Finding cheap hotels in Amsterdam, specially in and around the center of the city can be next to impossible and more-so in peak seasons. The pandemic had a huge effect in the number of tourists visiting the Netherlands as 2021 numbers slumped down to 7 million from a whooping 20 million in the pre pandemic era.
However, as travel and tourism picks up speed in break neck pace, you might want to cash in and get your dream vacation to Amsterdam this year. Some of us here in our team have lived in Amsterdam as Post Graduate students, and with first hand experience and deep research, we have come up with a list of 20 of the very best hotels in Amsterdam on a budget.
DoubleTree by Hilton
As far as location goes, the DoubleTree by Hilton is one of the most convenient hotels in Amsterdam. It is located right next to the Amsterdam Centraal, the city’s central train station and despite the Red Light district being located barely 5 minutes walk away, it retains a sense of calm and peace. Canal District, Dam Square, the Royal Palace, De Nieuwe Kerk Church, Anne Frank House, various museums and the Schiphol Airport are all nearby.
Despite its sharp, corporate and honestly sad looking exterior, the lobby and the vicinity of the hotel is full of positive energy, and is packed with people checking in and out at all times of the day and night. There are 553 rooms here all if which are spacious and modern with Apple iMac computers, TV, Wi-Fi, work desk and mini fridges. Some rooms have the view of the IJ river and Amsterdam’s historic district.
This doesn’t feel like one of the most budget friendly hotels in Amsterdam mostly because of the happening SkyLounge Rooftop bar with stunning views with live music and dancing. Apart from that, you get a gym, café, Starbucks stand, library and you can also rent a bike in-house.
Conscious Hotel Westerpark
It is hard to believe that this is one of the most budget friendly hotels in Amsterdam given how spacious the surrounding feels. The Conscious Hotel overlooks the Westerpark on one side and is located within 3 km (2 miles) of Anne Frank House and Dam Square while the shopping areas of Haarleemmerdijk and Haarleemmerstraat are about 15 minutes walk away. Barely a five minutes walk away, you will find a tram station which saves a lot of money for visitors on a tight budget.
The staff and service were quite sharp and fast when we visited and the lobby feels more intimate
because of the small café and goodies shop being placed inside it. Rooms are quite simple and basic and apart from slight grumbling from the railway tracks nearby, they are silent. You will see a lot of locals getting quick bites at the Conscious Café or getting cocktails at the Kantior Bar. For it’s quick, helpful service and great atmosphere, it definitely deserves a high spot in our list of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam.
The Arcade Hotel
When talking about cheap hotels in Amsterdam or in any city, it is normal to picture a run of the mill hotel with bare minimum facilities. The Arcade Hotel is NOT of those hotels. This is a hotel where you get to live your childhood fantasy without your mother constantly yelling at you: this is a hotel geared towards gamers looking for a staycation or say playcation.
Putting gaming aside for a minute, location played a very important role in determining the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam for us, and The Arcade is located in the glorious neighborhood of De Pijp. There are loads of great eateries including some Middle Eastern eateries and balcony cafes, there is the famous Albert Cuypmarkt nearby, and across the narrow tree lined street is the Sarphatipark.
So this is not just one of the best hotels in Amsterdam for gamers but also a classy three star hotel on a budget bang in the middle of a happening neighborhood.
There are just 42 rooms here all of which are clean, minimal in aesthetics with all kinds of modern facilities. Apart from those, they are kitted out with retro consoles, free Wi-Fi, Nvidea Shield TV and loads if retro games at no extra cost. If that isn’t enough the lobby boasts multiplayer gaming consoles and a 2,000 comic book library. Removed from the hustle and bustle of central market this is one of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam for people of all interests but specially for gamers.
Yotel Amsterdam
Our next entry in the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam list is located in the Amsterdam Noord neighborhood. Noord has a lot of industrial warehouses, residential buildings that distinctly remind of the maritime history, and is separated from the rest of Amsterdam by the IJ river. Around a decade ago, you wouldn’t want to be in this neighborhood ; in a way Noord has a lot of parallels with Shoreditch in London. However, things have changed and Noord is now one of the edgiest neighborhoods in all of Amsterdam filled with people with creative flair and hip cafes and restaurants.
