Really stellar planespotting. The food is okay. Love that Biscoff & Stroopwafel are available (repping Delta & KLM). Check out large model of the Space Expedition SXC spaceship just inside reception.
Not as sketchy a station as you'd expect. Trams are immediately outside. Heading to the airport? Stop into the Albert Heijn for some cheap snacks & smoothies for the ride.
Usual Andaz goodies (like free wifi, free minibar) but designed to high heaven by Marcel Wanders. Kinda sucks that all the standard rooms face inside the atrium lobby. Canal views are premium rooms.
Just about the nearest I've ever gotten to pretending I'm in the Amsterdam of 100 years ago. Try the Tannenzäpfle Pils if you like Heineken but want to change it up.
Has a reputation for serving up the best Dutch Apple pie slices. It's true, but make sure they heat them up before you eat. They ran out of fresh mint tea. Who runs out of this in Amsterdam!?
Gorgeous hotel for an equally appealing low price. Free WiFi. Run by hospitality students, so service is extra attentive. Quick walking distance to the Museumplein & de Pijp
Just about the quietest place to work. Grab a coffee or juice & have a seat. Wifi is free to member of the library (so, not me) or 1 Euro for 30 minutes. The middle oval table is for newspaper reading
Variety of goods is cheap; come for fresh produce and the scene. Great cafes in the area.
Really affordable breakfast & great for solo travelers. Massive eggs Benedict is 7.50.
OMG. Okay these french fries (sorry, Pommes) were SO FREAKING TASTY. Don't expect staff to get off their cell phones to serve you.
The Rijksmuseum line is probably ridiculously long, so this is where you can take the touristy snapshots you need for your Facebook bragging.
Line is long for brunch on a Sunday morning, but the space is large and wait shouldn't be longer than 20 minutes. Get a sandwich. And a scone (lime mint!). And the fresh mint tea.
WHOA. This place is an art deco fan's DREAM. Spend time in the bar, chat up the bartender, and ask him to show you the wine cellar, which used to be the money vault for the shipping companies.
It's like the Chipotle of pasta. Decent, hot meal packaged for easy to-go travel when you're heading out on a train.
Looks normal in the daytime, turns into a pedestrian parade of gawkers at night. Still, you must walk through it once. Take a photo of the girls in the windows & their handler will ask for money.
Excellent restaurant for dinner and well enough outside the tourist zone to find good, hearty food for a reasonable price.
One night is not enough to explore all nooks. Free WiFi all over the place, cool "cultural embassy" rooms above the restaurant for getting work done. Rooms in the eaves are drafty & hallways creepy.
Excellent location, excellent prices, excellent free wifi and breakfast (with Hagelslag!). Rent a bright orange bike or moped for the day. Get a room with a TV in the bathtub.
One of the most expensive hotels, but for good reason. Rooms are very comfortable, service is personalized and exceedingly professional, minibars are custom & guest public spaces are luxurious
Perhaps my favorite place to eat & hang out in Amsterdam. It's massive & funky, with a front bar, large central dining & work room, and back terrace on a canal. Budget-friendly food. Heaping spaghetti
Take one of their cheese tasting courses (booze is included) to get a certificate in Dutch cheese knowledge. Then buy a wedge to take back to your hotel for a couple eves of late-night snacking.
In the middle of the Vondelpark is this cute, very casual cafe. I'd say 90% of the seating is outside, so plan for a nice day. Fresh mint tea comes with a cookie & is really ideal. Or, you know, BEER.
Free and open gallery, where everything is also for sale. Next door/above is the Dutch designer Marcel Wanders' studio.
Michelin-starred restaurant tucked into The Dylan hotel perfect for expense-account dinners with colleagues.
Pet deh kittehs. Hint: they prefer hanging out on the street level, like in the coats area and reception.
The famous handbag museum is best explored in an hour, meandering through the excellent exhibits. Be sure to have a close look at the intricately beaded bags, and the art deco lucites.
Contemporary photography is the name of the game. If the line to enter stretches out the door, don't panic. It moves quickly, unlike at the Anne Frank house.
Yeah, it's a chain restaurant but it's also good, budget-friendly food in an area that loves to take advantage of tourists.
The Fokker 100 makes some awesome shade on sunny days. Bring your camera; anyone can come up here (not just ticketed passengers)
This restaurant is just inside from the Panorama Terrace and it's all vintage aviation-themed. Best place for a real meal at AMS since it's not in an obvious location and it's pre-security.
Run by hospitality and culinary students. It used to be the gym for the boys school the hotel once was. If you're staying at the hotel, the chocolates in the room are made here.
Stay HERE if you're leaving from Amsterdam on a cruise, whether it's ocean or river cruising. This hotel is ON TOP OF the port and walking distance to Centraal Station.
Standard CitizenM functional rooms, but very modern lobby (a partnership with Vitra). Sometimes nightly rates dip below $100. Pre-purchase breakfast (choice of baked goods, OJ, cafe drink, cheese)
Vintage, but specializes in maxi or formalwear. Worth a peek if you have room in your luggage.
Like the Central Park of Amsterdam. It's worth it to rent a bike just to explore this paradise of lakes, green spaces and forested paths. In summer, it feels like whole city is out with portable BBQs.
