The best hotels in Amsterdam city centre

All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating.

Amsterdam is a village that has burst its seams, and life at its core brings its choicest attractions up close. Look out from your room over the bustle of the Dam or a dreamy canal; lounge beside a rooftop pool viewing historic gables; or hip-hop it within a beat of the red-light district. Feel layers of history first-hand in centuries-old buildings, or enjoy quirky corners of contemporary Dutch design, savouring city moods from the quietly domestic to the august and ornate.

Plug right into the energy of the city from a hotel at its nucleus. Step out of the front door directly into the surge of Amsterdam life – through busy city markets selling rounds of cheese and bright buckets of tulips, taking in honey-sticky aromas of stroopwafels sizzling on outdoor waffle irons, and on past a snaking queue of TikTok tourists outside a trending frites stall, with a passing nod to an elderly couple out for a canal-side stroll. Here’s our pick of the best hotels in Amsterdam city centre, including the best places to stay near Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, the Dam, canal ring, Royal Palace and the red-light district.

How we review

Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.

At a glance, the best hotels in Amsterdam city centre

Best luxury hotel in Amsterdam city centre – Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Best value boutique hotel in Amsterdam city centre – The Craftsmen
Best hotel near Dam Square – Hotel TwentySeven

Seven One Seven

Amsterdam, Netherlands

8
Telegraph expert rating

A sumptuous canal-house mansion with the ambience of a grand private home, in a prime canalside location in the heart of town. You’re 10 minutes’ walk from the Rijksmuseum, and 15 from the Anne Frank House, via the popular Negen Straatjes shopping area. The hotel is somewhere to go for that special occasion, or to give yourself a real treat. The atmosphere is discreet and domestic (in a sumptuous way), with 24-hour butler service in all rooms; the crisply modern rooms gain individual flair from period furniture, designer pieces, intriguing curiosa and original art.

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£
167

per night

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• The best budget hotels in Amsterdam

Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

Erstwhile Admiralty building (dating from the 17th century), and one-time City Hall (in the 1930s), The Grand is now a luxury hotel – with a Gallic touch. It’s right next door to the Red Light District, though on an attractive stretch of canal that is comparatively quiet. You’re just a few minutes’ walk from the Dam, from where it’s a five-minute hop by tram to Museumplein (or 20 minutes walking altogether). The grand canals and Negen Straatjes shopping district are also within 10 or 15 minutes’ walk. Rooms are large, there’s an excellent restaurant, and staff are relaxed, gracious and quietly efficient.

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£
395

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• The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam

Soho House Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

Adventurous haircuts, imaginative dressers, convivial conversation: the cream of Dutch creatives roam relaxedly through this hotel, which is just a minute or two from the Dam and the Negen Straatjes shopping quarter, in the heart of town. The club spaces – a restaurant, lounge, exhilarating roof terrace, and bars – are relaxed and convivial. A private cinema, canal-view gym and easy-going, yet attentive service add to the allure. It’s a 20-minute walk to the main museums (13 minutes by tram) and 10 minutes to Anne Frank House. Centraal Station is about 15 minutes’ walk away (under 10 minutes by tram).

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£
143

per night

• Romantic Amsterdam hotels

Hotel Estheréa

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

Hotel Estheréa has an eccentric charm, created by décor that manages to be at once zany, plush, and warmly welcoming. It is perfectly situated in the midst of the canal-district, right there for shopping in the Negen Straatjes quarter and just a few minutes from most of the sights. Though large, the Estheréa offers all the engaging hospitality of an old-fashioned, family-run hotel. The rooms are deliciously over-the-top, and breakfast ranks with the best in town. Complimentary tea, coffee, flavoured waters and sweet snacks are available in a corner of the lounge all day.

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£
207

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• The best design hotels in Amsterdam

The Hoxton, Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

Having honed the formula in London’s Shoreditch and Holborn, The Hoxton brings stylish interiors, buzzing public spaces and slick service to a row of five historic canalside townhouses on Herengracht, one of Amsterdam’s most desirable addresses. It’s hugely popular with Amsterdammers, which gives public areas a living, happening atmosphere, rather than a feeling of transitory hotel functionality. The hotel’s location overlooking the canal puts the top attractions within walking distance, from the Anne Frank House to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Central Station is 20 minutes away on foot.

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£
238

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• The best Amsterdam hotels with canal views

The Toren

Amsterdam, Netherlands

8
Telegraph expert rating

A quiet nest of opulence with a lush décor, set across two 17th-century canal houses in convenient location for shopping, dining and sightseeing. The main museums on Museumplein are about 20 minutes away by tram. Once a low-key family hotel, the Toren has vaulted into a lavish new world. What remains in this luxurious incarnation, is the charm of personal service. Rooms are supremely comfortable, staff are genuinely charming, friendly and attentive, and although there’s no restaurant, there’s an intimate bar-lounge and a spacious garden courtyard.

