Amsterdam vs. Haarlem

I spent five nights in Amsterdam this past May. When I was planning the trip, I booked a hotel in Haarlem. I had a trip consult up at RS headquarters in Edmonds, and that was their recommendation.

But as the trip approached, I rethought things and decided to cancel the hotel in Haarlem, and instead I booked an apartment via airbnb in Amsterdam's Oud West neighborhood, close to Vondelpark. My reasoning was that I'd be spending most days in Amsterdam, or if I took day trips, they'd begin from and end at Amsterdam Centraal. I decided I didn't want to start every day with a 15-minute walk to the Haarlem station and a 20-minute train ride, or end every day having to get back to the train station followed by the train ride and the walk back to my hotel.

I was very glad with my decision. One evening I had tickets to a concert at the Concertgebouw, and it was within walking distance of my apartment. Other evenings I had a late dinner and then an easy walk or tram ride home. Some days I needed a mid-day break, so I headed back to rest. And the neighborhood had a variety of interesting eateries and take-out places.

In addition, my apartment was a short tram ride from Lelylaan Station. I arrived there by train from Leiden and departed to Schiphol (first stop), and it was very easy.

I'm not disagreeing with you so much as offering an alternate point of view. I think it's worth considering the pros and cons of both Haarlem and Amsterdam as a home base. For me, the apartment in the neighborhood where I stayed gave me a feeling of living like a temporary local.

Lane,

It sounds like you had a great experience! I don't know why Amsterdam threw me for a loop, when I've navigated Rome and London with no problems. I'll remember your post the next time I plan to visit Amsterdam. Thank you for sharing.

I liked Haarlem as a base for days trips (Leiden and Delft). The 5 euro bus to the airport is super easy, even at 5:30 in the morning....a 5 minute walk south of the square, near V&D department store.

We also enjoyed Haarlem but we enjoyed the convenience of Amsterdam also.
So we split our time 3 days ea. Worked out great.
Fortunately we did not experience the gritty, rodent problems the poster noted.

We have stay in Haarlem twice and will do so in the future. We booked one of the hotels on the square and thoroughly enjoy the more relaxing and quiet retreat after a day in Amsterdam. We became friends with the fries maker around the corner and carried our fries into a little wine bar across the street. The town itself has a couple of great museums and old homes to visit. The ice cream shop in the cathedral was great. Even the red light district is very tame compared to Amsterdam. The two restaurants facing the square were as good as any we found in Amsterdam. We just found it very handy and convenient for seeing that area.

Sounds like apartment listings should tell whether or not there is a resident cat for those who prefer no rodents
!

Last visit to AMS we stayed outside of the city center at the Mercure Hotel, about 45 minutes away if you count walking to the light rail station and the ride in. This year we've opted for a B&B 10 minutes from the central station so after touring around on foot when we want to take a break or rest up before going out to dinner our room is just steps away. YMMV.