Qfyilyi

For sightseeing in Amsterdam and traveling to Brussels, should we stay in Amsterdam Centraal area or can we stay at Sloterdijik station area? How difficult and expensive it is to travel back and forth from Sloterdijik to Amsterdam Centraal?

It's quite easy to travel between Amsterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Sloterdijk. Trains are frequent and the trip is about 6 or 7 minutes. The base fare is €2.30. The travel time to Brussels is slightly less from Amsterdam Centraal because the direct trains to Brussels do not stop at Sloterdijk.

Most tourists will want to spend more of their time closer to the center of the city, though, so it's probably only a good idea to stay near Sloterdijk if your accommodation is sufficiently less expensive, or if you have something specific you want to do in the area.

Staying in the central area, inside the canal rings, lets you easily walk central Amsterdam and for me that works better. I love walking the central city.

I regular travel by train to Amsterdam Central, and many times, my route takes me through Sloterdijk. During the peak tourist season (roughly, beginning of April to end of October), lots of tourists take the few minute train ride between Sloterdijk and Central. Depending where in Amsterdam you want to go, you can also take tram 19. The subway also stops at Sloterdijk, but since it's the penultimate stop of the "Ringline", which circles around the center of Amsterdam, it's unlikely to be the most convenient option for sight seeing.

Trains are very frequent. During the morning rush hour, I count 22 trains/hour, dropping down to 20 trains/hour midday. It's a 6 minute train ride, costing EUR 2,30 one way (that is, if you either have bought your ticket online, or are using a chip card -- loose tickets cost 1 Euro more). Latest trains back leave Central around 1 AM.

There are a couple of large hotels near Sloterdijk; I assume they're less expensive than what's available near Amsterdam Central.

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