Home » Netherlands

Since prices of nearly everything in Europe tend to go up along with the latitudes, the Netherlands can be one of the more expensive countries to sleep in. Fortunately there are hostels in the Netherlands in every city you’ve probably heard of, and this brings the country within reach of every budget traveler.

Hotels in the Netherlands tend to start at around €50 a night for a private room in even the 1-star places by the train stations, but Netherlands hostels can be as cheap as €10 for a bed in a small dorm room, or €40 a night for a private room with shared facilities. By booking a private room – and these are becoming more and more common – you get most of the social benefits of meeting other travelers combined with most of the benefits of a guaranteed good night’s sleep in your own room.

Obviously Amsterdam is the main attraction and actually the only city most visitors ever see. It’s one of the most spellbindingly beautiful cities on earth with the canals and 17^th century architecture filling the entire center of town. And when you add in the famous coffee shops where you can walk in and buy some marijuana along with your coffee, and the curiosity of the legal prostitutes flirting with drunks from behind their street side windows, the beauty of the city is greatly enhanced. Tell your parents about the many world-class museums like the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum as well as your planned visit to the Anne Frank House and everything will be fine.

Most visitors to the country never go beyond Amsterdam, but if you’ve got a bit more time there are many other cities to see and there are hostels all over the Netherlands to make that exploration more affordable.

Rotterdam has one of the largest ports in the world, so much of the focus is on the water itself. They have a unique hostel that is housed in a docked clipper ship, as well as some really good nightlife where you’ll actually be able to hang out with Dutch people instead of just other travelers like in Amsterdam. There are coffee shops in Rotterdam as well, and as a matter of fact they are all over the Netherlands, but not in the concentration you’ll find them in Amsterdam.

Utrecht is home to the largest university in the Netherlands, so it’s a college town in addition to being a gorgeous city that isn’t drowning in tourists. If you want to check out some of the interesting culture and nightlife of the Dutch themselves, this is a highly recommended stop. Everyone speaks nearly flawless English so don’t worry about feeling intimidated because you are roaming outside of the main tourist route. These are the kinds of places you can brag about when you get home because everyone knows about Amsterdam, so you can talk about the cool people you met at the hostel in Utrecht that were far more interesting.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands as well as being the Netherlands hostel capital, but most of the government offices are in The Hague. This is another large city with many interesting museums and such, but to be honest it’s not one of the better places to stop unless you’ve got a lot of time.