Floor marks: I, II, III after a house number
A floor mark after an Amsterdam house number, such as 2-III, says which floor the home is on. III means three flights of stairs above the street.
In Amsterdam, many old houses hold several homes, one on each floor. To tell them apart, a floor mark follows the house number. It is usually a Roman numeral: I, II, III, IV. It may come after a hyphen, a space, or nothing at all.
How to count
The Dutch do not count the floor at street level. That one is the ground floor. So I is one flight up, II is two flights up, and III is three flights up. In the United States, the Dutch III would be called the fourth floor.
Words instead of numerals
- hs: the home at street level.
- sous: the home a few steps below the street.
- boven: the home above, often all the upper floors.
Writing it in your message
Copy the mark exactly as it is on your confirmation. Then add it in words if you like: third floor, three flights up. The guide to Amsterdam addresses covers letters after numbers, bells and entrances as well.
Letters after the number
Some addresses carry a letter instead of a numeral, such as 112A or 112-B. The letter often marks a separate door at the same number, and it matters as much as the floor. Leave it out, and she may ring the wrong bell. Write it exactly as the hotel or the host gave it to you.
Steep stairs
Old Amsterdam stairs are narrow and steep, closer to a ladder than to a hotel staircase. A home marked III means three of those flights, after a journey across the city. If there is a lift, say so in the thread, and if there is none, say that too.