Amsterdam lodging
 

Hello,
We (family of 4 -girls 19 and 15) will be in Amsterdam for 4 nights in mid July. We are looking for a safe neighborhood to stay in. Ideally would like to keep it about $450/night or less if possible. We plan to visit Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh museum if that helps. Is an apartment or hotel the better option? Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks
Robert

Did you want two rooms or want annoyingly large (impossible in Amsterdam!) one room for collectively $450 or less?

You do not say which dollars you want the price in.
I would suggest you go here. Booking.Com
Use the filters to choose the right facilities for you.
Read the reviews you will find a lot more on booking.
Public transport is very good. The tourist area is compact enough to be walked with ease.
Every city will have dangers, so what do you mean by safe?
https://www.expatica.com/nl/moving/l...-safe-1126952/

Thanks for the replies. I guess it doesn't matter if it's one or two rooms. Is the budget of $450 US (425 Euros) reasonable? I understand that there are bad parts of every city, I guess I was wondering if there was a certain neighborhood to avoid. We want to feel safe and comfortable walking around, that's all.

When we were there, we didn't want to stay in the inner canal ring because of the noise and crowds. We stayed in the Vondelpark area, it was a very quiet, neighborhood feel but still with restaurants nearby. It was walkable to the Van Gogh museum and very near a tram stop. Where we stayed would be out of your budget for 2 rooms, which I would recommend for the extra bathroom and closet space, but there are many others nearby. Have fun!

We have stayed at both an inner ring location and closer to Vondelpark and were happy with both. You might try the Hotel Fita but I think it may be over your budget.

Last time there we stayed way out from the centre and came in by tram (24 hour tickets are dirt cheap) which meant we got great deals on large rooms.
The time before we stayed in the centre and paid a lot for very small rooms. The good thing about being further out is the variety of food available seems to treble and you can always jump on a tram to go to another zone to eat there. There is something nice about eating next to a canal in an almost suburban setting and be on a tram line 5 minutes from your rooms
Do recognise that there are bicycles everywhere and they take priority in their own lanes, the odd step backwards to look up at a building could hurt a number of people, so stay awake, don't walk around with buds in your ears watching Youtube

I'd go outside of Amsterdam, to Haarlem, Leiden or Utrecht, preferably Utrecht. Cheaper, more choice within budget for your purposes. The city isn't overrun with tourists like Amsterdam is, and is more charming than Amsterdam too. Everywhere in the centre is safe.

Thanks for the suggestions.
KTtravel - Hotel Fita looks nice. It is a little more than I wanted to pay, but with breakfast included (if you book direct) it might not be such a bad deal. ~thanks

When we were at the Hotel Vita, the breakfast was delicious and plentiful although I think the hotel has changed ownership. It looks like they have a family room - you might email them directly to check on the prices (and mention a friend recommended the hotel.) Although other locations (Haarlem, Leiden, etc.) are lovely, I wouldn't stay there if visiting Amsterdam is your goal. There is quite a bit to do and see in Amsterdam.

I agree, stay in Amsterdam, I think your girls would enjoy it a lot more

I wonder why. Utrecht is a student city and - I think- better geared to this demographic. The things "happening" in Amsterdam are happening for people who like to go to the RLD and smoke themselves silly. Cities that are not Amsterdam are far less stressful and the price to quality ratio will be much, much better.

The places we want to visit are in Amsterdam (mentioned in my original post). If we were to stay in a different location, would it be easy to head to Amsterdam to see Anne Frank's house, the Van Gogh museum, and the Rijksmuseum? The cost for 4 of us traveling back and forth would need to be considered. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it.

A quick search shows the price for a one way ticket from Utrect to Amsterdam for about $10 USD. With 4 of us that means a total of $80 each time we head into Amsterdam. Plus the 2 hours on the train. Does that seem correct?

Last summer our boys were 16 & 19 and we had an amazing time in Amsterdam! We all heartily recommend staying in the DE PIJP neighborhood - the markets, restaurants, walkability and safety were wonderful, and public transportation made it so easy to get anywhere we wanted to go. You can walk to the museum quarter easily, and we found so many special food and drink spots in the neighborhood. Love De Pijp!

Sir Albert Hotel: We used "points" rather than paying directly, so I cannot see exactly what we paid, but I think it was in your budget range. We had two rooms, which were not large, but were totally comfortable and gave us some space away from the teenagers! :-)

p.s. We took a day trip to Utrecht and enjoyed it but were SO glad we stayed in Amsterdam, and in DePijp specifically.

Hi Robert.
We are three adults staying at the Badhuis B&B in Tuindorp Oostzaan, a neighborhood just northwest of Amsterdam centre. A free ferry will take 14 minutes from NDSM pier 3 to the city centre. We booked through VRBO.

https://g.co/kgs/6QwXgE

Not trying to convince you, but Utrecht - Ams is 20 minutes and the money you spend on train fare you'll have saved on hotel charges. Amsterdam is outrageously expensive and your $450 won't get you as far as you hope or wish. And I really think you'd embrace Utrecht in its own right too. Same goes for Leiden or Haarlem by the way.

Look around on booking too, to see just how large the price difference is. More than €80, I can assure you.