Hi and thank you for your help in advance.
I'm planning a three-month stay in Amsterdam for May-July 2023.
I always go to some place different in Europe every summer but southern Europe is too hot at this time.
I'm looking for guidance in securing an apartment for my stay.
Any recommendations/experiences as to companies or individuals (real estate agents) I should talk to?
Obviously want to avoid getting scammed.
Thanks for your help!
If you're traveling on a Canadian passport, you are not allowed to stay in Amsterdam for three months unless you want to jump through the hoops required to obtain a long-stay visa. You are limited to 90 days within any 180-day period. Both the arrival day and the departure day count. Exceeding the 90-day limit may result in a substantial fine and being banned from re-entering the group of Schengen countries (most of western and central Europe excluding the UK and Ireland) for years. Reports suggest that the not-necessarily-pleasant discussion you'll have with the Immigration authorities may extend so long that you miss your outbound flight, leading to the additional expense of a last-minute replacement one-way ticket home.
I have no recent experience in visiting Amsterdam, but I've learned from this forum that lodging is very, very costly there. Some folks have suggested staying in nearby Haarlem as an option. I imagine there are other good possibilities close to Amsterdam.
You could try AirBnb or VRBO for an apartment - sometimes owners will agree to reduce the price for long-time stays. I rented an apartment once with City Mundo but unfortunately they are no longer in business (Amsterdam has become more restrictive with regards to temporary rentals). One friend of mine recommended this site as a good resource for apartments: https://www.onlyexpats.nl/search
Amsterdam is pricey but it depends on where you stay. I would try looking outside the city and especially in the Amsterdam-Noord area, where lodging is cheaper than the city center. It's a very interesting section north of the city and easily accessible by a ferry (which is free).
One other place you might want to ask is Trip Advisor's Amsterdam forum - it gets a lot more traffic this this forum and they might have some recommendations. https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowForum-g188590-i60-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html
I think you might have trouble finding one place with a 90 day (or advisability a few days less) vacancy only a few months away. Would you consider breaking it up into more shorter stays of a couple of weeks in different locations to get to know different areas?
Hi:
I'm totally aware of 90/180 day schengen rules. My stay is just less than 90 days, i just used 3 months for convenience. Sorry for the confusion. My fault.
I will try looking on the outskirts of Amsterdam a little bit but would prefer to stay as close as possible.
I usually just go to a place and unpack and settle in and really get to know a place so maybe that won't be possible here i will see.
Will look at airbnb/vrbo a lot closer and trip advisor was a real good idea as well. Posting there right away!
Thanks so far!
We just did one week in Amsterdam last August. One week is plenty of time to do the city.
YES, Amsterdam is expensive. We did find an affordable room in a great location near the Anne Frank House for $1000 for the entire week. The room was very small and the walk up on the stairs was steep. Breakfast was included.
If you want a four or five star hotel, you will pay quite a lot, even a place near the airport runs about $300 per night.
