Hostels nowadays become the most popular option for not only young backpackers. The most famous Youth Hostel Association in Netherlands is StayOkay.

StayOkay has 30 youth hostels throughout the Netherlands, you will find them in cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, but also at the beach, in the woods and along the river. StayOkay is also part of the Hostelling International Network.

Normally the price of one night stay in youth hostels varies from € 17 – € 35 depending on whether you want only bed, or you want to stay in single room. A youth hostel card costs € 15.- at the hostels, or non-members can pay an extra € 2,50 per night and after six nights you are a member. Members and non-members have the same privileges and there are no age limits. It is better to book ahead, especially in high season.

JOHO TIP: JoHo also offers the StayOkay Card in all of our shops. Buying a card will save you a lot of money. Not only on overnights but also on 2500 travel related discounts.

You can find the StayOkay hostels in all the major cities where JoHo locate at:
Amsterdam: Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen + Vondelpark
Rotterdam: Stayokay Rotterdam
The Hague: Stayokay Den Haag
*For a full list of the hotels and hostels, please check our JoHo Planner in one of the JoHo centers.


It is not really popular in the Netherlands to rent rooms or apartments for a short time period. And it is not easy to find accommodation as well but with some luck, you will find places in the classifieds of the daily Telegraaf (Wednesday), Volkskrant or Parool (Saturday) or through the twice-weekly ViaVia. Room for rent in Dutch is "Te Huur" or "Huurwoningen" and whenever you see a nice room, call without hesitation otherwise it'll be gone.

Another way to rent rooms is to find a housing agency that will help you finding a room. However, the housing agency is an intermediate and it charges money for helping you. For example, if the rent of the room is € 300.-, you will have to pay € 900.- in the first month: € 300.- for the rent, € 300.- for deposit, and another € 300.- for the agency. It is standard to pay first the month's rent plus a deposit of one or two months' rent to the landlord. Agents generally charge one month's rent as their fee. Sometimes they will charge half a month for a six-month contract, if you negotiate with them.

However, prices can vary in big cities or in the cities / towns which exist a lot of students. As shown, the average monthly rent for a furnished room in Amsterdam is around € 400 - € 500 depending on the location of the room, while in Utrecht – the famous Student City, the rent will be around € 250 - € 350. Moreover, it is always cheaper to rent a room/house outside the town in the near suburb.

JoHo TIPS: There are several things you need to bear in mind when renting a room Make sure who pays utilities is clear. Often there is a limit and you will be expected to pay anything over it. Of course you will not be offered a refund if you don’t use the limit, so be sure to make this clear is you want it. If you are very lucky, and find a place costing from € 162.45 - € 541.36 / month, you may receive a rent subsidy. Meaning, the government will pay part of your rent. Whether you will receive rent subsidy depends on a number of factors such as your income, assets, age, family etc. There can also be "contract fees" of about € 50.-, but these are petty and should be refused

The Netherlands is an open country where you can find almost all kinds of food in big cities. However, there are some special unique Dutch food you definitely can not miss. We always say, "When in Rome, do what Romans do". Freely translated: "When in Holland, eat as the Dutch!"

JoHo TIP: If you want a cup of coffee and a piece of very delicious Dutch apple pie, a "Coffee Shop" is not necessarily the place you want to be. Coffee Shop is a Dutch euphemism for a soft-drugs cafι. They can sell customers up to five grams of cannabis for personal use. Unless that is what you are looking for, you want to go to a cafι, a snack bar, or cafeteria instead.

JoHo has opened in 2005 the JoHo World Food Cafe next to JoHo center Rotterdam for all people and we serve you food & drinks from all over the world!