Best area to stay in Amsterdam other than Centrum

We were there in late November. Highly recommend the Hotel Mai. For us, it was centrally located. Beautiful older building right on a canal. Prime location near Central Station. It is located on the edge of Chinatown and the Red light district.

Some photos from the trip, including Amsterdam.

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The Canal Zone is full of hotels and is the most picturesque part of amsterdam. The hotels are usually on the expensive end though.

The Overtoom Road/ Kinkerstratt Road area is where we usually stay. It's full of cafes and restaurants but an easy walk to the Canal Zone, The Centrum and Vondel Park (amsterdam's central park).

De Pijp is another great neighborhood full of cafes, etc. that is an easy walk to the Canal Zone and Centrum.

We go to Amsterdam every 2 or 3 years and rarely go into the Centrum. We also rent bikes which makes getting around super efficient.

The Jordaan is absolutely still het Centrum.

I live near the Plantagebuurt area which is technically the city center but the calmer eastern side of it.

As for costs, if you’re somewhere desirable and walkable but not too chaotic it’s still gonna come at a cost.

More budget options are usually way out in Zuidoost (Southeast) which is kind of “the hood” of Amsterdam if you could say such a thing existed, and that’s a metro accessible kind of place, or 30ish minute bike ride which by Amsterdam standards is fricking far.

For city center but calm consider Jordaan, Plantagebuurt, Westerlijke Eilanden.

For center-periphery but still buzzing, consider Oud-West or De Pijp, these areas are walkable to many attractions and have great shops, cafes and restaurants in their own right.

For further afoot but up and coming you could look into NDSM in the Noord (North) part of city, which is on the other side of the IJ river.

For budget you’re looking at options in Zuidoost, Nieuw-West, or backpacker geared tiny accommodations in the glitz and sleaze of RLD or Leidseplein.

If you have more nuanced requirements let me know and I’ll try to tailor my suggestions!

International licensees are only needed for countries not using the same alphabet. But even then not needed.
You're fine in Europe with a Louisiana license.

If I go back to Amsterdam I want to stay in the 9 streets area. I had a good time dining and shopping in that area and it was much cleaner than where I stayed in the old city. I was actually right outside the red light district.