aussiedreamer

So I've booked a lovely B&B in Bruges, I'm bidding on 2 nights in Brussels but when we are in Amsterdam we will have a car. We don't mind staying 'out' a little bit and catching public transport in, can anyone suggest a specific B&B (preferred) or Hotel where we can stay and park our car? Budget about 100 euro per night for the accommodation and don't want to break the bank for parking.

If anyone can suggest a place 'in' the city dh has no issue driving in European cities, its more about not wanting to spend a fortune on the parking.

Thanks.

spaarne

It's more 'out' than 'in' but you could consider the B&B Paula in Haarlem, http://tinyurl.com/hhdc4.

PatrickLondon

He might have an issue trying to drive in Amsterdam - people do, obviously, but their traffic control systems tend to be weighted against driving (and public transport is good enough to do without a car).

hetismij

Driving in Amsterdam in certainly not for the faint hearted. trams and cyclists have priority, as do vehicles - all vehicles, including bikes, from the right.
It is too easy to end up on the tram rails and not be able to get off again and suddenly be met with a tram heading towards you. Plus there is a lot of construction work and diversions going on, and it is very easy to end up completely lost.
Parking is very expensive - B&Bs in Amsterdam are very unlikely to have private parking, and not many hotels have on-site either. It costs between €40 and €60 a day normally at hotels offering parking nearby or on-site in the city centre, less the further out you go. If they are using a public car park it is often €3.60 an hour!

If you are set on driving in Amsterdam then there are booking sites which will tell you which hotels offer parking and how much it will cost.
I think Haarlem is probably a good bet for a place to stay and travel in from.
Either that or a hotel out by the WTC or Zuid As which may have parking, and will have public transport into town. Only problem then will be getting the necessary OV chip card for travelling on public transport in Amsterdam.

aussiedreamer

OV chip card? Help what is that?

hetismij

OV Chipcard - what you need to use public transport in Amsterdam and most of the rest of the country, though not yet for the trains - you can still buy paper tickets for them.

http://www.gvb.nl/english/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/?taal=en

aussiedreamer

Thanks one and all, I will look into all your suggestions. Staying 'out' might be the wisest move.

Marijke_74

My suggestion would be to stay in Abcoude. A lovely small town only 10 kilometers from Amsterdam. There is a wonderful small hotel in the countryside called Oldenhoff.

aussiedreamer

Thanks Marijke_74 I will have a look.

aussiedreamer

Looks lovely, no vacancy for our dates

Marijke_74

Maybe you can find a good suggestion on this site: http://www.bedandbreakfast.nl/plaats/Abcoude/en
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is also a cute town with a great location that's worth checking out.

PaulHahn

I drove into Amsterdam 3 years ago, to let the rest of my group out at our B&B with the luggage and such. I then drove to the nearest rental office and dropped the car off--I had an enjoyable, ambling 40-minute walk through the city to get back to the B&B. It was city driving, but it wasn't by any means white knuckles and "Oh my god" type driving.

We stayed here and enjoyed it very much:
http://www.bedandbreakfastamsterdam.com/

aussiedreamer

Thank you both,

("oh my god" type driving??????)