short stay in Amsterdam

Yes this is definitely possible. You could visit one place in the afternoon/evening Saturday, and two Sunday (Im not looking at site-hours, so you'd need to check these). The Rijks and Van Gogh are 100 yards apart from each other. The Van Gogh is relatively small and easy to digest. It is 4 floors that tell his story from early work to late. The Anne Frank Huis is ok, but only if you don't wait in line. The lines are always long (around the block) any time of day, and the museum itself is small, and kind of dark. It is maybe ½-¾ mile from the Rijks/Van Gogh. If you look for a rental in the Jordaan neighborhood, or the Liedseplein area you will near or in the middle of these two. All three are located in the outer rings or beyond (the museums are just beyond) - imagine a rainbow; the center of Amsterdam, including Central station and the red light district are in the space under the rainbow, and then the rainbow stripes are the canals that form a half circle. From Central station there are several trams that go straight out from the station, or back to it, so once you figure out where to stay, you will be within a block or two of a tram line that will take you to Amsterdam Centraal where you will catch a train to airport in 15 minutes.

Buy your tickets to Rijks and Van Gogh online in advance. Same for Anne Frank Huis. The Van Gogh and Anne Frank tickets will be for a specific day and time but the Rijks tickets are open to any day, time. We prefer staying in tne Central Canal Ring, so much armosphere, or in Jordaan, near a tram so you can easily get anywhere you want to go. Staying near Vondel Park would put closer to the museums but I still prefer the areas I mentioned.

I wouldn't necessarily claim it's "the best place to stay" but my wife and I had a pleasant few days at the Eelhouse in the Jordaan neighborhood when we were meeting up with some friends visiting from the U.S. last autumn. The owners are friendly, the neighborhood quiet, and it's an easy walk to many sights. We had a taxi take us to the airport for our departure back to Lyon and there were no problems at all with making our flight.

Thank you for your quick replies. Only issue now is finding a place to stay for 2 nights. Have been on the websites for all hotels in the West Amsterdam Canalside area listed in RS travel book and nothing is available for our time period (July 21-23) except Hotel Ambassade. Any other suggestions?

Haven't stayed yet, but do have reservations at the INK hotel. It's not far from Hotel Bouwer - the RS recommendation. It gets good reviews on Trip Advisor and the price was not too bad. It's an Accor hotel.

We are doing something very similar to you - arrive Saturday around 1pm and leave early Monday morning, but we've been before so will only do the Van Gogh museum for sure, probably add a canal ride, and a visit to Haarlem.

I realize that part of the charm for staying in Amsterdam are the many classic hotels. However, for a two-day stay that is tied to an airport departure, you might as well just stay out by the airport. The airport Hilton is stunning, but expensive. You might, however, get a good deal for a Sat/Sun as this hotel is primarily a business property. It's attached to the airport and you can go from your room to Centraal station in probably 30 minutes if you catch the train right. There are a few really cheap rates at chains around the airport, although they're a bit disconnected. Also, the small Amsterdam hotels seem to book up about 95 years in advance....

In terms of your tourist itinerary....easily do-able. Just this past Sunday I hit the Riks, Anne Frank, and the Rembrandt house without breaking a sweat. Van Gogh is essentially next door to the Riks. Whatever you do, don't pass Anne Frank. Stunningly powerful. Canal tour is a good way to catch your breath, albeit somewhat uninspiring. Many boats leave a stone's throw from Centraal. Personally, I would skip the boat and just walk around the city for 2-3 hours and appreciate the architecture and the canal lifestyle. Rick's walking tours are pretty good.

I just booked a lovely "night canal tour" at http://www.viator.com for $23.00 USD 8-11:30pm

I suggest Viator for many reasons. They offer every kind of tour, transportation, tickets to museums, etc - I've never had a hint of trouble using them. They say what they do.

Hotel Vondel was excellent. Express bus to airport 1 block away. Trams 1 block away. In museum district.

Try using booking.com and see if you can find something within your budget in the Canal Ring. Amsterdam is very expensive, especially during the summer on a weekend. I would not recommend you stay near the airport. Stay in the city you want to visit, not on the outskirts which will mean spending money and time traveling to the sights you are there to see. I will recommend the boat tour my sister and I used, Those Dam Boat Guys. Small open boat with a fun and informative guide and fellow travelers.

We are taking our first trip to Amsterdam this year. We are booked at The Flying Pancake B&B in July. The reviews on Trip Advisor are very good and the owner was very responsive to my inquiries.

http://www.theflyingpancake.com/en/rates-and-reservations-1

It is located by the zoo and looked close enough in for us. The price is also right! For three of us we are paying 150 euro a night which includes what looks to be a substantial breakfast.

Good luck!

Thank you to everyone for your replies. We have found a hotel in the Jordaan area and booked Anne Frank House for Sunday. Besides the Rijksmuseum and VanGogh Museum is there anything we shouldn't miss in our 1-1/2 days? Thinking outdoor activities (like the markets or canal tours) to get a flavor of the city.

We just got back from 2 days in AMS. Definitely do a canal tour-we did one at sunset and that was perfect! It is a fun and relaxing way to see the city. You could do it on either night you are there, they have them all over. We used Blue Boat bc it was near our hotel and we just walked up and were able to choose a departure that was only a 30 min wait. Have fun!

Hotel l’Ambassade is a wonderful place, great location. It is where we always stay.

Feasible yes; RS has an excellent suggestion to use Haarlem as the home base/quick easy access to Amsterdam and much more manageable--charming town!