we will be in Amsterdam for 5 days in the middle of November at the end of a river cruise. Am looking for a medium priced hotel within walking distance to most of the sights. Also what sort of weather is probable at that time of year.

Weather? Cool and wet most likely.

For your hotel, Priceline NYOP works great in Amsterdam. Drop by the Netherlands forum at TripAdvisor and look for the threads called "Booking a 4 star..." and "Booking a 5 star...". You'll get all kinds of tips and info on how to get a central 4 or 5 star hotel for about $100 a night.

has anyone stayed at Hotel Aalders?

Lots of people probably.

IMO you might want to consider a hotel that is convenient to tram lines. Walking to those various places is doable and some folks love to do it but depending on the route that "walk" can be a challenge for some (cobblestones, uneven pavements, etc.)

Also it would depend on which places you are most interested in seeing. Are you thinking of a location near the river cruise ship dock?

A personal favorite, and our current go-to, is the Marriott Renaissance Hotel. It is well located for train station, canal boats, and trams. It is maybe a 10 minute stroll to the Dam Square, and perhaps 5 minutes to the shopping street.

We have also stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which is very close to the Ren, so also close to named places above. Barbizon is closer to the train station and canal boat docks. We have stayed there at least twice.

Trams are very easy to use in Amsterdam. It is an easy city to navigate from many hotel locations in the city.

thanks for the input. I would also like to hear opinions from people who have stayed at the Aalder

Aalders is well positioned for the museums, but is a longish walk, or a tram ride, away from the centre of the city. Of course P.C.Hooftstraat is the next street over for posh shopping.

I would check if they have a lift or not - Dutch stairs are not for the faint hearted or weak of knee.

The weather in November will be cool, maybe around freezing at night. It will probably be damp, rain is possible as is mist/fog. Daylight is quite short by then - less than 8.5 hours of daylight, but of course things don't shut down just because it is dark. Just be shure to plan outdoor things for earlier in the day.

Hi Ita,

We stayed at the Aalders about 4 years ago in October and loved it. It's a small, family-run hotel on a pretty residential street. It's about two blocks from both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. There is a tram stop about 100 meters from the hotel, right in front of the Rijksmuseum. The tram (Trams #2 and #5) took 10-15 minutes to get to Dam Square and another 5 minutes or so to get to Centraal Station. There are a few restaurants near the hotel, but a short walk or tram ride gets you to the Leidesplein, where there are a lot of good restaurants. I don't know what the price range is now, but it was reasonable when we were there. We really liked it and would recommend it. And yes, it does have lift!

We had a nice stay in the Torens Hotel in the Jordaan District. Close to Ann Frank House and nice restaurants. From there it is an easy walk around Amsterdam. Enjoy.

I also stayed at the Toren and enjoyed it. But FWIW, I am definitely a museum person (and a walker), and the Aalders looks good to me.