5 Big Don’t Do’s for Tourists Visiting Amsterdam

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Ivan Dimitrijevic

Ivan Dimitrijevic is a seasoned blogger and SEO consultant with years of experience. His skill sets include Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and blogging on a wide variety of topics. He is a digital marketing & business consultant and has had many articles published on serious blogs over the years on topics ranging from Digital Marketing, Tech and Online Business to Home & Family, Health & Wellness and Architecture, Real Estate & Design.

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This notoriously crazy city is the hotspot for adventurous people worldwide – people from all corners of the world go to Amsterdam to have a taste of a universe with different legal boundaries. The law may be quite different there, but so are the other rules of socially acceptable behavior – it’s no wonder tourists are confused when it comes to telling right from wrong. This is why you should at least get familiar with the lifestyle of the locals and learn how not to step on their toes. Sure, this will be something you can laugh over with your friends later, but you might want to avoid risky situations, so that you don’t get badly hurt, robbed or lost.

1. Don’t Take Candy from Strangers

Amsterdam is full of coffee shops and coffeehouses (yes, that’s what they call them) where you can legally purchase soft drugs. However, I’m sure you’ll encounter at least a dozen people on the street offering you adventurous cookies free a charge. By applying that simple rule we all heard numerous times as children – do not take candy from strangers – you’ll be safe and sound, and no one will find you in a ditch miles away. Tourists in Amsterdam tend to be unbelievably hoggish, and they’d take practically everything they can, which is a pretty ignorant thing to do. Why should you take your chances and take something strange when drugs are already legal?

2. Rent Instead of Booking

Because of their highly developed tourism, hotel owners are free to overprice everything in their list of services, which is why you need to avoid branded names and hotel chains. Instead of wasting that money on ridiculously expensive rooms, you should save it and put it to good use doing one of the many fun things that Amsterdam has to offer. There are more than a few alternative accommodation options, and probably the best one is renting an apartment – it’s cheaper and you’ll have all the comfort that you need.

3. Red Light for Unwanted Photos

One of the biggest attractions in Amsterdam is the Red Light District. Well, if Amsterdam rules confused you before you got there, I bet you won’t know where to turn when you enter this district. It’s nothing that weird once you get used to it, but until you’re completely familiar with what you’re allowed to do, it might be better to filter those ideas that come to your mind. For example, you absolutely mustn’t take photos of shop windows no matter how inviting they seem or how bad you’d like to share them with friends, because the owners of those shops really don’t like it.

4. Try Not to Look Like a Tourist

The fact is your mind won’t be at the usual 100% because of all psychoactive substances available to you, which is why you’ll be far more vulnerable to pickpockets and small scammers. The way they do business is on a whole different level, so you should definitely avoid carrying your luggage with you, going around all clueless with a map and looking like a naïve tourist in general.

5. Locals Take Biking Seriously

Being their main transportation medium, the network of biking paths is highly developed. Locals are usually in the great hurry and they have a low level of tolerance for wandering tourists, so you should definitely pay close attention to where you step. This shouldn’t be too hard because there are signs everywhere, and I’m sure you’ll be able to avoid injuries if you’re careful. Also, you should definitely avoid driving to Amsterdam, because your car won’t be of much use. There aren’t many cars out on the streets, as everybody prefers the co-friendly bicycle. Renting a bike is cheaper than paying for gas, and you can get anywhere you want with no trouble whatsoever.

These are quite simple precautions you should take when traveling to Amsterdam. You should try to remember them, so that you don’t get into an uncomfortable situation that might ruin your entire trip. Other than that, everything is incredibly fun and relaxed. You should definitely stay open minded, try new things and check out Amsterdam’s landmarks. Have fun!