The best hotels in Amsterdam, by Time Out travel experts

Best for: The best stay in the city

Amsterdam has always had beautiful hotels. But, this new kid on the block might teach the old cronies a thing or two. At The Rosewood, everything is immaculate. A contemporary, wood-varnished lobby greets you on entry. But what really steals your heart about this place isn’t the design or the grandeur; it’s the warmth. By the end of my stay, the staff were greeting me by name. 

Rooms are nothing short of massive. Decorated in cool tones, they come complete with Dyson air wraps, Votary toiletries and rain showers. The beds themselves are dressed in 600-thread-count Rivolta Carmignani linen and are some of the most comfortable we've ever tested. Everything is pure luxury: the mini bar is stocked full of premium spirits and downstairs you'll find a spa, 12 metre swimming pool and a sauna and steam room.

Food, as expected, is heavenly. Eeuwen, the main restaurant, seats up to 125 and features a seasonal menu that changes every six to eight weeks, while Advocatuur is focused on Indian sharing plates served from its two authentic tandoor ovens. 

News of The Rosewood's brilliance has clearly spread around the city, too. At The Court – the hotel’s lively all-day hub for coffee and food, locals sit alongside guests and know the staff personally. It makes sense: who wouldn't want a piece of Amsterdam's hottest new hotel? 

Time Out Tip: Don’t miss a private canal tour on the hotel’s open-topped Salon Boat. 

Address: Prinsengracht 432-436, 1017 KE Amsterdam, Netherlands

Price per night: From approximately €800 per night, with seasonal deals and offers.

Closest transport: Vijzelgracht metro station; 10-minute bike ride to Amsterdam Centraal Station; nearby bus and tram stops

Best for: the best budget stay

Tucked just off the leafy edge of Vondelpark, Park Plaza Vondelpark is calm, low-key and full of small, thoughtful touches. There’s no concierge whisking away your luggage, but the staff are friendly, funny and genuinely helpful, striking that perfect balance between informal and efficient. The 102-room hotel feels much smaller than it is, with entrances hidden below street level and glass corridors leading to the rooms – all part of its secret-garden charm. Facilities are minimal, but smart: a small gym, a compact bar and well-priced bike hire. Skip the spa expectations, though in-room treatments are an option if you’re after a massage. What this place does best is provide a comfortable, quiet base for exploring.

Rooms come in a range of sizes, from Cosy to Suite, all designed in sleek neutrals with soft bedding, rainfall showers and Nespresso machines. Deluxe rooms and suites with park or garden views are worth the upgrade – they feel more like your own Amsterdam apartment, especially if you get a terrace. Everything’s compact yet cleverly designed, with remote-controlled blackout curtains and that signature Park Plaza polish.

Tozi Amsterdam, the on-site Italian restaurant, is lively and well-loved by both locals and guests. Breakfast (extra unless included) runs from 6–10am. But most of all? The location is unbeatable if you want greenery and calm without sacrificing convenience. Cycle or tram to the city centre, wander into Jordaan for bars like Café De Nieuwe Lelie, or stock up on cheese at Kobunder Kaas nearby. With Vondelpark right outside, Park Plaza offers all the charm of local living – minus the chaos.

Time Out tip: Stroll five minutes to Kobunder Kaas, my favourite cheese shop in Amsterdam. It’s not as touristy as some of the ones in central, but they’ll still vaccuum-seal your chosen gouda for the plane home. 

➡️ Discover more of the best budget hotels in Amsterdam

Address: Koningslaan 3, 1075 AA Amsterdam, Netherlands

Price: Starting at around €100 per night

Closest transport: Valeriusplein tram stop is a three-minute walk, Emmastraat bus stop is five minutes, and has a direct 20-minute bus (397) to Schiphol Airport.

Best for: Living like a local

The July - Boat & Co isn’t your typical Amsterdam hotel. Step through its glass-and-wood doors in Houthaven and you’re met not by a lobby but by a working barbershop – a fitting sign of what’s to come. This friendly aparthotel blends daily life and design-led comfort, sitting quietly on the water in Amsterdam’s northwest. The open-plan ground floor doubles as a bar, restaurant and co-working space, filled with locals and guests lounging, eating or working under warm light and tall windows.