Yotel Amsterdam in Noord is located in Asterweg along the sidearm of the river IJ so the entry into the hotel on a ferry is quite pleasant. The rooms take inspiration from flight cabins and are compact, modern, almost futuristic with the lighting and folding desks. The food is better than flight food and there are several great cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood. It may not be one of those hotels in Amsterdam that are best for touristy stuff but you more than get your money’s worth.
Hostelle
Amsterdam is a very popular travel destination for people all across the globe. So when talking about cheap hotels in Amsterdam, safety concerns always remain as a prominent question, more-so for women.
Hostelle is the first female only hostel in Amsterdam and its credentials go well beyond being just that. Hostelle is set in the Zuidoost district which is not exactly in the center of action. However, a 15 minutes train ride takes you right to the center but there are loads of great places to eat in the neighborhood owing to the mixed demographics here. Rooms are dorms that can accommodate anywhere between 4,8 or 10 people and the attention to cleanliness is commendable.
Bathrooms are shared but extremely clean, with hot water and hair dryers. There is also a shared kitchen for people who want to cook, with cleanliness once again being in the forefront. For all its amenities, safety, comfort and quite helpful staff all on a budget price, Hostelle is definitely one of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam.
Monet Garden Hotel
Hostels and gaming hotels and what not, perhaps, it was time to include your standard upscale hotel in our list of best cheap hotels in Amsterdam. Monet Garden, one of the most fancy hotels in Amsterdam in our list, is a 4 star boutique hotel located in the Marken neighborhood in Central Amsterdam. Amsterdam Flee Market, Rembrandt House Museum, National Opera, and Amsterdam Botanical Garden are all nearby with plenty of public transport options too.
Like with everything else, the rooms are also quite standard. The rooms with have all modern amenities and have single or double or four separate beds depending upon which room you choose. Running against the theme for cheap hotels in Amsterdam, the bathrooms in the rooms are quite big. Although it does cost a bit more, there are some rooms that have beautiful views of the canals outside.
Hotel Arena
One of the moat unique hotels in Amsterdam, the Hotel Arena is set in the 1889 Sint Elisabeth orphanage building. Many of the original 19th century artifacts and design elements stand to this day. Unlike majority of the hotels in Amsterdam, Arena stands on its own grounds, away from the street and thus has a large outdoor space.
Located east of the city center, many public transport options are nearby and so are some landmarks like the Artis Zoo, Canal Belt, and museums. The Gothic design meets Dutch minimalism in the hotel and rooms look onto the nearby Oosterpark or garden courtyard. The hotels also includes a nightclub named ToNight, restaurant named ToDine and a café ToDrink that serve local and international food all throughout the day. All this servuce in a budget price makes it one of the best hotels in Amsterdam.
The ED Amsterdam
Located in the Noord-Holland region, the ED is one of those hotels in Amsterdam whose location makes it very desirable place to stay. Specially for the young people who love to party, the ED sits on the corner of the Leidseplein which is a party hub. The famous Museum Quarter, Vondelpark, Oud Weat district, and Food Hallen are all a short walk away.
The vibes in the hotel are laid back, non pretentious while still being appealing for the young audience. There are plenty of Instagrammable angels in the lobby while the rooms are fun. Clean, minimal with dash of colour here and there including the punctuating red telephone and animal faced pillow make for a comfortable stay. ED’s Buffet and Lounge serves local Dutch breakfast, lunch and dinner while you can also grab snacks at the Wundermart Shop in-house.
ClinkNOORD
As discussed earlier, the Noord neighborhood in Amsterdam has been undergoing a rapid change in its image and reputation from being a left back area with the downfall of the shipping industry to an edgy, hip area full of creative people and nooks. ClinkNOORD hostel is one of those hotels in Amsterdam that are taking full advantage of this renaissance of the neighborhood. Separated from the main buzz by the IJ river, the hotel has a mixture if industrial design elements splashed with colourful accents as it sits inside the former Shell laboratory.
