Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
If you've come to Amsterdam to enjoy the arts, then you should book a room in this quarter, home to all the city's top museums. Also here is the city’s most exclusive shopping strip, while the lovely green Vondelpark is just to the west. Little wonder that this area has been colonized by a large selection of mid-range hotels, with a couple of luxe and budget options thrown into the mix.
The rooms at this early-20th-century house opposite the Concertgebouw are more simple than stylish, but they're spotless, featuring neutral tones and photographs of famous jazz and pop musicians. They also come in a range of sizes, with single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms. The main museums are within walking distance, and the Jordaan is only a few tram stops away.
These two 18th-century buildings on leafy Jan Luykenstraat (yes, that’s where the name comes from!) may look traditional, but in the lounges and guest rooms everything is stylishly contemporary, with Dutch art on the walls, colorful wallpaper, and natural fabrics. Among the many amenities are great showers, a courtyard garden, and an honesty bar where guests can help themselves to a drink or snack; all of the well-appointed executive rooms contain Jacuzzis with built-in TVs.
Named for the leafy residential street on which it's located, a stone's throw from the Leidseplein, Vondelpark, luxe shopping areas, and major museums, this is a good choice for travelers who want to be near everything but not in the midst of the madness. Owner Arjen van den Hof's zest for modern art shows up throughout the hotel, including in the guest rooms. Some bathrooms have flat-screen TVs and sometimes a Jacuzzi tub. There's also a lounge opening onto a small garden.
