Accommodation

Since we started this site with an arrival in Amsterdam let's explore some basics on arrival.

Yes you can stay at a hotel. There are thousands in this city. The 5 star hotels also have a five star price tag. Celebrities may be able to afford to stay in them, millionaires may be able to stay in them, but travellers like me cannot afford to be in Europe for months at a time and also stay in hotels like this. Descending down the star listings you will come upon three and two star hotels that are certainly within a more appropriate price range but you will find them a little different from what you may expect.

Firstly, in the older parts of Amsterdam (near the Leidesplein for example) the buildings are on the canals and are always several stories high. The buildings are narrow and you will usually note a sort of block and tackle like arrangement on the top floor on the outside of the building.

It is only when you get inside that you begin to understand why these are there. The stair cases are very steep and narrow. So to get furniture into the house they have to hoist them up from the outside.

If you happen to be one of those people who have been featured a little uncharitably in the news lately, ie if you are somewhat on the largish side, you may not find these hotels suitable for your personal situation.

The rooms are small and furnished only in the most basic way.

If you are used to having an en suite bathroom and toilet and a bar fridge in the hotels and motels you stay in, get unused to it in a big hurry. This is Europe, not Australia!

Try http://www.easytobook.com/ and enter "Amsterdam" in the search engine

You can of course look for and find Bed and Breakfast homes - however these generally are not within the main locations within Amsterdam and require some commuting. At times this is a really good idea. Staying outside the old cities in Europe and commuting for 15-20 minutes to a small village on the outskirts of the town can be one of the cheaper alternatives for accommodation. Just remember to factor in the cost of the daily commute when comparing prices.

Have a look at Maes B&B for information

Then of course there are Youth Hostels. As a life member of the Youth Hostels Association I have stayed in YHA accommodation around the world and can assure you that they are usually well located, with prices that are no longer as cheap as they used to be but are generally lower than prices of two and three star hotels. You can have accommodation ranging from dormitory accommodation to private rooms if you belong to an older couple or just really prefer your privacy.

In Amsterdam I can recommend the hostel in Vondelspark which is right next door to the Rijks Museum where many of Rembrant's paintings are housed.

See Vondels Park YHA

Half the fun in hosteling is in meeting others who stay there. Sometimes you can form life long friendships with the people that you meet there - I know I have.

One step down from YHAs are the backpacker hostels. I am afraid you will have to sample them on your own as I have not had the pleasure (or otherwise) of staying in them. There are so many web sites devoted to these places that shopping around is also possible.

Try Amsterdam Hostel for example

Another alternative in some places - and Amsterdam is one of them is the caravan park.

Many have on site vans or cabins and all of them have sites where you can pitch a tent.

What I have found is that if you carry a little two person tent with you as well as a self inflating ground mat, and pillow as well as a sleeping bag then for an additional 5 kilos of weight you can have the cheapest accommodation possible. This is NOT recommended if you are travelling in winter or very early spring or very late autumn. However the rest of the year - which is when most people travel it is a really useful alternative to have available for those lovely sunny days when staying indoors is a waste of money.

In Amsterdam there is a campground called Gaasper Camping, just outside the city and capable of being reached by means of both train and car. By train it is on a spur line at its end station, so you simply cannot get lost. The train also provides a fabulous way of commuting into the city without having to drive and then find parking and so on.

Try this link: Gaasper Camping

Last and by no means recommended or considered advisable, to be considered if and only if you are totally and utterly flat broke, there are also what I would call 'doss houses'. These are generally for indigent locals and are also frequented by people who have some form of addiction to either alcohol or drugs or who are unemployed and hence homeless. It is a bed for the night and that is about all it is.