Despite not being in the thick of the action, the Veer Buiksloterweg Ferry Terminal is barely 6 minutes away from where you can catch a ferry (for free) to Amsterdam Centraal 24/7. The rooms are dorm styled, and range from single to accommodating 4 people and have little in terms of design or aesthetics. There is a communal kitchen for anyone wanting to cook their own food while the CatalystCAFE serves food and ZinkBAR is mostly buzzing with cheap local beer and DJs and guest singers.
Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy
It was once a prison, and before that a hostel for immigrants who were on their way to the US in the 1920s, and then changed into an art studio. Finally, in 2014 it was remodeled into one of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam thanks to the leading names in Dutch designing like Gerrit Rietveld. Located on the Easter Islands of the reclaimed docklands, it sits on the outskirts if the action and will take at least a 20 minute tram ride to get to the Rijksmuseum or the Dam.
The rooms are larger as compared to standard hotels in Amsterdam and have a quirky design edge to them. They are graded from one star to five star and the one star rooms have a shared bathroom. There is also an in-house restaurant that serves locally produced food and meat, and a bar while it is also among very few hotels in Amsterdam that have a separate meeting room.
Hotel Dwars
Located mere steps away from the shopping street of Utrechtsestraart, Dwars is one of the most unique hotels in Amsterdam. It’s central location helps too as it is barely minutes walk away from Carré Theatre, Rembrandtplien, Rijksmuseum and the trendy neighborhood of De Pijp. This also means that it may not be one if the best hotels in Amsterdam for people looking for peace and calm.
As mentioned earlier, this is one of the most unique hotels in Amsterdam, the reason being that it is set in a typical Amsterdam home. There are just 9 rooms here starting from 15 sq. m with exposed timber and concreteless walls paying an ode to the old age of the home. The hotel are clear that they offer no reception desk, bar, restaurant and this is one if the best hotels in Amsterdam for people who need a clean, comfortable place to crash after going around town all day.
Cocomama
Owned by Clink, which has already made an appearance in our list of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam, Cocomama is housed in a building which was once a brothel andwas converted into a hostel in 2010. That fact alone makes it not just one if the most unique hotels in Amsterdam but anywhere on the globe. It is located on the edges of the Canal Ring neighborhood and is touched by bith Frederiksplien and De Pjip.
Cocomama owning to its location of being near the Canal Ring neighborhood is near to all the picturesque places of Amsterdam and also spots like Albert Cuypmarkt, Heineken Experience and Museum Quarter. There are only 13 rooms here all of whom have vintage furniture, crafts and Dutch design touches. 5 of these rooms have larger queen beds, and private bathrooms while others are dorms with shared bathroom. There is even a shared kitchen, a patio in the backyard, and movie lounge.
Generator Amsterdam
As you may have noticed with a lot of entries in our list of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam, many of these are hostels, which is quite common for a city like Amsterdam. Generator Amsterdam is also a part of the hostel chain Generator which has hostels all over Europe and thus is one if the safest hotels in Amsterdam. Located right next to the Oosterpark it sits in what was formerly a zoological university building and is near to Dapper Market, and Tropenmuseum, Rembrandtplien and Dam Square.
Retaining the original features of the previous setting of the Royal Tropical Institute, very rarely are hotels in Amsterdam so uniquely, say even weirdly decorated by street art. Rooms range from dorms with maximum 4 bunks to twin rooms. Be smart and get a room on the third floor which feature a floor to ceiling glass windows with pretty views of the park outside.
The Hoxton
Might not be as blue collared as other hotels in Amsterdam on our list, the Hoxton falls slightly in the upper category of the budget hotels in Amsterdam. For starters, the hotel is spans over 5 houses that were the office and residence of the city’s mayor in the 17th Century. It also has a great location as it sits near Herengracht and the 9 Streets shopping area with picturesque town houses, cafes, boutiques are all nearby.
You can tell that you are in a slightly more expensive hotel as the rooms have an upscale feel about them. The carpets, herringbone parqueting, vintage elements all have a comfortable and fancy vibe. Divided according to sizes from Shoebox Rooms to Roomy Rooms and only-on-order Tubby and Floral rooms, most of these look into the interior courtyard while few have the canal view.
