Apartments in Amsterdam? Nearby Cities instead?

Try Haarlem (20 mins from Amsterdam Centraal), Utrecht (30 mins) or Leiden (35 mins). All three pleasant historical cities. From all at least four trains per hour to bring you to overcrowded Amsterdam.

Regarding Anne Frank House, you should reserve your tickets exactly two months prior to the day of your visit. If you are going to be there in March, go to their website at www.annefrank.org and order your tickets immediately. They often sell out on the day the tickets are released. You don't want to stand in line for an hour or more if you can help it.

If you find something more to your liking and price range I wouldn't hesitate to stay outside of Amsterdam in any of the towns tonfromleiden mentions. We've stayed in Amsterdam hotels 3x and Leiden once and I would look for towns like the three mentioned for lodging for future trips. Easy commute and wonderful, smaller nearby cities to explore when you want to be away from the crowds in Amsterdam.

Thanks for the tips everyone! This time I decided to stay near Sloterdijk and may visit Haarlem as I have so much to see for the first time. But in future trips I would look at Haarlem I think. Thanks for the Anne Frank tip also.

I always prefer to stay in an apartment or hotel near where i will spend the majority of my time. There is something special about being able to pop back to my lodgings for a rest, change clothes, etc , rather than having to get a train etc.