not such a big deal?
Lovely family friendly secure little Amersfoort is not far from Amsterdam by train. The Mecure is a good deal if you're interested in a hotel.
Utrecht is also quite close. Mid-sized dynamic good looking city.
Leiden is also a quick, frequent direct train and decent little city. Accommodations can be a little more scarce, but it is right by the over-the-top Dutch themed amusement park Duinrell. Google it, your kids would be in heaven.
Hoorn close enough too, and a pretty cool town. Only a little more north, but feels quite north.
Anyway there are plenty of great options in outlying towns, all less intense and more affordable than Amsterdam :)
Also for my family 5 nights means not a hotel but an apartments. Move in for a while and relax. Probably worth searching a short term rental if you like that sort of thing.
I stayed in the de Pijp neighborhood, which is outside the city center but very easily accessible by tram or bus (I was about 5-10 minutes by tram to the major museums), and loved it there. There were lots of great restaurants; many ethnic ones, wine bars, cafes and pastry shops, the Albert de Cuyp street market, and so on. It was very vibrant and filled with lots of local residents.
I'm probably one of the few who did not care for Haarlem. I found it overcrowded and filled with tourists. I did enjoy seeing the Corrie ten Boom museum but that was one of the few things I liked there.
I enjoyed staying in Amsterdam because there was so much to do in the early mornings and evenings, along with all the sights. Plus I don't like having to commute in to a place - I like staying in the actual city. But that's me. :)
Another vote for Haarlem! Hotel prices are much more reasonable than Amsterdam.
While in Haarlem you can easily take the kids to Zandvoort Beach. Go on an open boat canal tour https://haarlemcanaltours.com/en/ where the skipper will drop you off next to a windmill for lunch. Enjoy market day in the beautiful Grote Markt. Experience a Rijsttafel, “rice table” meal in an Indonesian restaurant. Enjoy!
I stayed in the de Pijp neighborhood, which is outside the city center but very easily accessible by tram or bus (I was about 5-10 minutes by tram to the major museums), and loved it there. There were lots of great restaurants; many ethnic ones, wine bars, cafes and pastry shops, the Albert de Cuyp street market, and so on. It was very vibrant and filled with lots of local residents.
I also stayed in de Pijp and wholeheartedly agree, it felt so far removed from the tourist crowds just a mile or two away. I’d get a coffee and pastry at a neighborhood cafe each morning and became a temporary regular, it was fun!
If you’re comfortable navigating the trams it is simple to get around. Walking is easy too.
I stayed in the Motel One on Waterlooplein in Amsterdam last year, which is near the centre but just away from the most touristy areas. Good public transport, nice area. Good value hotel.
Amersfoort is also a good plan.
Utrecht is a great place to stay - just 26 minutes on the train from Amsterdam. Great mix of modern and old historic canals and houses. But you might end up feeling that you don’t want to go into Amsterdam because it will break the charm of Utrecht. I just spent three days exploring the lovely place (with a very short half-day trip to Gouda by train). When I came to Amsterdam on the last day ready to go home, I felt I was hit by a wave of busy-ness and tourists and stag groups and wished I could have stayed in Utrecht.
Amsterdam- look at Canal Ring area. Lovely area to stay in.
I'm following replies . . . we (2 couples) will be traveling to Amsterdam early May 2024 for about 5 days. Wanting to find a rental property with a kitchen etc. Also, we would prefer not to have to take public transport to city center . . . would like to walk out our door and find shops, restaurants, grocery stores but don't want the noise of city center. Any recommendations of areas to look?
I also recommend against Haarlem unless you're more interested in seeing it than Amsterdam. We're fast walkers and it took us between 12 and 18 minutes to get between our hotel near the Grote Markt and the train station. Then you have to buy your tickets (if you don't have some sort of pass), and wait for the train (they are frequent, but still). After your quick 10 minute ride to Amsterdam, you walk out through the crowded station, then either walk wherever you actually want to go, or out to the trams where you wait yet again for one of them.
If you envision 10-20 minutes from your hotel to whatever sight or restaurant you want to visit, you will be surprised that it ends up being much longer, and all those roundtrips add up to a lot of wasted time. With two kids, everything will probably take a little longer, as well.
I'm following replies . . . we (2 couples) will be traveling to Amsterdam early May 2024 for about 5 days. Wanting to find a rental property with a kitchen etc. Also, we would prefer not to have to take public transport to city center . . . would like to walk out our door and find shops, restaurants, grocery stores but don't want the noise of city center. Any recommendations of areas to look?
If you will look upthread at Ksea and my replies, you will find a recommendation for the de Pijp neighborhood, which has everything you requested. I loved this neighborhood. I stayed there twice - once I rented an apartment through City Mundo although I think they are no longer in business, and the second time I rented a room in a private house via AirBnb in the center of the de Pijp neighborhood. It really is a wonderful place to stay.
I loved Herengracht 21. One of the best b&b's I've ever stayed at. It's in a quiet corner of Amersterdam, 5 minute walk to the train station. Bike rental nearby.
