The old centre is where Amsterdam started and where most of its hotel rooms still are: 206 properties around Dam Square, the Kalverstraat and the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. It is the most convenient part of the city to sleep in, and the least peaceful.
Who this area suits
If you are in Amsterdam for two nights and want to waste none of them on transport, this is the answer. Central Station is a ten-minute walk. The Dam, the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk, Madame Tussauds and the whole of the Kalverstraat are on your doorstep, and the canal ring starts one street west.
What you give up is quiet. The old centre is where the day trippers arrive, where the shopping streets are, and where stag parties end up on a Saturday. Rooms facing the Damrak or a main street can be loud until late. Ask for a room at the back, or on a courtyard.
| Accommodation in this district | 206 properties, the largest supply in the city |
| Booking.com district | Amsterdam Old Centre / Oude Centrum |
| Walk to Central Station | 5 to 12 minutes |
| Walk to the canal belt | 2 to 5 minutes |
| Best for | Short stays, first visits, arriving late or leaving early |
| Less good for | Light sleepers and anyone who wants a quiet street |
Three hotels that show what the old centre is
The old centre has Amsterdam’s grand nineteenth-century hotels, because this is where the money and the trains arrived.
Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam
Dam 9
On Dam Square since 1855. Its Winter Garden sits under a nineteenth-century glass roof and is a landmark in its own right. Note the name: this was the NH Collection Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky until recently, and older guides still use that.
Hotel Die Port van Cleve
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 176–180
Built on the site of the De Hooiberg brewery of 1592, which Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought in the 1860s. It opened as a beer house on 5 September 1870; the neo-Renaissance façade is by the architect Isaac Gosschalk.
W Amsterdam
Spuistraat 175
Two heritage buildings behind the Royal Palace: the former KAS Bank and the old telephone exchange of the Dutch postal service. The rooftop pool looks out over the Dam.
How much choice you have
206 properties is more than any other district in Amsterdam, and the range is wider than anywhere else too: hostels on the Warmoesstraat, chain hotels on the Nieuwezijds, and the grand old names on the Dam. Because supply is large, this is also the district where prices move most between a quiet Tuesday and a busy Saturday.
Compare what is available: all 206 places to stay in the old centre.
Getting around from here
- Central Station is a five to twelve minute walk, which makes this the easiest district to arrive in and leave from.
- Every tram line that matters passes through: the tram 2 and tram 12 towards the museums, tram 14 towards Waterlooplein.
- Metro 52 runs beneath the Rokin and reaches Amsterdam Noord in four minutes.
- The canal cruise departure points at Central Station and the Damrak are within walking distance.
What is around you
The Kalverstraat is the main shopping street and runs south from the Dam. The Red Light District begins two streets east of it. Walk west instead and you are on the canal ring within a couple of minutes.
Frequently asked questions
It is the most convenient. Everything is walkable and the station is close. It is also the busiest and noisiest part of the city, so ask for a room away from the street.
Booking.com lists 206 properties in the Oude Centrum district, the largest supply of any Amsterdam district.
It is busy and well lit rather than dangerous. The usual city rules apply: watch your bag in crowds around the Damrak and the Kalverstraat.
Five to twelve minutes on foot, depending on where in the district you are staying.
