Is Zuidas & RAI a good place to stay in Amsterdam?

Zuidas and the RAI are a good base if you're in Amsterdam for business, a trade fair or an early flight. Direct trains run from Amsterdam Zuid to Schiphol, the North-South metro takes you to Rokin and the Dam without a change, and the RAI convention centre is a short walk or a stop away. It suits business travellers, conference visitors and anyone who wants a modern hotel at a fair price.

The area is new and orderly. Around Amsterdam Zuid station it's glass towers, offices and wide, clean streets, with hotels and restaurants on the ground floors. Beatrixpark and Amstelpark give you green space, and to the north the Beethovenstraat leads into the elegant streets of Oud-Zuid, with delis, cafés and small shops.

The downside is that it doesn't feel like the Amsterdam of canals and gabled houses. Evenings are quiet once the offices empty, there's little nightlife, and during big trade fairs at the RAI hotel prices rise sharply. You'll need the metro or a tram for every classic sight.

What makes Zuidas worth considering is how smoothly it works. You can step off the train from Schiphol, walk to your hotel and be at the Dam on the metro soon after, with modern rooms, quiet nights and a park nearby at prices well below the canal ring.