A digital nomad’s guide to Amsterdam
If you’re a digital nomad, freelancer or you’re a lucky so n’ so who can work away from your office, you need to put Amsterdam right to the top of your “remote working” list (it is a bloody DREAM)
This buzzy European city is perfect - there are so many cafes, hotels, restaurants and co-working spaces to choose from (so many, that I didn’t even cover half the spots on my list!).
It’s not as expensive as you think either, and in this guide I’ll be covering where to stay, where to go, places to eat and ideas of how you can spend your time when you’re working in Amsterdam.
Where to stay: locations and transport
If you’re somebody who’s looking to cover a lot of ground whilst you’re in Amsterdam - which, who can blame you - you’re in stinkin’ Amsterdam (!!) I’d really recommend staying as close to a metro line as possible so you can jump around the city easily.
The M52 metro line is the one to look out for as all of the stops are solid. On the other side, I’ve stayed centrally in Amsterdam before (Ink Hotel, which was great) but you’ll find the metros are much less direct so you’ll end up walking literally everywhere (you’ll rank up 15,000 steps a day even with a metro close by, which is why I wanted to mention this). I basically turned into Quasimodo on this trip haha: I had a laptop, camera, tripods on my back most days, so if you’re the same I’d be tempted to go for this option.
The Hotel I Stayed In
Tribe - Amsterdam City
I loved my stay at Tribe Amsterdam City - it’s such a winner. It’s a new-ish hotel (it opened up in 2022) and it definitely still has that new vibe about it. What sold it to me though was its location, being a two minute walk away from a major metro station.
It’s modern, it has a big open lounge which, frankly was perfect for working remotely (I saw big teams taking meetings in there and solo travellers and digital nomads working away from their laptops) and the room was great.
Biggest plus points:
It’s so easy to get around the city from there!
Amsterdam Nord metro station is so close by and from there, it takes seven minutes to get to Rokin (the station closest to a lot of the museums and ‘Nine Streets’ - De 9 Straatjes) and 10 minutes to De Pijp (one of my favourite neighbourhoods).
The metro is really affordable too - it cost me 21 euros to jump around the city for three days, which is much cheaper than what it would be in London.
Cost:
Amsterdam can be pretty expensive accommodation wise but generally, this hotel seems to be at a good price point all year round. I paid about 85 euros a night, room only for my room at Tribe - Amsterdam City which I thought was really good (I visited in November which would be classed as off-season). In the high season rooms can be up to 250 euros a night here but baring in mind how easy it is to get into the city, I’d definitely recommend this hotel as a base.
Where to work
During my time in Amsterdam I worked from a handful of different places:
Locals Cafe, De Pijp (all day brunch)
There are a few different Locals spots across Amsterdam but I set up shop in the all day brunch location in De Pijp (because, HELLO - all day brunch?!)
It was pretty busy - I visited over lunchtime and I managed to grab the last spot on a high table, but the staff were lovely and I spent about an hour in here working from my iPad.
I sat in the window so it was perfect for people watching and let’s be honest, I would definitely visit again because the brunch was delicious.
(If you’re curious, my avo toast and a latte came to around 18 euros, so not cheap but about the standard for Amsterdam/London)
Heads up - it’s not the sort of place you can spend hours as it can get really busy, but it’s a great place to take a break from exploring Amsterdam and work away from your phone or laptop for a bit.
I visited the Rijksmuseum just before having brunch at Locals and it was literally a five minute walk around the corner.
Pluk, Nine Streets
I spent a good hour and a half working at Pluk in Nine Streets.
It’s got Instagram written all over it - it’s a really cute spot and I went in between breakfast and lunchtime, so I easily grabbed a table to watch the world go by.
(I used it as a spot to edit and post Instagram Stories, and the signal there was really good)
The Hoxton, Amsterdam
The Hoxton hotels are my favourite - the interior, the vibe, just everything about them, so I knew I had to visit the central Amsterdam location while I was there.
It was so lovely - I went along in the evening and edited my Instagram content with a glass of wine (I know, SO good) but it was really buzzy in there - lots of people were working away on their laptops, some were on their holidays.
I’d love to stay at this hotel but you’re talking 400 euros a night all year round which - eek, adds up over the course of 4/5 days.
Definitely recommend it as a spot to work from though - here’s a link to their website so you can take a look yourself: (LINK)
The Stunning Canals
I’m guessing if you’re considering coming to Amsterdam, you want to see the canals, right? (Hands up)
I created a lot of content for my Instagram whilst I was in Amsterdam - spending hours walking around the canals. Here were some of my favourites:
1) Jump off at Vijzelgracht metro station and walk down to Lijnbaansgracht canal (and the ones that stem off of it). I spent a whole morning here, darting in and out of the narrow and wider canals and it was SO beautiful. In late November I had the place to myself too (you could hear a pin drop) and apart from the odd cyclist, it was a morning in Amsterdam I’ll always treasure because of the peace and quiet. Loved it.
2) Next up, dart off the metro at Rokin and walk to the Nine Streets area (De 9 Straatjes). A good place to aim for is The Hoxton to be honest as it’s in such a central location within Nine Streets, but all of the canals around here are beautiful. The only downside is it can get really busy, but don’t let that put you off - it’s my favourite neighbourhood in Amsterdam for a reason!
3) Carry on from the Nine Street to head to Jordaan. It’s a 10 minute walk on from Nine Streets and there are some amazing canal intersections around here!
Logistics
How to get to Amsterdam
From the UK , getting to Amsterdam couldn’t be easier. The flight is 1 hour and 20 minutes and from the airport, it’s a 20 minute train ride to Amsterdam Central which has a great metro network (Amsterdam Nord, where Tribe Hotel is, is a 5 minute metro journey from Amsterdam Central)
The transfers are so easy - this isn’t a city which makes it hard for you!
Other things to bare in mind
If you’re somebody who relies on a 4G/5G, connection speeds can be really fast in Amsterdam or really bloody slow. When I worked from older buildings (like the Hoxton) I struggled to post an Instagram Story whereas in the more built up areas, I didn’t have a problem at all and it whizzed on through.
I wanted to mention that because if you’re not somebody who will have wifi access where you’re staying, I’d try and get it if you can. My hotel’s wifi speed was really good but my 4G network sometimes became 3G and yeah. Not always the best!
I loved my time in Amsterdam and you can bet I’ll be returning for another working stay. Such a great mix of places to stay, work, eat and create content, so it ticked all the boxes.
If you have any questions for me about my remote working stay in Amsterdam, feel free to DM me anytime!