Part of the new generation of aparthotels, Boat & Co nails the balance between freedom and service. The building nods to the area’s dockland heritage, with bold brickwork, eco materials and solar panels. Houthaven itself, a former timber harbour turned climate-neutral district, is all clean lines, bike paths and water views (and quietly up-and-coming). Instead of rooms, Boat & Co offers fully equipped studio apartments and larger family options. Each comes with a kitchen, living space, and dining table that doubles as a desk. Interiors mix teal, sand and wood with vintage-style furniture. Everything feels designed for longer stays, whether that means a night, a week or even longer.

Service is warm and unfussy – staff know the city inside out and strike just the right tone. Facilities include a well-equipped gym, yoga studio, spa with sauna and steam room. Houthaven may be off the main tourist trail, but that’s its charm. Cafés, water views and Westerpark’s cultural hub are all close by, and the centre’s only ten minutes away by bike. Stylish, spacious and sustainable, The July – Boat & Co delivers Amsterdam living at its most relaxed and real.

Time Out tip: A huge win at this hotel is free bike rental for the duration of your stay. You heard us: totally free!

Address: Revaleiland 500, 1014 ZG Amsterdam, Netherlands

Price: from €200 per night, with some seasonal deals

Closest transport: 10-minute bike ride to Amsterdam Centraal Station; nearby bus and tram stops

Best for: Once-in-a-lifetime levels of luxury

When you picture your trip to Amsterdam, De 9 Straatjes (the nine streets) is probably the district you had in mind: full of cyclists and boutiques and stroopwaffels and beautiful tall buildings lined up along the canal. You’re in the thick of it for sightseeing (and snacking), and also near strings of bars, good restaurants, and coffeeshops, if you’re so inclined. Still, you can’t imagine The Dylan until you’ve seen it in real life. This luxury boutique hotel, tucked away behind a gate and sandwiched between canals, is home to just 41 rooms, which have a slightly Tardis-esque way of being much, much bigger than you imagine they’ll be. They range from spacious double rooms to luxury suites, across the hotel’s Original and Serendipity buildings. All rooms are beautifully clean and decked out with Aesop soap, coffee, tea, and a minibar, with varying views out onto the courtyard and beyond.

The superior suites are particularly special, with some featuring loft-style designs that span two floors and are characterised by exposed beam ceilings. There’s a 24-hour concierge number and room service for breakfast in bed – or pastrami sandwiches and chicken burgers (more suited to your second dinner after a few drinks, perhaps). 

But for your first dinner, head to The Dylan’s restaurant OCCO, which looks out over its courtyard (in summer, you can dine out on the terrace, but we weren’t so lucky). Go for the house wine if you know what’s good for you; it comes from The Dylan’s own winery, and it’s perfectly light to pair with food. The langoustine is herby and fresh, and the bouillabaisse is well-seasoned with just the right hit of citrus. Finish with the chocolate eclair. Or, opt for Vinkeles, The Dylan’s second restaurant, which has a private room bookable for 14, and just earned its second Michelin star. This is one for your special occasions.

Time Out tip: Have the perfect day by renting one of The Dylan’s bikes, cycling to Vondelpark and stopping for a coffee, spending a few hours at Anne Frank Huis, and then heading to the world-famous Winkel 43 for its apple pie and cream.

Address: Keizersgracht 384, 1016 GB

Closest transport: Keizersgracht tram stop (1, 2, 12, 17)

Best for: Exceptional service and serious scenery

Occupying a whole block between two of the city’s most beautiful canals (so special they’re a UNESCO World Heritage site), the hotel has stitched together these restored Dutch houses to form a three-dimensional maze of rooms, suites, atmospheric bars, restaurants, ostentatious sculptures, winding corridors and leafy courtyard gardens – the immersive world of the Pulitzer. This place is truly an architectural marvel: think Hogwarts or Gormenghast, but with more Dutch gables. From the moment you check in, the hotel team (numerous, uniformed and assiduous yet relaxed) go above and beyond to make sure you’re completely taken care of. Need a rental bike, a taxi with a kid’s car seat, a boat ride, a firmer pillow, a late checkout, a midnight Negroni? Nothing is a problem.

