The Nine Streets are nine short lanes between the Singel and the Prinsengracht, and they hold only twenty places to stay. That scarcity is the whole story: this is the best-located square kilometre in Amsterdam and there is almost nothing available in it.
Who this area suits
You are in the middle of the canal ring, on foot from everything, in a neighbourhood of small shops and cafés rather than souvenir stalls. For a couple on a second visit, or anyone who wants Amsterdam to feel like a city rather than an attraction, this is the address to aim for.
With twenty properties in the district, availability is the constraint rather than choice. If you have fixed dates, look early. If your dates are flexible, this is the area where moving a trip by a week changes what you can get.
| Accommodation in this district | 20 properties, the smallest supply in the centre |
| Booking.com district | Nine Streets / Negen Straatjes |
| Walk to the Dam | 8 minutes |
| Walk to the Anne Frank House | 7 minutes |
| Best for | Second visits, couples, shoppers |
| Less good for | Anyone booking late or travelling in a group |
Three hotels that show what the Nine Streets are
Every one of these is a set of canal houses rather than a single building. That is what the area is made of.
Pulitzer Amsterdam
Prinsengracht 323
Twenty-five restored canal houses from the seventeenth and eighteenth century, running between the Prinsengracht and the Keizersgracht. Peter Pulitzer bought the first twelve in 1970 and the hotel grew house by house from there.
The Dylan Amsterdam
Keizersgracht 384
Stands on the site of Amsterdam’s first stone theatre, the Schouwburg of 1638 by Jacob van Campen, which burned down in 1772. The original entrance gate with its inscription is still there.
Ambassade Hotel
Herengracht 341
Sixteen canal houses, run as a hotel since 1953. Its library holds signed books from the writers who have stayed, which is a more Amsterdam kind of luxury than a spa.
How much choice you have
Twenty properties across nine streets. Compare that with 206 in the old centre a few minutes east, and you can see why rooms here go early and why the ones that exist are mostly small and expensive. The upside of a small district is that there is no bad end of it.
Compare what is available: all 20 places to stay in the Nine Streets.
Getting around from here
- Walking is the point. The Dam is eight minutes, the Anne Frank House seven, the Rijksmuseum about twenty.
- Tram 2 and tram 12 stop at the Spui and the Keizersgracht, both within a few minutes.
- Central Station is a twenty-minute walk or a short tram ride.
- Bring a bag you can carry up stairs: almost every building here is a canal house.
What is around you
Read the full guide to the Nine Streets for the shops and the layout. The Jordaan starts across the Prinsengracht, and the Museum of the Canals is a five-minute walk along the Herengracht.
Frequently asked questions
It is arguably the best-located neighbourhood in the city and the quietest of the central options. The problem is supply: there are only twenty properties.
Booking.com lists 20 properties in the Negen Straatjes district.
About twenty minutes on foot, or a few stops on tram 2 or 12.
It is one of the pricier parts of the city, mostly because so few rooms exist. Booking early, or moving your dates, makes more difference here than anywhere else.
