Possible last minute trip to Amsterdam - Am I crazy?

I would start by hotel shopping at something like booking.com to see what is available in AMS and wherever in France you are thinking.

Like you I like to book and plan my trips 8-10 months in advance.. I spend hours researching hotels and sights..

However... last September my friend who works for an airline had some free flights ( she got a reward coupon through work) ...

So.. she approached me about flying into London ( which is where her airline goes) and then getting a flight to Greece.. for 10 days..

She approached me on Tuesday.. and we left SATURDAY..

It was one of my best trips.. probably because we had few expectations or plans.

The only downside was I was miffed I had to book a few hotels that were more expensive than I knew I could if i had months to research and book.. but otherwise.. no complaints..

Get onto booking.com and look up hotels, then check on their actual websites.. book which ever is cheapest.
I find Amsterdam more expensive than Paris.. or perhaps its just there are more reasonably priced hotels in Paris I dont know..

Tickets to Paris from Amsterdam.. book direct on Thalys website.

Ann Frank house.. try and get reservations.. its worth it..

You do not need to reserve musuem passes.. Ive used them about half a dozen times in Paris and I never have bothered to reserve or get them online.. they are easy to get when there. cheaper too.. no need to pay for postage.

GO... you won't regret it..

PS .. hotels I know in your price range you can look at.. they are all clean and have EXCELLENT locations.. but rooms are small.. if you can handle small rooms look at :

Hotel Eugenie
Hotel St Pierre
Hotel College Du France
Hotel Des Mines,

If they are full on the booking sites check on their own webpages too.

Good luck with Amsterdam.. we always go over budget there.. and the last place we stayed in now closed.. but we liked it..

Go for it! I also like to plan ahead, but some of my most memorable and pleasant trips have been the last minute ones where I’ve been more spontaneous.

Why just look at hotels? You may get a great deal on renting an apartment at this relatively late stage. I would look at VRBO and Booking.com.

Priceline.com has great deals in Amsterdam. Do name your own price with a 4 star hotel in the museum district and you won't be disappointed. Just remember, all sales final.

You can also sometimes find lower prices in Haarlem if Amsterdam doesn't have much left at a good price.

Great suggestions and encouragement! Thanks for replying. I love this group!

hi kathy
just sent a private message (PM) into your inbox. We all have "crazy" in us and love spur of the moment. You can pull it off so GO FOR IT!!!
aloha

All you need are a couple of lodgings and Rick's guidebooks for each city. Not much requires advance reservation, other than what Pat already mentioned. If you really want to go up the Eiffel Tower, then people usually book that ahead, too.

If someone gave me plane tickets for somewhere in Europe tomorrow, I'd take them and figure out lodgings and itinerary after I got to the destination.

I would totally do it, and I, like you, prefer long-term plan-ahead trips. For one thing, you're going in the off-season, so you may not find things as sold out or expensive as you might think.

Try Hotel Lion D’or across the street from train station in Haarlem. Haarlem is a great place to stay and easy access to Amsterdam (15 minute train ride). Or if looking for something familiar, the Hampton Inn at Hoofdorp is very close to Schipol. They provide shuttle service to/from airport and is also located close to a train stop with easy and quick access to Amsterdam Central.

In Amsterdam try the Barangay B&B. Located on a quiet street perhaps 10 minutes from Centraal and around the corner from a large commercial street with restaurants and shops. A huge and excellent breakfast was delivered to the room, it varied every day. We traveled with another couple with limited walking/ stairs abilities. We asked for and got the patio rooms, down a short flight of stairs so no long climbs. The room was well stocked with coffee, teas and snacks...a godsend for us coffee addicts. Amsterdam rivals Paris for my ultimate affection so I am biased, but yes, Go! We have visited four times during spring and if we return this August I will look up the Barangay again. In Paris, our go-to for the last few trips has been the College du France mentioned above. Superb location, very friendly folks and an elevator. Breakfast additional. Another big plus in my book: Both responded promptly and completely to all my emails. Both were within your price range last we stayed. Safe travels.

I'm sure you have discovered that Anne Frank isn't going to happen for you, sadly. Tremendous museum. As for hotels, you might try one of the cheaper airport alternatives and grab their shuttle to AMS and then train it to downtown. There is a Holiday Inn express next to the Sloterdijk station, but don't know if it is any good. Otherwise, you might try to grab something in Haarlem, which is a much smaller and quieter version of Amsterdam with a bunch of great restaurants. This late in the game, availability will be limited, and costs will be high. I've stayed at the Airport Hilton and the Doubletree Centraal--handy, modern (usually a downcheck for tourists, but I was there on business), and way more than your $200 number.