Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht

Staying on the Prinsengracht rather than the more famous Herengracht or Keizersgracht is a genuine preference rather than a compromise. The Prinsengracht is the fourth and westernmost of Amsterdam’s main canals, running alongside the Jordaan neighbourhood: smaller houseboats, more neighbourhood cafes, the Westerkerk tower, and proximity to the Anne Frank House. The Andaz Amsterdam is the most architecturally distinctive hotel on the canal, designed by Marcel Wanders, the Dutch designer best known for his knotted chair and his collaborations with Moooi. His interior for the hotel manages to feel specifically Dutch without pastiche.

The Hotel

The Andaz Amsterdam occupies a converted former public library on the Prinsengracht. Wanders used local Dutch artists and craftspeople for the interiors; each room has original artwork and the lobby’s ceiling installation is worth looking at before you go anywhere else. The rooftop bar with canal views is the practical asset if you’re visiting without staying.

Rooms from around EUR 250 to 450 per night depending on season. For a luxury Amsterdam experience with the Jordaan as your neighbourhood, it’s one of the better-placed options; the Pulitzer (multiple canal houses linked together on the Keizersgracht) is the other strong alternative at a similar price point.

What to Do from Prinsengracht

Anne Frank House is five minutes’ walk. Book tickets at annefrank.org well in advance; they sell out weeks ahead and there is no walk-up access.

The Jordaan is the neighbourhood immediately around you: independent galleries, specialty food shops, the Saturday Noordermarkt (organic produce, antiques), and the classic brown cafes of the Jordaan. Café ’t Smalle on Egelantiersgracht has been open since the 18th century.

Café Winkel on Noordermarkt does the best apple pie in Amsterdam by popular consensus. Go on a Saturday when the market is running.

The canal ring itself is walkable in all directions. The quieter morning light on the Prinsengracht before 8am, with the houseboats rocking gently and almost no other pedestrians, is one of Amsterdam’s better quiet moments.

Practical Notes

Amsterdam from 2025 requires OVpay contactless card payment on public transport; the old chip-and-pin card system is being phased out. The Prinsengracht location puts you within cycling distance of Museumplein (Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum) via the Vondelpark. Bike rental is on every other corner.