Rooms vary tremendously, each different thanks to the idiosyncrasies of the mash-up of buildings – from ‘classic’ attic rooms through to the ‘Art Collector’s Suite’ with its own private entrance and art collection. Our advice is that if you’re going to splurge on a luxury stay in this amazing location, it’s worth paying a bit extra for a canal view. Our regular room with a view of nothing much was as comfortable as you could wish, but didn’t have the same sense of spectacle or wonder that pervades the rest of the hotel.

For breakfast, there’s polished brasserie Jansz, sitting in an enviable corner spot right on a canal, with huge sash windows. It’s also the obvious choice for dinner, but we found the quality of cooking was actually a notch higher at the more relaxed Pulitzer Garden lobby restaurant, where they dish up lobster linguine and burrata-and-tomato casarecce with a smile. The hotel is also right next to the wildly picturesque Jordaan, with its cute backstreets and hidden bars. In fact, it’s easy to walk pretty much anywhere in central Amsterdam from here, although there are bikes to borrow if you want to go further afield.

Time Out tip: To get a different perspective on the city, take advantage of the Pulitzer’s boat tours.

Address: Prinsengracht 315-331, 1016 GZ

Price: From £350 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Westermarkt tram stop

Best for: Modern glamour, with old-school vibes

Stepping into the atrium of The Conservatorium, it’s immediately apparent that this is a very special hotel indeed. Rich red brickwork meets sharp glass angles, heritage details fit snugly among silky modern luxury; from the fittings and furniture to the architecture, wherever you look, something catches your eye. The Conservatorium’s sense of occasion is tied to the building’s history. Many of its cavernous halls date back to 1897, when it was built as a bank. In the 1980s, it became a conservatoire, and then it was reconfigured into a hotel by starchitect Piero Lissoni in the 2000s. It opened as a founding member of the luxurious Set Collection in 2011.

The Conservatorium’s rooms, appropriately for a hotel inhabiting a building of many previous lives, vary massively – yet they share plenty of common ground. Whether one is in the basic ‘deluxe room’ or the three-floor, roof-terrace-boasting ‘I Love Amsterdam’ suite, well-proportioned rooms boast plush beds, spacious bathrooms, bountiful storage and thoughtful, refined décor. The essentials – bed, space, storage, bathroom, toiletries – are all faultless. Little touches of Dutch-ness (decorative clogs, a Van Gogh coffee table book, Delftware ceramic plates) were unsubtle but still tasteful, restrained. Beyond the room, breakfast (served in the Lounge) was high-calibre and the staff were as helpful and delightful as they could be.

The Conservatorium is in Amsterdam’s Museumkwartier (Museum Quarter) and quite literally over the road from both the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum. That means it’s ideal for museums, obviously, but it’s also in a sweet spot for exploring the rest of the city. You’re close enough to the inner canal ring to walk to all of it, but far enough for peace and quiet – and you’re also near great eating and drinking neighbourhoods like De Pijp and Oud-West. 

Time Out tip: Indulge in the spa. Access is free for all guests, so make the most of it!

Address: Van Baerlestraat 27, 1071 DB

Closest transport: Van Baerlestraat tram stop (3, 12, 24)

Best for: (Literally) living amongst Amsterdam’s history

There are two ways to do Amsterdam: escape the crowds or dive straight into the city’s chaos. Sofitel Legend The Grand lets you do the latter – but in complete and utter luxury. Sitting right beside the Red Light District, this five-star stay offers instant calm the moment you pass through its grand gates. A former monastery, convent and City Hall dating back to 1411, it’s steeped in history and one of only a few Sofitel Legends worldwide. Every Saturday, guests can join a guided tour through the building’s past – from royal weddings to political intrigue – a reminder that this hotel has been part of Amsterdam’s story for centuries.

The 178 rooms and suites range from classic to royal, with prices starting around €320. Décor is elegant but proudly old-school: floral wallpaper, portraits of Dutch monarchs, plush bedding and thick blackout curtains that erase the morning light. Service is exactly what you’d expect from a Sofitel Legend – polished, personal and quietly playful. Guests are greeted with champagne on arrival (and again at breakfast), and staff go above and beyond without a hint of fuss. It’s old-fashioned hospitality, but not overly stuffy. 

