Canal Ring / Nine Streets

Pulitzer Amsterdam

★★★★★

The Pulitzer is the hotel that best captures the romance of staying on the Amsterdam canals, and for a first visit or a special occasion it is our top pick in the city. It occupies a whole block of the Canal Ring: twenty-five historic canal houses between the Prinsengracht and the Keizersgracht, built for merchants in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and joined together behind their original facades. Inside, the result is a delightful maze of corridors, half-landings and staircases, each part of the building with its own character, wrapped around a quiet interior garden that comes as a surprise in the middle of the city. A major redesign in the mid-2010s, led by the designer Jacu Strauss, gave the hotel a playful, eclectic personality that suits its quirky shape: rich colours, collected objects, antique and contemporary furniture side by side and nods to Dutch history and the Golden Age merchants who first lived here. Rooms range from cosy canal-house doubles under the eaves to spacious suites with canal views, and every one is different. Jansz., the all-day restaurant serving modern Dutch cooking, Pulitzer's Bar and the Pulitzer Garden terrace are popular with locals as well as guests, a wellness space called The Beauty House opened in 2024, and the hotel owns a classic 1909 teak-and-brass saloon boat, which can be booked for private cruises through the canals — one of the most memorable ways to see the city. The location is ideal. The Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House are a few minutes' walk north, the Nine Streets' boutiques and cafés are on the doorstep, the Jordaan lies across the Prinsengracht, and Dam Square and the Royal Palace are ten minutes away on foot.

Who it suits: couples, honeymooners and first-time visitors who want to be in the heart of the Canal Ring, in a building that feels like Amsterdam rather than a generic luxury hotel. It also suits travellers who love character and are happy to trade a little uniformity for charm; no two rooms are alike, and the corridors and stairs can be a puzzle at first. The garden is a calm retreat on sunny days, and the hotel's bar is one of the most atmospheric in the area for an evening drink.

Living in it: canal-view rooms are the ones to request, and they come at a premium; garden-view rooms are quieter. Because the hotel is spread across historic houses, some rooms are small and some involve steps, though there are lifts and accessible rooms — mention any mobility needs when booking. The private boat trips are a special-occasion highlight and should be reserved well in advance, especially in summer and during the winter Light Festival. Breakfast is excellent, and the concierge is helpful with Anne Frank House timing and restaurant bookings in the Jordaan and the Nine Streets.

Value: rates sit at the upper end of the Amsterdam market, rising sharply in spring, summer and around big events, and the city's tourist tax — a percentage of the room rate, among the highest in Europe — is added on top. The value case is location and atmosphere: you are on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Canal Ring, within walking distance of almost everything a first-time visitor wants to see, in a hotel that feels like part of the city's story. Book it for a milestone trip, a romantic weekend or a first visit when you want the canals at your door.