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344

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• The best hotels in Amsterdam

Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

A large, though privately owned, stand-alone hotel that stretches through 25 houses, between two canals. It is a delightful warren of passages, stairways, sudden open spaces, with many an original feature intact, but with a fresh, contemporary atmosphere. Prints and paintings from the hotel’s extensive modern art collection decorate the walls. Rooms come in all shapes and sizes, with (as ever in historical Amsterdam properties) some being on the ‘cosy’ side, though others marvellously spacious. Many have fine canal views.

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£
400

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• Where to stay in Amsterdam: hotels by area

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

Waldorf Astoria is comprised of six magnificent canalside mansions converted with grace, a sensitive attitude to heritage (many 17th and 18th-century features remain), and a careful eye to contemporary luxury and style. It’s perfectly located on one of the city’s most impressive canals, within easy reach of all the sights, making it one of the best hotels in Amsterdam city centre. Classic good taste prevails in the rooms – here a Queen Anne table, there a contemporary designer coffee rest. There’s a Guerlain spa, and an indoor pool. Spectrum restaurant is arguably the best in town.

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£
713

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• An insider guide to Amsterdam

NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen

Amsterdam, Netherlands

8
Telegraph expert rating

The imposing brick façade of the NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen is found at the point where the ancient Kloveniersburgwal canal meets the River Amstel, in the very centre of town (under 10 minutes’ walk to the Dam, or to the opera house). You’re in the Canal Belt, with the red-light district pretty much on the doorstep, and the main museums under 20 minutes’ walk away. The hotel is bedecked with history (Rembrandt’s work once hung here), while the rooms are done in modern minimalism. The central location is hard to beat, with some rooms offering fine canal views. Breakfast is excellent.

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174

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• The best hotels near Amsterdam airport

Kimpton De Witt

Amsterdam, Netherlands

8
Telegraph expert rating

An Eighties building, incorporating two 17th-century houses, in a busy spot just across the way from Centraal Station. The décor is calm and contemporary, and service is brightly efficient, with thoughtful attention to detail. The restaurant serves healthy and imaginative Californian cuisine. You’re just five minutes’ walk from attractive canals (if you choose your direction carefully and head west, to Brouwersgracht), ditto from nightlife (in the other direction) and 10 minutes by tram to the major museums.

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£
241

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• The best Amsterdam hostels

Hotel TwentySeven

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

An exclusive suites-only hotel on the third to seventh floors of a 1916 building in the centre of town. Suites are spacious and the décor is sumptuous, yet the atmosphere is relaxing thanks in part to the pleasant, quietly attentive staff. The restaurant and cocktail bar rank with the best in town. It’s located in the swirling centre of the city, on the Dam almost next door to the Royal Palace. The main museums are 15 minutes away by tram (25 minutes on foot), and it is a 10-minute walk to Centraal Station (one tram stop) or to the main historic canals.

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508

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• The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam

Ambassade Hotel

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

For more than half a century the Ambassade Hotel has been a go-to hotel for Dutch publishers, and a firm favourite with authors. The hotel, which stretches through 11 canal houses has more the conviviality of a mansion belonging to a relaxed and welcoming family, than the hauteur of a grand hotel. It’s situated on a quiet stretch of one of Amsterdam’s grandest canals, the Herengracht. It’s very close to both the historic city centre and the Museum Quarter, and as such is within easy walking distance of most of the main sights and attractions.

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219

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• The best b&bs in Amsterdam

The Craftsmen

Amsterdam, Netherlands

9
Telegraph expert rating

This beautiful 17th-century building in a prime canal-side location is now a boutique hotel, done up with the historical tools and trappings of artisans. It’s located at the quieter end of the Singel, one of Amsterdam’s main canals, just 10 minutes’ walk from Centraal Station (one tram stop) and seven minutes from the Dam. The design is ingenious, and the rooms are fun to be in. The one public area – a breakfast room that is also open in the evenings for drinks and snacks – has large windows facing directly onto the canal, and has a cosy pub ambience.

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222

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Frequently asked questions

What is the most central area in Amsterdam?

Amsterdam-Centrum is the historic centre of the city, home to the Royal Palace, Dam Square, Anne Frank House, Oude Church and the Red Light District. Close to Amsterdam Central station, the area is full of bars, restaurants and affordable accommodation. Amsterdam-Centrum is enclosed by the Canal Ring, a 17th-century network of waterways.