I will be making a first visit to Amsterdam soon and would like recommendations on which area of the city to base myself in. Somewhere with a good selection of bars and restaurants but not necessarily the liveliest part of town. From reading other posts it sounds as if I would like the Jordaan area - is this within reasonable walking distance of the central station as I will use this to get to/from the airport and also the Amsterdam arena.

I don't usually stay in the Jordaan but I strongly suspect it is an easy tram ride to/from the Centraal Station.

The Jordaan can be walked to from Centraal Station, however I would utilize the wonderful tram system that Amsterdam has. Although you'll still have to schlep your luggage from the tram stop to the hotel, it sure beats having to drag it the entire distance.

When you land at Schiphol and buy your train ticket into Amsterdam, also purchase your National Strippenkaart at the same time. The strippenkaart can be used on trams & buses throughout the Netherlands. When you exit Centraal Station the tram stops will be right in front of you. There are two "stands" of tram stops to choose from. The one to the right, as you exit the station, would have the tram that would take you closest to the Jordaan district, #13 or #17 - you might have to transfer to the #10 and/or #3, depending on where you are staying (tram routes are subject to change if there is construction going on, so check first before you board the tram). If you do not have a good map of Amsterdam, I would suggest a stop at the VVV, which is located across from Centraal Station, just beyond the trams.

I'm excited for you, visiting Amsterdam for the first time. I remember my first visit, and I hope that you have as much fun and adventure as I had. Happy travelling. Peace.

Robyn

Oh yea...one other thing about the strippenkaart. If you are travelling with someone, they do not need their own strippenkaart. You can both use the same one. Just make sure that you "punch the ticket" twice when you enter the tram.

The strippenkaart is divided into 15 units, or strips. It takes two strips to travel within the Centrum zone, so you would fold the ticket so the #2 strip is at the top, and insert it into the machine on the tram (as you enter the front, or in the back, where sometimes there is a human to validate your ticket). If you are travelling with someone, refold again so the #4 is on the top and punch. Your good to go for travel on the trams & buses for the next hour - you can hop off and on, just keep track of your time.

I'm not sure where the Amsterdam arena is (unless it's the Olympic Stadium), but I would think it's not in the centrum, so you would need to punch additional strips....just check with the driver. Peace.

Robyn

To add just a bit to what Robyn has said - to determine the number of strips to be punched, it's the number of zones travelled, plus one.

As you exit Centraal Station the VVV office is across the square and right next to it is the GVB bus, tram, and metro info office. The GVB office has a great map of Amsterdam showing all transport lines. It's called Snelwijzer and it's free.

The Jordaan (pronounced 'your dan') is toward the west of the central area of the city, probably about a 15 minute walk from the Dam or the station. The whole city is rather small and walkable but it is very handy to have the Strippenkaart as recommended by artstuff. I always have one in my pocket.

The arena is on metro lines 54 and 50, about 5 km south of the city center at station Blijmer. You'll definitely need a Strippenkaart. It's a new metro system but limited in usefulness, primarily to the outlying areas.

I don't think you'll want to get a hotel out by the arena. Hotels are scattered all over the city. How much do you want to spend?

Thanks to all for the replies. The information about the strippenkaart is very useful. Am planning to rent an apartment near the centre and then travel out by metro/tram when I need to. Looking forward to it.......

The Jordaan is not well served by public transport.

You might consider the Nieuwmarkt area too: it's just off the redlight district, but has more of a local feel than Jordaan, which can get pretty touristy.
Nieuwmarkt is on the metro system, which means you can take a direct train from Nieuwmarkt to the Amsterdam Arena.

Hotel Zosa is pretty cool and there are also some great appartments in the area you can rent.
SAS The Grand is nearby if you're not on a budget, and if you are, there's a Stayokay Hostel on Kloveneniersburgwal.