There are two restaurants on offer, Restaurant Bridges with a €110 tasting menu and Oriole for more affordable Mediterranean fare. On sunny days, you can dine in Sofitel’s serene, walled garden terrace – one of the hotel’s loveliest corners. Upstairs, you’ll find a sizeable pool, sauna, steam room and spa, offering massages, pedicures, facials and the likes. Most of all, Sofitel The Grand puts Amsterdam’s most iconic sights at your feet, right in the heart of the city. 

Time Out tip: Have your evening nightcap at The Flying Dutchman bar on the ground floor, serving classic Dutch beers on tap until 1am. 

Address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197, 1012 EX Amsterdam

Price: From approximately €320 per night

Closest transport: Rokin metro station, a five-minute walk

Best for: Excellent food (without extortionate prices)

In some ways, The Hoxton, Lloyd is a stark contrast to the original Hoxton, Amsterdam, which is still drawing crowds in the most photogenic bit of the city centre. This time, the hip London hotel brand has pitched up in the redeveloped Eastern Docklands – think Amsterdam’s answer to London’s Royal Docks or New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard. A calmer vibe prevails out here, and there are excellent transport links to other less touristy bits of the city, as well as Centraal Station (just a seven-minute tram ride away). It’s a surprisingly excellent neighbourhood to stay in, an escape from the crowds – and maybe some of the expense – of the city centre.

Like other Hoxton hotels we’ve stayed in, the rooms here are comfy, hip and slick, without too many frills. There are no bathtubs, robes or slippers, housekeeping comes every other day, and instead of a paid minibar, you can buy beers and snacks at reception. But the room was clean, stylish and quietly, colourfully luxurious, with a comfy bed and plenty of space for bags and bits. Like other Hoxton hotels, the food and drink are also a big draw here.

The Breman Brasserie is worth a visit even if you’re not a hotel guest, with a stunning interior: art deco chandeliers, green banquettes, sunny walls and houseplants. The menu is inspired in part by the building’s history, with Ashkenazi Jewish and Argentinian classics sitting alongside brasserie essentials (the cheeseburger is A+) and a raw bar of Dutch seafood. The quality of the breakfast, featuring latkes, bagels and pastrami, is exceptionally high. Breman’s sun-soaked terrace is worth a special shout if the weather is playing ball. And if not, you could do a lot worse than curl up in the gorgeous, wood-panelled Barbue bar, converted from the hotel’s old booking office.

Time Out tip: Hotel check-out is at noon, but if you book on the Flexy Time scheme, you can arrive and leave whenever you like, right up to midnight.

Address: Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 1019 BN

Closest transport: C van Eesterenlaan tram stop (7, 19)

Best for: A historic stay right on the water

Amsterdam has its share of historic hotels, but none can boast the legacy of the Doelen. The oldest hotel in the Dutch capital and a designated national heritage site, it’s here in the old banquet hall that Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – one of the world’s most famous paintings – was first displayed, way back in the seventeenth century. While you’ll now find it hanging a ten-minute tram ride away in the Rijksmuseum, a copy of the original is still proudly displayed in the hotel’s Rembrandt Suite. The entire hotel is modelled after the Dutch master, notably so in the on-site restaurant Omber, where the crockery, menus and even the flowers are all the same shade of deep orangey-brown (apparently Rembrandt’s favourite colour to paint with). The food, we’re told, is influenced by seventeenth-century Dutch flavours, which mostly translates to a lot of pickling and smoking (in other words, delicious).

The lobby could do with a hint of the restaurant’s dark-toned moodiness. It’s almost garishly opulent, coldly lit by a huge crystal chandelier, with ornate gold swirls bordering the walls and enormous vases of flowers, which look somewhat stiff and staged. But the rooms and suites are much less stuffy. Our canal-facing suite was the perfect mix of understated and sophisticated, simply decorated with quality furniture, complete with a plush king-sized bed. The best bit? The huge marble-floored bathroom with his-and-hers sinks and a free-standing tub. The Doelen was taken over by luxury hotel group Tivoli in 2023, and rooms are decked out with their trademark fluffy towels, robes and slippers. Bliss.

Location-wise, you couldn’t really do better: the hotel takes up an entire corner of the canal, and it’s minutes away from Dam Square, De 9 Straatjes, and, of course, the Rembrandt House Museum, where the Dutch master lived and worked. The hotel’s sprawling Neo-Renaissance building is just as worthy of a photo as all those classic skinny canal houses (keep that in mind before you get changed with the curtains open). 

