Looking for a cheap hotel in Amsterdam? What seemed like an impossible mission is no longer! Here you'll find lots of great tips for good, cheap accommodation in Amsterdam.
We've been to Amsterdam several times, and have stayed in many different places in and around the city, but I'd never found a really good and cheap option for accommodation in Amsterdam to recommend to everyone... until our last trip there!
In September 2019, I went to Amsterdam with my mother and sister and, after much searching for a hotel that was good, beautiful and cheap, we found the Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstela real find!
I'm going to write more about the Meininger Hotel below, but I want to leave you with some other tips on hotels, hostels and houseboats in Amsterdam that you can check out too.
Another incredible and affordable choice for accommodation in Amsterdam is the Novotel Amsterdam City. This hotel perfectly combines comfort and style without breaking your bank account.
If you are looking for even more variety, you can book here >>. They offer a wide range of hotels in different price categories and, hence, provide ample options.
For those who are more interested in the ranking of hotels, you may want to check out hotels at tophotels.com. This website provides an extensive list of hotels in Amsterdam, ranked based on criteria such as comfort, location, and cost.
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Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel |
Where to stay in Amsterdam
I'll warn you straight away that Amsterdam is famous for being a city where it's difficult to find a hotel at a good price.
I've had readers write to me in despair telling me that they bought cheap airline tickets to Amsterdam and when they went to book a hotel, they almost had a breakdown because they couldn't find ANYTHING they could afford, and I know that's what it's like from personal experience!
Until last year, when people asked me where to stay in Amsterdam, I just didn't know what to say, even though I'd been to the city several times before - I didn't have a good, cheap hotel tip to offer, you know?
But that's in the past! Now I have a great tip for very good and cheap accommodation in Amsterdam, and I'll tell you all the details in this post, which also has tips for those looking for a hostel, houseboat or nice hotel.
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cheap hotel tip in Amsterdam - you won't want to stay anywhere else |
Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark hostel
I've stayed in hostels with shared rooms and/or bathrooms several times in Amsterdam. If you're travelling alone, a bed in a shared room is the best option for cheap accommodation in Amsterdam.
My favourite for value for money is the hostel Stayokay Amsterdam VondelparkIt's marvellous. I've stayed there alone, with a friend and with my mum, and they've always been excellent!
It's also a good option for families, because it has rooms for 2, 3, 4 or 6 people, with private bathrooms.
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Shared rooms at the Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark hostel |
Grand Amsterdam
The first time I went to Holland with Lipe and Peg, we simply couldn't find accommodation in a double room that suited our budget (or with a shared bathroom)!
We ended up finding a good hotel at a reasonable price in the greater Amsterdam area, in Zuidoost, and we went from there to the centre of Amsterdam by train: Tulip Inn Amsterdam Riverside.
The train was fast (20 minutes to Amsterdam Central Station). The downside was that from the hotel to the nearest train station, we had to walk 1.5km/20min.
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The Tulip Inn Amsterdam Riverside is in Zuidoost, on the outskirts of Amsterdam |
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the room was very large and the price was very good |
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view from our room at the Tulip Inn Amsterdam Riverside |
Houseboat in Amsterdam
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houseboat in Amsterdam |
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Katiane's family loved staying in this houseboat in Amsterdam |
Catalonia Vondel Amsterdam
She found the location excellent, close to Vondel Park, Museumplein and Leidseplein - from where trams leave for areas further away from the hotel.
The room and bathroom were small, but for the location, the cost, the staff and the fact that the room had a minibar, she thought it was worth it!
See her itinerary in Amsterdam here: 4 days in Amsterdam with a child
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room at the Catalonia Vondel Amsterdam |
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the Catalonia Vondel Amsterdam is very close to Vondelpark |
Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel
All of the above options are good, depending on your interests and how much you can afford, but the cheap hotel in Amsterdam that I really recommend to everyone who asks me where to stay in Amsterdam is the Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel.
