Looking for a B&B in Amsterdam Central w/1st Floor

Be careful - what we call the "first floor" in the US is called the "ground floor" in Europe. The first floor is actually up a flight of steps. And in Amsterdam, the stairs are more like ladders - potentially difficult for anyone, much less someone with knee trouble.

Unless you can be guaranteed a ground floor room, look instead for a hotel with an elevator. Many properties in Amsterdam have notes on their websites that they cannot install an elevator due to historic building codes, but elevators do exist.

Some more good Amsterdam room tips are on this EuroCheapo page - even if you're not just looking for a "cheap" place to stay: http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/amsterdam-hotel-advice.html

Not a B and B, but Hotel Vondel might be a good choice for you. They have an elevator. The location is in the museum district. Getting there from either the airport (direct express bus) or the train station (tram) is quite direct and easy on the knees.

Definitely agree with Harold on this. Skip the B&B and get yourself a hotel with an elevator. I'm going back again this Fall but my usual places are booked for the days I'll be there and as I read through reviews on other places, I'm seeing a lot of people complain that they were promised rooms on the ground floor but at the last minute were getting bumped to rooms on higher floors which caused them problems having to climb steep staircases with luggage or various physical ailments. If you've got bad knees, just do yourself a favor and go for a place with an elevator.

One hotel with an elevator that I can recommend is the Times Hotel. It's on the Herengracht - has a number of rooms that overlook the canal. It's a great location as it straddles the border between the center, Jordaan and 9 Streets areas. Short walk to get to the trams. They have a breakfast room on the ground floor next to the reception area, but breakfast is an additional charge. There are, however, plenty of places nearby to eat if you want to save your money and skip paying for a hotel breakfast.

You should note that the Times is a renovated canal house; therefore, not every room is consistent in size or layout. Some of the rooms that have direct facing canal views are often reviewed as being small, or having small bathrooms. I went for a quieter room in the back of the building that didn't have a canal view and my room was huge with a large bathroom that had a full size tub/shower. I didn't feel like I missed out on the canal view as they had a nice bench right outside the front door where you could sit and drink a cup of coffee and check out what was happening on the street or the canal. Although my room was large, it did have a slightly odd feature in that you entered the room, walked down 2 very low steps into a sunken main living area with a desk and wardrobe, and then had to walk up 2 low steps to get to the part of the room where the bed was located. Again, not all rooms are laid out like this, but if you would have difficulty managing 1 or 2 small steps, use a walker or a cane, then this might not be the place for you.

Thanks everyone for the input.... I'll continue my search of many hotels in Amsterdam (with an elevator).

We recently stayed at the Barangay B&B in Amsterdam. We chose this location because our friend had extensive leg surgery and I worried about stairs, the likes of which one might find in Amsterdam that are unlike any I'd seen before. We took the lower level two patio rooms (two couples) because they were accessed by a short flight of stairs that he could manage easily. It is near the station on a quiet street convenient for restaurants and transportation. A beautiful and different breakfast was delivered to the room each morning (we stayed five days). The room was comfortable, the bathroom modern and sparkling clean, and plenty of coffee, tea, snacks replenished daily. Friendly hosts. My only wish would have been for higher power light bulbs, but we've encountered that often in many places. Perhaps it might work for you. Enjoy beautiful Amsterdam!