Best neighborhoods to stay in Amsterdam?

Hi David,

We stayed at the EelHouse in the Jordaan area, and loved both the B&B and the neighborhood. We found the Jordaan neighborhood to be beautiful and quiet, but yet within easy walking distance to the train station, Dam square, and the Anne Frank house. We even walked a little further to the Resistance Museum (which I highly recommend!)

Hi David,

We have booked an apartment in the Jordan neighborhood for one week in May, on Airbnb-- I managed to haggle down the price a bit. In the past I always stayed in the Museum area, which is fine, but I'm looking forward to more of a cozy and fun area.

I like the Leidseplein area, mainly because you're a stone's throw away from so many restaurants.

I third the Jordaan neighborhood. I like the proximity to Centraal Station where you can catch trams to all parts of the city, and I like the quietness of the Jordaan in general. If you're on a busy street like Haarlemmerstraat there will be more noise, but that's true anywhere in the city.

In 2012, we stayed in the De Pijp neighborhood. I picked it because I found a private room for a very reasonable price. (65 euros for 2 people.) We were definitely in a neighborhood where most people we met were locals. (there were a couple of other hotels in the area including an Easy hotel and the Savoy,). Two trams run through the area. One takes you through the main touristy area of Amsterdam and ends at Centraal station. The other can drop you off in the museum/Vondelpark area (or the bus station if you go the other direction, we were leaving by bus, so that was convenient.). We actually walked to a lot of the sites. (the museums are not far, and the Albert Cuypmarkt is close by.) I like to stay out where people live occasionally and enjoy being a "local" for a few days. We went to the same bakery every morning for our sausage rolls. The morning before we left, we asked the man what time he opened in the morning. (we were catching an early bus). When he heard what time we were leaving, he said "if I am not open, knock on the door. I will be here and get you something to eat." We had a large grocery store a block away and there was an Aldi across the street. I am not sure what you are finding on AirBnb, but if you see a good one in De Pijp area, I would consider it. If you want some information on where we stayed, you can private message me.

David: see my entries in Q & A, France: tips for hotel seekers on room and price ideas, which also apply to Amsterdam.