I need help finding a budget place in a safe and convenient area of Amsterdam. Will be there 2nd or 3rd week for about 3 days unless you recommend longer. We then want to rent a car one way to Paris
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
You need to state what "budget" means to you, in Euros. Is it just one adult and one 18 year old, or are there more of you? And you said "2nd or 3rd week" but did not state the month. You can look at EuroCheapo for ideas: http://www.eurocheapo.com/amsterdam/.
And here's their take on various neighborhoods: http://www.eurocheapo.com/amsterdam/hoods/.
Here's TripAdvisor's advice for neighborhoods: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g188590-c156882/Amsterdam:The-Netherlands:Where.To.Stay.In.Amsterdam.html
and for using Priceline to book a hotel inexpensively: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g188590-c115136/Amsterdam:The-Netherlands:Web.Hotel.Bargains.In.Amsterdam.html
Unless you have a special situation, you do NOT want to rent a car one way from Amsterdam to Paris. The surcharge for renting in one country and dropping off in another is very high. Plus, the train takes only 3 hours (the drive would be almost twice as long) and is easy. However, that train (the Thalys) starts out affordable for advance booking and non-refundable tickets, and then goes up sharply as the cheaper tickets sell out. So, TODAY is not too soon to book if you know your dates. Here's the official site: https://www.thalys.com
If you post the rest of your trip itinerary, people can help you figure out if a car would indeed be better for part of it.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Rick's Amsterdam guidebook only lists hotels that he considers safe and convenient. I liked Hotel Brouwer; confirm twin beds when booking.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you for your suggestion. Its looks perfect. I found out about renting cars across boarders lol not for me. We will take the train
Posted by
Piedmont Triad, NC
176 posts
We stayed at the Hotel Ibis Amsterdam Centre - it literally bridges over the train tracks, but I was very happily surprised by how quiet this hotel was! We had an overnight layover and wanted to be super close to the train for our morning departure, and actually thought the location worked well for city sightseeing also. I loved Amsterdam and you will easily fill three days!