Max Brown Hotel
Located right next to the two canals of Herengracht and Brouwersgracht, the Max Brown Hotel is one of the most centrally placed hotels in Amsterdam in our list. Slightly derogatorily referred to as “hispterdam” the neighborhood has no shortage of awesome places to visit. The famous Moordermarkt, loads of bars, boutique shops, art galleries and restaurants are barely minutes of walk away. The hotel itself is soread across 3 Amsterdam houses that are older than 300 years.
There are just 34 rooms in this hotel making it one of the most exclusive hotels in Amsterdam in such a desirable area. All the rooms have wooden panels, quilted bed sheets, vintage wallpaper and clean and inviting bathrooms. Some of them have stunning canal views while others have their own entrances. The lobby downstairs also functions as a café.
Sir Adam
Not the first one in our list of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam that is located in the Noord neighborhood but certainly a unique and peculiar one. Located behind the Centraal Station, it sits in a 22 storey 70s skyscraper and overlooks the IJ-river. It shares the building with muscial heavyweights like Sony, ID&T and A’DAM Music School and thus continues with the musical theme of the building making it one of the most unique hotels in Amsterdam.
The lobby has a communal restaurant, a burger place, bar and also a working space. Murals and bold colours contrast the exposed concrete ceiling while there is also a foosball table and retro arcade games. Rooms with large beds, open plan bathrooms, original Gibson guitars, record player with vinyl LPs all go with the overall music theme of the hotel making it one of the most unique hotels in Amsterdam.
Student Hotel
Even for a vibrant city, barely any hotels in Amsterdam have this immense mixture of people from various walks of life like Student Hotel does. The location is not the most central as it is located a block away from the Amstel River right next to the Metro stop. But the flea market, Jewish Quarter, Waterlooplein and De Pijp are all 15/20 minutes of walk away.
Despite being opened with an idea of being a meeting place for students, the hotel doesn’t have a dreary, dull vibe to it. It is housed in what once used to be newspaper offices in the 1960s,and has three sets of rooms: one kind for student accommodation, another has standard hotel rooms and the laat has studio rooms. The Commons Bar and Restaurant and the lobby is buzzing and busy with people yet feels laid back.
Hotel CC
Hotel CC is located right in the heart of Amsterdam, barely a stone throw away from the central station and the Red Light District. So you know there will be no shortage of places to visit and things to do as the area is packed with great cafés, bars, restaurants. Almost every major tourist attraction is under a 15 minutes of walk away.
The rooms are slightly narrower and feel like attic rooms with steep staircases but they are clean with their black and white colours. Hotel CC doesn’t offer you breakfast but there is a common lounge which offers snacks and drinks and for this price point it is undoubtedly one if the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam.
Four Elements Hotel
Amsterdam was built in the 12th Century and ever since the 17th Century when is rose to prominence, the population pressure has been growing steadily while efforts to maintain it as a friendly, livable city have also been growing. One such effort was the construction of the IJburg in 1997, a group of 6 artificial islands made over reclaimed land over the Ijssel Lake. Our next entry in the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam stands on one such island.
The Four Elements Hotel is a completely sustainable hotel with net zero energy consumption as it is powered by the weather, the roof is used for farming. The rooms are quite big with surprisingly big bathrooms and there are subtle signs everywhere that remind visitors that this was made with recycled elements
Moxy Amsterdam Houthhavens
We have featured Moxy hotels in many of our lists so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it also makes into our list of the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam. Located on Amsterdam’s oldest working port, the Westpoort, it is mainly a working area that is near to the residential area. Hence, it may not one of the best hotels in Amsterdam for people who want to step right into the heart of the action.
As the hotel sits on a dock, it takes inspiration from the surrounding as the inside has exposed concrete and walls made up of shipping containers. A library, DJ corner, games area and quiet nooks all make up the lobby. The whole hotel is made in mind with Millennial travelers who are on the move and that can be seen in the rooms which are compact.
