bmw

I will be in Amsterdam next May. Any suggestions on what part of the city I should for a hotel in?

Grasshopper

I recommend the Liedsplein or the Museum District. Both are safe, friendly, charming and nice. Stay away from the Dam or Centraal Station area. Lots of previous posts on Amsterdam hotels. If you say more about what you are looking for I will recommend a couple.

Perez

The Jordaan area is very nice with little canals and shops... We stayed at a small hotel named Nadia. The people were really nice and it was centrally located.

Eye Spy

I would avoid the Achterzijdsvoorburgwal and the Zeedijk. In Amsterdam, those areas are called De Walletjes. There are some good American-chain hotels on the Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal by Dam Square or on the Stadhouderskade or on Rokin. Smaller hotels on the Overtoom, Van Baerlestraat. Just avoid the area immediately to the left of the Centraal Station as you exit with the Damrak as the dividing line leading to Dam Square.

christine

Hotel Ambassade- beautiful 17century canal house converted to a small hotel. It was incredibly clean and well run. I took one of their bikes for the day and rode all over the city. I would highly recommend that experience. <BR><BR>

Sue

I was in Amsterdam for the first time this past summer. I highly recommend Leidseplein, Vondelpark, or the Jordaan. Calm and beautiful with plenty to do. I don't recommend "central area" near the train station, the Dam, red light district. Which to me was drowded, dirty, hectic, gray and drab.

anijs

I really like 'de Pijp', a lively, bohemian neighbourhood, called 'the quartier latin of amsterdam'. <BR>Very popular by locals. Nouveau riche, a mixture of nationalities, artists... making it a very colourfull neighbourhood with lots of little shops, restaurants, typical Amsterdam pubs, and not too forget the famous daily Albert Cuyp market, the beautifull Sarphatie Parc and the Heineken brewery.<BR>De pijp is located between Vondelpark and the museum quarter with the Stedelijk museum, van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum and the river Amstel.

hippy

In 1973 I stayed at the "Happy Hours" youth hostel. It was run by a very nice man who called himself Bill Holland. The hostel was a front for his hash smuggling operation. He showed me all the different ways he could package hash to fool the border/customs agents. It was fascinating to a small-town boy from rural Vermont. Nice place, too.

Greg

Mr hippy, I'm quite sure I stayed at the same place summer '74...did Bill bring coffee and rolls to your bedside (bunkbeds I recall)? Did he offer &quot;tea and hash&quot; at 2:00 pm every day? and did he put little flat pieces of hash into greeting cards and send to the States? Bill was a great person, took a few of us on a drive to the countryside one day...still have fond memories after all these years...

Danna

Hippy and Greg. As they say &quot;Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end, forever and a day.&quot;

Danna

Hippy and Greg et. al, at least Amsterdam remains as fun to visit in our adulthood as ever!

Lucifer

Just think - now your daughters and sons are able to go over there and enjoy the same kind of &quot;fun&quot;.

mauld

I'm going to be in AMS at the end of Dec for just one night, and was looking for something in the Jordan area. Cost is not really a factor (as it's only one night)--but I was looking for something new/funky-ish. Any ideas???

Mart

Why not stay in De Pijp. A neighbourhood with dozens of nice restaurants, trendy bars and shops.<BR>It is close to museum quarter, Vondelpark, Leidseplein, river Amstel, in <BR>Check out this website for accommodation in that area:<BR>http://home.tiscali.nl/amsterdam<BR>