Time Out tip: It’s all about the canalfront setting here, so if you can get a window seat at the restaurant – or, better yet, a canal-facing room – you’re doing it right.

Address: Nieuwe Doelenstraat 26, 1012 CP

Closest transport: Rokin subway station

Best for: Immaculate design

It’s impossible to stay at The Hoxton without feeling an overwhelming urge to take every single part of it back home with you. By the end of our stay, my wishlist of things to buy when I got back to the UK included tables, chairs, telephones, tiles, the light above our bed and the loo roll holder in the bathroom. The whole place is like something out of Elle Decoration. This attention to detail isn’t limited to design either – it extends to the bicycles that you can take for a spin around the city, the map in your room that features decent places to eat and drink nearby, the super-friendly receptionists and the little breakfast bag that gets hung on your door in the morning so that you’ve got something to take the edge off your rumbling belly. In other words, these guys have put some serious thought into all of the little things that combine to make a hotel stay special.

As with The Hoxton’s other hotels over in London, you’ll probably find yourself spending as much time in the bar and restaurant as in your room. There’s a double-height ceiling that reaches through to the second floor of the building and makes the whole space feel roomy, while the soft lighting and plump armchairs make it dangerously easy to spend an entire afternoon in here with a glass of wine and a book instead of seeing the sights.

If you do decide to get out and about, you’ll find yourself in the middle of De 9 Straatjes, which is a fine area for a mooch – HAY is a good place to start if you’re into Scandi design – along with plenty of little cafes. Later on, pop to the Pulitzer for a drink in their fabulously plush bar.

Time Out tip: Don’t miss the photo booth that’s tucked away at the top of the stairs opposite the entrance. You may not be able to take the place home with you, but at least you can get a little memento.

Address: Herengracht 255, 1016 BJ

Price: From £347 per night based on two adults sharing

Closest transport: Dam tram stop

Best for: The artsy side of Amsterdam

If you haven’t worked it out from the name, art’otel Amsterdam is all about the creative side of life – and it doesn’t take its concept lightly. Throughout this city-centre hotel, you’ll find 120 sculptures by Atelier Van Lieshout, making up a massive concept artwork inspired by the theme of life and death. It’s not for everyone – there’s a lamp imitating a giant phallus, and make sure to check out the peculiar but fun giant sperm installation in the centre courtyard – but it sure makes for a statement. And if that’s not enough creativity for you, there’s also a gallery in the basement with a resident artist.

The rooms follow a similar suit, each having its own unique artwork and bold décor featuring jazzy purple lighting, gold sculptures in the bathroom and pops of primary colours. Props for kitting out each room with all the tech you could need, including a sizeable flat-screen TV (with Chromecast), a Bluetooth Marshall speaker and an Illy espresso machine.

art’otel has the full shebang for a chic city break: there’s a great bar, Arca, a fabulous Portuguese and Asian fusion restaurant from Henrique Sá Pessoa, and a serene Finnish sauna and swimming pool. What more could you need for a ’Dam good weekend? Right in the thick of it by Centraal Station and the red-light district, this is a pretty ideal base for any trip to Amsterdam. Within five minutes, you can be wandering through the frankly gorgeous canals or at Dam Square. You’re in the vicinity of all your museums and culture – it’s only a 15-minute walk to the Anne Frank house (make sure to book in advance) – but also to all the fun stuff Amsterdam has to offer.

Time Out tip: Don’t miss out on Amsterdam Noord. Walk five minutes from the hotel to the complimentary 24-hour NDSM ferry that will whizz you across the River IJ. Here you’ll find STRAAT, top-tier techno clubs, a cafe-slash-bar-slash-skate park and much more. It’s even better explored by bike, which you can rent at the hotel and take over on the ferry.

Address: Prins Hendrikkade 33, 1012 TM

Closest transport: Amsterdam Centraal train station

Best for: A splashy stay in a top location 

Though the Krasnapolsky has only been in Anantara’s hands since 2018 (with the rebrand launching in 2022), the hotel has been hosting visitors since way back in 1856. It began as a coffee house, and today boasts a staggering 402 rooms, but the brand has made sure to dot this huge hotel with little nods to its history. 