We stayed there on our last trip to Amsterdam and loved it - when I return to the city, I'll definitely stay there again.
This Amsterdam hotel tip is worth gold!
The Meininger Hotel is located at 6 Julianaplein and, although it's not central, the location is ok, next to the important Amsterdam Amstel Station, where you can take the metro, trains and trams everywhere.
This is the hotel's only 'negative' point: you can't go anywhere on foot, you'll have to use public transport to get around Amsterdam. In fact, this is precisely why the Meininger Hotel is so good and so cheap - the more central hotels in Amsterdam are all very expensive and not so good.
To get from Schiphol International Airport to the Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel by train, we paid 5.10 euros. You only have to make one change on the way and you arrive at Amstel Station, which is right next to the hotel.
To get around Amsterdam, the best option is to buy the 8 euro daily pass called the GVB travel ticket - which is not valid for going to the airport or to Zaanse Schans - and which can be used infinitely over a 24-hour period on trams, trains and buses. We bought our daily passes at the hotel itself, but they are also sold at the stations.
At Amstel Station itself, next to the hotel, you can use this pass to take trams or buses to the centre of Amsterdam.
It's also easy to get from the hotel to the centre by Uber - an Uber ride from the hotel to the centre of Amsterdam costs around 8 euros. From the hotel to the Heineken Experience is around 6 euros/5 minutes by Uber. By tram it takes around 15 minutes from the hotel to the Heineken Experience.
Pretty easy, right? For us, the hotel's location didn't get in the way at all!
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the hotel is next to Amsterdam Amstel Station |
Shall we talk about prices?
We paid 62 euros per night in a triple room (with private bathroom), without breakfast.
That's WAY too cheap in Amsterdam, people! Considering we were three adults, we paid less than 21 euros per person in a private room!
You can't even find a hostel with a shared room and bathroom for that price!
Check the hotel rates for the date of your trip here: Meininger Hotel.
Breakfast at the Meininger Hotel was paid for separately (€9.90) and we didn't eat it, so I can't tell you how it is.
We used the communal kitchen that they have in the hotel available for guests to use to make coffee and we used the tables to have breakfast
Our room was great, with a double bed and another bunk bed, all with white towels and bed linen and super clean!
It was well lit, with two large windows in the room, plenty of space and several sockets for charging equipment. There was a bedside table, hangers and an extra table.
The bathroom was great, large, with shampoo, soap and a hairdryer available.
The hotel has a lift, bar, some games machines, pool and toys for children.
The 24-hour reception is very friendly - one of the staff even spoke Spanish.
The wifi internet works very well throughout the hotel.
They have a launderette for €3.60 to wash a machine full of clothes and a further €3.60 to dry them.
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reception at the Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel |
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children's play area at the Meininger Hotel Amsterdam Amstel |
The only thing I found a bit annoying was that the Mieninger Hotel's luggage storage is paid for and not included in the rate, so if you want to check out and leave your bags at the hotel, you have to pay.
What we did was leave the hotel after checking out with our bags and store them in the lockers at the central station.
The price of the lockers at Amsterdam train station was almost the same as the price of the luggage lockers at the hotel, so we didn't even have to go back to the hotel to collect our bags before going to the airport: we just took the bags that were already stored at the central station and went straight from there on the train to the airport!
So here's a tip for lockers at Amsterdam's central train station: the large locker costs 10 euros and the small locker costs 7 euros, per 24-hour period. The large locker fits 2 suitcases and the small locker fits one, so to store our 3 suitcases, we had to take 1 large and 1 small locker for 17 euros.
The hotel's underground car park costs €20/day. Quite steep, right! Amsterdam is definitely not a city for travelling by car - renting a car during your stay there will only cost you money and get in the way!
The Meininger Hotel in Amstel is a cheap hotel option in Amsterdam for both solo travellers and family travellers with several children or a group of friends, because they offer rooms for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 6 people ????