Hotels in Amsterdam

Amsterdam's canal ring is genuinely lovely — gabled houses, houseboats, bridges every hundred metres — and the city is small enough that a canal-side wander gets you most of it. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are the essential pair; book both ahead. Rent a bike only if you can actually ride one in traffic, because locals cycle fast and without mercy.

The red-light district is a coach-party spectacle these days and the centre gets rowdy with stag groups at weekends. The Jordaan is the best place to stay: canal views, brown cafés, independent shops, ten minutes' walk from everything. De Pijp is livelier and cheaper with the Albert Cuyp market on your doorstep. Anywhere near Centraal station is convenient but you'll hear it.