Amsterdam, from the canal ring to the Amstel
Amsterdam keeps its grand hotels inside the 17th-century canal ring, with one house out east, beside the Oosterpark.
Amsterdam keeps its grand hotels inside the 17th-century canal ring, with one house out east, beside the Oosterpark. Inside the ring they sit on the Herengracht and the Prinsengracht, on Dam Square facing the Royal Palace, and on the Amstel where the river meets the Muntplein. We looked at every serious address in the city and kept only those whose service holds up. Two hold five-star standing; the four beside them are four-star addresses, listed at exactly the tier they hold. Six made the cut.
Luxury hotels in Amsterdam
6 hotels
The neighborhoods
Canal Ring & Centrum
The three great canals and the old center at their core – home to five of the six hotels. The Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht were dug in the 17th century around the Singel and have been a World Heritage site since 2010. At the core stand Dam Square and the Royal Palace, with the Flower Market on the Singel; the Nine Streets and the Jordaan lie to the west, Rembrandtplein and the Amstel to the south-east.
Museumplein & Oud-Zuid
The museum square, where the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and the Concertgebouw share one lawn. It lies south of the Singelgracht, with P.C. Hooftstraat for the shops, the Vondelpark at its side and the villas and avenues of Oud-Zuid beyond. There is no hotel of ours here yet; the five on the canals are a short walk away.
Oost, Plantage & the Amstel
The green east of the city – the Plantage, the Amstel and the Oosterpark – home to one of the six hotels. The Plantage holds Artis, the zoo of 1838, and the Hortus Botanicus; the Amstel has the Magere Brug and the Carré theater on its bank. Beyond the Singelgracht lie the Oosterpark and the Wereldmuseum, the former Tropenmuseum, with the Dappermarkt a street away.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Amsterdam?
Two. The five-star hotels we list in Amsterdam are Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam and De L'Europe Amsterdam. Alongside them we keep four four-star addresses, each listed at exactly the tier it holds: Rosewood Amsterdam; Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park; Hotel TwentySeven; and Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam Hotel. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Amsterdam should I stay in?
Five of the six sit inside the canal ring – Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam in six canal houses on the Herengracht; Rosewood Amsterdam in the former Palace of Justice on the Prinsengracht; Hotel TwentySeven on Dam Square, facing the Royal Palace; and De L'Europe Amsterdam and Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam Hotel a few doors apart on the Amstel at the Muntplein. One is out east: Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park, beside the Oosterpark, a few minutes from the Plantage and Artis. Choose the Herengracht or the Prinsengracht for the canals, the Nine Streets and the Jordaan on foot; Dam Square for the center of things; the Amstel for the river, Rembrandtplein and the Flower Market; the Oosterpark for greenery and quieter streets, with the museums of the Plantage a walk away. Museumplein – the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and the Concertgebouw – is a short walk or a tram ride from all of them.
When is the best season for Amsterdam?
Spring – from late March into May – brings the tulips, Keukenhof open outside the city, the terraces back on the canals and King's Day on 27 April, when the whole city is in orange and the hotels fill months ahead. Summer is long and light, with evenings on the water until ten; it is the busiest stretch, and the canal ring is at its fullest in July and August. September and early October are mild and quieter. From November to February the days are short and often wet, but the museums are at their calmest and the Amsterdam Light Festival puts its works along the canals from late November into January. Rain is possible in any month; a coat and good shoes matter more than the calendar.
Do I need a car in Amsterdam?
No – and the canal ring is no place for one. From the Herengracht or the Prinsengracht, Dam Square, the Nine Streets, the Jordaan and Museumplein are on foot; trams and the metro cover the rest, and the city moves by bicycle, which most hotels lend or rent. Schiphol is about twenty minutes by car outside the rush hour, or fifteen by train to Centraal; the hotel arranges a driver. For Paris, Brussels and London the high-speed trains from Centraal beat the road; Haarlem, The Hague, Utrecht and Delft are half an hour to an hour away by train, and a launch along the canals is the way to see the ring from the water.
Is Amsterdam a good city with children?
Yes. Artis, the zoo in the Plantage founded in 1838, and the Hortus Botanicus are a walk from the Amstel; NEMO, the science museum on the harbor, shaped like a ship, is built for hands-on visits; the canal boats and the Vondelpark fill an afternoon, and the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum run their own routes for families. Suites with a second bedroom are the exception in canal houses, so say who is traveling when you book: Hotel TwentySeven, with its sixteen suites, and De L'Europe Amsterdam, with fifty-five, are houses built around suites.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
