18 hours in Amsterdam
October 8, 2024 12:52 PM
What neighborhood (hotel/bnb) in Amsterdam should I stay in, for one night, for maximum chill vibes?
I have the opportunity to create a layover in Amsterdam for 18 hours, from a Monday afternoon->tuesday morning, transferring from a business meeting in central Amsterdam to the airport the next morning. I will be coming off a full week of intensive business meetings, and will be traveling to Italy for a mix of work and pleasure afterwards. This is my chill/reset “me” day. I require a private room, decent restaurants in the neighborhoods (I eat most foods) for dinner, and hopefully some nice strolling and some light shopping.
It’ll be early November, so I’m hoping it’ll be delightfully moody, and am unbothered by rainy weather. I love knitting, cheese, and am always interested in fashion.
Bonus question: as tall, large person, I know that any shopping I do on this trip most likely will need to happen in Amsterdam, and would love any recommendations for independent shops that cater to a business goth aesthetic.
Budget is not immaterial, but would love to keep it to the sub €250 range for one night if possible.
I have the opportunity to create a layover in Amsterdam for 18 hours, from a Monday afternoon->tuesday morning, transferring from a business meeting in central Amsterdam to the airport the next morning. I will be coming off a full week of intensive business meetings, and will be traveling to Italy for a mix of work and pleasure afterwards. This is my chill/reset “me” day. I require a private room, decent restaurants in the neighborhoods (I eat most foods) for dinner, and hopefully some nice strolling and some light shopping.
It’ll be early November, so I’m hoping it’ll be delightfully moody, and am unbothered by rainy weather. I love knitting, cheese, and am always interested in fashion.
Bonus question: as tall, large person, I know that any shopping I do on this trip most likely will need to happen in Amsterdam, and would love any recommendations for independent shops that cater to a business goth aesthetic.
Budget is not immaterial, but would love to keep it to the sub €250 range for one night if possible.
Jordaan has some quiet streets, proximity to good restaurants and shops, and it would be my first recommendation for a neighborhood to stay in — but if you really want to avoid the central city you might consider Jan Luijkenstraat between Hobbemastraat and Van Baerlestraat. Despite being right near the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum and containing a few small hotels, it's actually surprisingly quiet and has a residential feel. The 397 Airport Express bus goes right to it from Schiphol. There's not much foodwise on that particular street but Amsterdam is so compact you're not a long walk/tram/bike from lots of places.
posted by theory at 3:49 PM on October 8
posted by theory at 3:49 PM on October 8
We stayed here when we visited Amsterdam in 2023 and loved it. Adorable room, De Pijp neighborhood, lots of restaurants, easy to get places. Very enjoyable.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:05 PM on October 8
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:05 PM on October 8
I second somewhere in the De Pijp neighborhood, it's slightly outside of the central touristy fray, but also an easy walk to museums or tram ride to center, lots of funky indie shopping last time I was there. I've stayed at the Sir Albert hotel a few times and it's got that classy Euro vibe that I enjoy.
However as theory noted, the city is so compact and walkable (and the public transportation so easy) that you shouldn't try to hard to find the "perfect" spot, its easy to find something interesting in a 10-15 minute walk anywhere..
posted by jeremias at 7:09 PM on October 8
However as theory noted, the city is so compact and walkable (and the public transportation so easy) that you shouldn't try to hard to find the "perfect" spot, its easy to find something interesting in a 10-15 minute walk anywhere..
posted by jeremias at 7:09 PM on October 8
Amsterdam can roughly be divided into three sections: Crazy, Lively and Residential. You want the second category, it sounds like.
Crazy is anywhere inside the very center, the Red light district, the Dam etc. Basically the area bounded by the Singel in the West and NieuwMarkt in the East.
Lively is anywhere inside where Tram 3 runs that is not also Crazy. This includes the canal districts, Jordaan, Oude Pijp, etc. It doesn't matter much where, as others have said. Although I'd say to not go much to the East of the Amstel river. Amsterdam is really tiny and walks in these lively areas are extremely pleasant. The shopping street you want is probably Utrechtsestraat which is in the canal district just north of De Pijp.
(Lively includes parts of Noord (North of the river) but this can be a tough area to navigate for a newcomer.)
Residential (and also Business) is outside of that Tram 3 ring. Definitely sleepier but with interesting pockets of liveliness for those with a lot more time to explore.
posted by vacapinta at 1:50 AM on October 9
Crazy is anywhere inside the very center, the Red light district, the Dam etc. Basically the area bounded by the Singel in the West and NieuwMarkt in the East.
Lively is anywhere inside where Tram 3 runs that is not also Crazy. This includes the canal districts, Jordaan, Oude Pijp, etc. It doesn't matter much where, as others have said. Although I'd say to not go much to the East of the Amstel river. Amsterdam is really tiny and walks in these lively areas are extremely pleasant. The shopping street you want is probably Utrechtsestraat which is in the canal district just north of De Pijp.
(Lively includes parts of Noord (North of the river) but this can be a tough area to navigate for a newcomer.)
Residential (and also Business) is outside of that Tram 3 ring. Definitely sleepier but with interesting pockets of liveliness for those with a lot more time to explore.
posted by vacapinta at 1:50 AM on October 9
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posted by /\/\/\/ at 2:38 PM on October 8