Whats it like in Amsterdam?

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Normally I don't answer these questions as having lived on the outskirts (having moved south recently) my experience of A'dam as a local resident is of course different from those of a tourist visiting it for a week or so

However I read the first two responses and was a little upset/shocked that this is their perspective of a city that I know and love. Thankfully though you also received the point of view from others which is the opposite

Amsterdam to me is a city where it has something to please everyone, and of course being subjective, then some of these things are not liked (or known) by others

Yes there are the stereotypes of coffeeshops and the Red light district,but this is a small portion of what Amsterdam has to offer and it ticks many boxes
- culture - by the bucketload, museums to please and entertain all age groups and interests
- history - everywhere you look
- great shopping - whether you want fashion or boutiques or antiques, diamonds, or just little shops to rummage around. Amsterdam has been undertaking a lot of renovations with shopping being promoted

Yes as mentioned there are pickpockets (but the same is for every major city in Western Europe and beyond)

Yes there are "junkies" few and far in between -but they will not cause any harm,just whispering what they want to sell and you just ignore it and move on

High crime- that's a complete fable! We get BBC1 over here and the regional news is the one for London. If I watch that and see how many shootings and stabbings take place especially with teenagers then I am shocked. In this case you cannot even compare Amsterdam with London.

I have spend much time in Amsterdam both at night and during the day. I take my kids them (both youngsters) and have yet to witness more than a couple of drunks (actually tourists) fighting (well if you can call falling over and aiming missed punches as fighting)

So in summary,Amsterdam is most certainly not a hole of any sort.

However, first-hand experience beats tales (especially the first two responses). Read up a bit on the tourist sites, get an idea of what you want to see and then bf that you want to come regardless! http://www.amsterdam.info/
http://www.amsterdamtourist.nl/en/visiting
http://www.iamsterdam.com/

Best time I guess is now, schools are back which means that there are not so many tourists,and you have a chance of decent weather, but I guess it depends on when your birthday is,and also costs (last minute fares being more expensive generally than ones booked in advance)

Enjoy your trip

packard1963

Most people think of Amsterdam and think one thing, weed!
Its more than that because coffee houses are open all around the Netherlands if truth be known.

Its beautiful and the people great, one thing it has is many rude tourists in the summer from England that go to get drunk stoned and what ever.
I say visit the banana club for fun, trust me you will need to carry your bf away.

conley39

I go to Amsterdam fairly frequently. There's always something interesting to see and do. There are a huge number of museums on almost any subject you can think of. The Rijksmuseum, Van
Gogh museum, and Rembrandt house are particularly good and the Anne Frank house is a must. Just walking around the canals and sitting in the cafes is good. It's also very easy to get around the country using the trains - the open air museum in Enkhuizen is one of my favorites and there are beaches within easy distance of Amsterdam.

My favorite time is late April at the peak of the season at Keukenhof, but it's hard to go wrong anytime.

Bethnyc

Amsterdam is one of the great cities of the world. Small enough to feel intimate and big enough to be fast paced and exciting. Great walking city, beautiful and romantic canals. High crime, never experienced that any of the many times I've been there except in the districts that the junkies hang out in. Nothings ever happened, I just become more aware of my surroundings. Go and have a great time!

It's a lovely city. We've been a few times. The last time we went we hired bikes and went away out of the city. Because it's so flat you can go for miles. We went past lovely villages with canals running through them and storks siting in the gardens. The bike hire place recommended a couple of routes. We stopped in a supermarket and got stuff to have a picnic.

Yo wouldn't want to go to the red light district every night but you have to have a walk through it just to see. It's not scary. It's full of normal tourists who are just curious. It's quite funny actually because you even see groups of pensioner having a nosey. You also see groups of stags and hens and the odd weirdo too. SOme of the girls are gorgeous.

It's also worth experiencing the cafes. I don't like smoking but I've had space cakes and they're really funny.

The architecture is gorgeous and the food is nice.

It's just like any other relatively wealthy modern city with a few surreal bits thrown in as a bonus.

I think you should go.

U_S_S_Enterprise

Charlotte E is wrong - weed (or drugs) are not legal!

Other than that, there is a lot to see / do in and around Amsterdam.

It depends on your taste, but you could visit a museum, look at the architecture, have a nice dinner in one of many restaurants.
You can easily reach other cities and places such as Haarlem, Volendam, Enkhuizen, Alkmaar, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague.

I guess your boyfriend never actually has visited Amsterdam, because crime is relatively low. Pickpockets are the biggest problem, but if you don`t carry a lot of money and no valuables, no problems there.
The law terrible? Compared to what?

Eva

Please don't pay attention to the first two comments, that is not Amsterdam.

I don't know where you are from and what you are looking for exactly but Amsterdam has something to offer to all types of visitors. I have been in many different places all around the world and I certainly wouldn't call Amsterdam a ***hole.

Yes, there is prostitution and yes there are coffeeshops where marijuana is sold but these are things you can find anywhere in the world. The difference is that because we are so open about it, it is not such a dodgy scene as elsewhere. I am a relatively petite, young-looking girl, but I never really felt unsafe walking around our capital. Of course, if you want trouble, you will find it there but I wouldn't say the law is terrible.

The Dutch speak English quite well and often also a third language besides Dutch and English. It will make it very easy for you to get around.

I hope you decide to come over and visit Holland and see for yourself.

john k

Nobody goes there because it's so awful ! ...........What a load of rubbish........it's a great place for a short break ..............ignore the dontknowabee's

???

High crime? Dont think so, the tourists are all too stoned to cause any trouble. (!) The only time I saw the need for police in Amsterdam was because a guy fainted (probably stoned) and they came out of no where, instantaneously. Pretty good going, they helped him out that was it.
Yes red light area is really seedy, but it can be avoided.
Any time of year is good to go.
Dont miss the Rijksmuseum & the Van Gogh museum, its not all sex and drugs there! The canals are really pretty, food good, its a great and curious place to visit, your boyfriend is wrong, has he been there?

CharLottie aka Agony Aunt

Its good if you want to sit in a weed cafe, they sell every type and its legal, also if you want alot of prostitutes hanging round and women dancing in windows ahlf naked, bit of a **** hole like, but goood to get wasted.

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