The rooms range from deluxe options to premium terrace suites. While the decor is simple and the sheer number of beds, hallways, and windows could easily make the Krasnapolsky feel generic, there’s so much pride taken in the building’s past that it really does have personality. We learned that Adolph Wilhelm Krasnapolsky was the hotel’s founder, but he began his career as a tailor. Now, The Tailor bar is staffed not by bartenders but by ‘tailors’ who craft a rotating menu of creative, surprising cocktails. The White Room, the hotel’s in-house Michelin Star restaurant (with a tasting menu that's an innovative hybrid of Dutch ingredients and East Asian twists – incredible), is set in a thoughtfully restored dining hall which originally opened in 1885 as ‘De Witte Zaal’. Keep an eye out for the original stained glass.

Anantara is a brand with spa-led resorts at its core, and here you can go for a steam or get a good massage in an ever-so-slightly cramped private treatment room. But one of the Krasnapolsky’s biggest draws is the ‘experiences’ curated by Anantara. They’re not cheap – a ‘Dutch gastronomy’ food walking tour starts at €380 for two people – but if you’re splashing out for a special occasion, they do marry local knowledge and Anantara-level luxury well. Have a look at a map of ‘Dam and you’ll realise you can’t really get more central than the Krasnapolsky. The west side of the hotel looks straight across Dam Square to the Royal Palace, and the east side over the canal to the Red Light District.

Time Out tip: One of the best things about Krasnapolsky’s location is that it’s a prime spot to cop a canal tour. 

Address: Dam 9, 1012 GJ Amsterdam

Price: From £480 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Dam transit stop

Best for: A tucked-away stay

You’ve probably heard of hygge, the Nordic ideal of cosy comfort. Well, the Dutch version is gezelligheid – a warm, convivial, homely feeling, which the Jan Luyken hotel serves in spades. This townhouse-style hotel aims to be your home-from-home in one of the prettiest bits of the Dutch capital. You’ll find it halfway up a drop-dead gorgeous residential street, all red brick and spreading trees, sandwiched between the cultural heavyweights of the Museumplein and the designer shops of PC Hooftstraat.

The dining room is a particular winner: once breakfast is out of the way, there’s a spread of pastries, snacks, fruit and yoghurt available day and night, plus all sorts of teas, a big coffee machine and cold water (still or sparkling) on tap. You can also pour yourself something stronger in the reception room. It’s all self-service, and perfect if you aren’t the kind of traveller who needs to be waited on, hand and foot. However, it isn’t all fabulous. The hotel's Wi-Fi went AWOL for a full 24 hours. At times, this feels like a dated property that’s been upcycled into a nice one – mostly successfully, but it’s obvious where the money has (and hasn’t) been spent.

However, there are plenty of plus points. Room rates are pretty affordable – especially for a location within spitting distance of a Louis Vuitton boutique. Lots of the rooms have handsome bay windows or even balconies, and the street-side view is beautiful (and supremely quiet – we hardly heard a single car outside). From some rooms, including ours, you can see the fantastic towers of the Rijksmuseum rising above the rooftops, barely a street away. If your main reason for being in Amsterdam is art, art, art, then Jan Luyken could be picture-perfect.

Time Out tip: There’s no restaurant at Jan Luyken, but we spotted a couple of fellow guests picking up food orders at reception to eat in the dining room – so feel free to take your pick of the local takeaways.

Address: Jan Luijkenstraat 58, 1071 CS

Closest transport: Rijksmuseum tram stop

Best for:  A convenient, cheap stay

Amsterdam is expensive, make no mistake about it. Sometimes eye-wateringly so. But fear not: Yotel has changed the game. Run by the company behind YO! Sushi, Yotel has historically made its name for quick one-night stopovers (there’s even one inside Amsterdam airport), but has since expanded to offer affordable city-centre options for longer stays. Now, there are Yotel ‘pads’ in Boston, Edinburgh, Porto and San Francisco. Yotel Amsterdam City Hotel is one of their newest ventures, located on the River IJ. Rooms are small, compact, clean and simple, with some fun techy gadgets and great views over Noord. The beds pull out of the wall, controlled by a remote control, there’s a TV with every channel you can imagine, and you can change the colour of your room on a touch-dial, for a laugh.

The Deck bar and kitchen is open all day – if you’re there in summer, make sure to grab a mimosa for the terrace overlooking the river. Oh, and order the Instagrammable salmon étagère (€65 for two); bagels, salmon tartare, wasabi creme fraiche and chive cream cheese on an afternoon tea-style rack. Once the bar is closed, you can hit the grab-and-go section in the main lobby, with crisps, ramen noodles, and even a beer tap to pour your own pint. And be sure to take advantage of their bike hire, which is free on your arrival day.

You’re in one of Amsterdam’s trendiest areas, away from the chaos and tourist hotspots of the city centre, but with plenty of bars and restaurants to discover. Don’t worry, you’re a (free) five-minute ferry from Amsterdam’s Centraal Station, so you don’t miss out on any of the fun. Spend your first morning grabbing coffee, renting a bike and getting to know the hidden gems in Noord. 

Time Out tip: For a special occasion, book a table in advance for Helling 7, a spectacular Dutch restaurant on the second floor of a restored old shipyard canteen.

Address: Asterweg 33, 1031 HM

Closest transport: Grasweg bus stop

Best for: A moody boutique stay

A design-forward boutique with depth, the Nobleman is inherently historic, featuring an array of art and antiques throughout the space, along with wooden fixtures that bring the interiors back in time in a tasteful manner. The warm-toned furniture and dark walls will create a cosy atmosphere, and the copper free-standing tubs add a touch of opulence. It’s unique without trying too hard to be, and everything feels super deluxe. All of the rooms stand on their own while remaining an identifiable part of the whole, with complementary features and all the modern conveniences you’d expect. The signature rooms are the best place to start. These gorgeously stylish creations are the dictionary definition of spacious, with views of the city that’ll have even the most cynical of tourists swooning. Elsewhere, the grand deluxe rooms are the perfect romantic getaway, while don’t be fooled by the name of the tiny double room. You’ll not be short of space there.

Best of all, the Nobleman is positioned in the city centre, so Amsterdam’s finest restaurants and attractions are never too far away. The Dutch capital is one of Europe’s most accessible cities, but it can’t hurt to place yourself smack bang in the heart of the action. The Nobleman allows you to do just that, providing the perfect opportunity to tick off the best of the city while returning for rest as and when such things are required.

A hotel can’t shine on location alone, and the Nobleman backs up its unbeatable geography with seemingly endless style and sophistication. The rooms are straight out of a romantic dream, and the service more than holds up its end of the bargain. All guests have access to the excellent spa facilities, a particularly relaxing string to an already loaded bow.

Time Out tip: If you’re visiting as part of a romantic getaway, you can book the spa for a 45-minute slot of absolute privacy.

Address: Leidsegracht 14, 1016 CK

Best for: Solo travellers

Perfect for the traveller prone to bouts of homesickness, Zoku’s short- and long-term stay concept revolves around creating customisable, home-away-from-home lofts. Each one is equipped with a kitchen, and you need only step outside your door to restock from the complimentary pantry on each floor. Zoku refers to itself as the “end of the hotel room,” and while there might be something hyperbolic about that, it is difficult to completely disagree. The concept emerged after more than 100 interviews with members of the target audience, a research process that resulted in six prototypes, which were subsequently whittled down to the award-winning loft. No stone has been left unturned here.

With the rise of the digital nomad, it was only a matter of time before something of this type took Amsterdam by storm. With Zoku, the concept and execution are perfectly in line, offering lofts available by size that will tick all the boxes for anyone looking to get things done while in the city. There are even small rooms and dormitory bunkbeds for more social travellers. Thought the hostel was dead? Think again.

The process begins with the booking. Simply choose the reason for your visit, and go about customising your loft for the perfect stay. If you stick with Zoku for 14 nights, you'll enjoy plenty of perks, creating an environment that is nearly impossible to leave once your stay is up. Long-term guests receive 15% off food and drinks, complimentary business registration at the address, a community dinner, and additional benefits. Zoku well and truly puts the guest at the forefront of the accommodation experience, ushering in a new era for hotels. Well, not a hotel exactly, this is the end of those after all.

Time Out tip: If you’re riding solo and are keen to make new friends but shacking up in a hostel doesn’t pique your interest, the rooftop bar and restaurant have an easy-going, familiar vibe that will make you want to actually move in.

Address: Weesperstraat 105, 1018 VN 

Closest transport: Weesperplein bus stop