I spent two days in Amsterdam in August 2020, figuring I should check out what all the hype was about. And honestly? It’s a cool tourist city with some wild stuff you can’t do elsewhere, but man, it’s completely burned out by tourism.
The center is wall-to-wall tourists and you barely see any actual Dutch people. They’ve probably all been pushed out to suburbs where they can afford rent and don’t have to deal with drunk British guys pissing in their doorways. Amsterdam has basically become Disneyland for adults who want to get high and look at prostitutes.
What Amsterdam Has Become
Amsterdam has about 870,000 people, but the center feels like it’s been turned into a theme park designed to separate tourists from their money. Don’t get me wrong – the canal architecture is genuinely beautiful and there’s definitely some cool stuff to see, but it feels like actual Amsterdam has been evacuated and replaced with a tourist simulation.
The tourism infrastructure is insane – everything’s optimized for people who are there for 2-3 days, want to smoke weed, drink heavily, and do stuff they can’t do back home. It works commercially, but it’s also kind of depressing when you realize this used to be an actual city where real people lived.
In two days, I think I heard more English than Dutch in the city center. The only Dutch people I interacted with were working in the service industry, dealing with drunk foreigners all day.
How We Got Here: From Golden Age to Tourist Trap
The Historical Foundation
Amsterdam’s golden age was the 17th century when Dutch merchants dominated global trade. Those famous canals and narrow houses were built when the city was basically the New York of its time.
The Netherlands has always been relatively liberal – religious tolerance, merchant culture, pragmatic attitudes toward vice. This historical openness laid the groundwork for modern Amsterdam’s anything-goes tourist appeal.
The Transformation
Amsterdam became a hippie destination in the 1960s, starting the liberal drug culture tourists come for today. The coffee shop system and relaxed attitudes toward soft drugs date back to this era.
What started as a cool countercultural destination gradually became a full-blown tourist circus. The combination of liberal drug laws, legal prostitution, beautiful architecture, and convenient European location created the perfect storm for mass tourism that has completely consumed the city center.
The Architecture: Still Genuinely Beautiful
Despite everything, the canal ring architecture is genuinely stunning. Those narrow 17th-century merchant houses lined up along the canals create some seriously photogenic cityscapes. It’s the kind of place that looks good in every photo you take.
Main Areas
- Jordaan: Supposed to be more “authentic” but still crawling with tourists
- Red Light District: Wild walking past windows with prostitutes – like something out of a movie
- Museum Quarter: Decent area, slightly less chaotic than center
- Canal Ring: The famous UNESCO stuff – definitely pretty but packed with tour groups
You can walk everywhere in the center, which is good because the bike situation looks terrifying. There are bikes everywhere and Dutch people ride like maniacs.
The Degeneracy Factor (Which Is Kind of the Point)
Let’s be real – a big part of Amsterdam’s appeal is that you can do stuff that’s illegal pretty much everywhere else. That’s literally why most people go there.
Coffee Shops Everywhere
You can legally buy and smoke weed, which was pretty cool to experience. The quality seemed decent and it’s wild that it’s just openly happening on every corner. Very different from the illegal street trade that also operates alongside tourism.
Red Light District
Walking through streets where prostitutes are literally sitting in windows like a marketplace is… something else. It’s bizarre, fascinating, and kind of depressing all at the same time. It’s definitely a unique experience you can’t have anywhere else.
Street Drinking Culture
People just drinking and partying everywhere, especially around tourist areas. The whole city feels like one big bachelor party, particularly with all the British stag dos and international party groups.
It’s definitely fun for a short visit, but you also realize this whole setup is designed to milk tourists while locals have to live with the consequences.
Cost Reality: Prepare Your Wallet
Accommodation
- Hostels: €30-60/night
- Decent hotels: €80+ (way more for anything nice)
- Airbnb monthly: New York City money – absolutely insane prices
Daily Expenses
- Meals: €15-35 (expensive)
- Beer: €5-7
- Coffee: €3-4
- Public transport: €3-4 per day
- Daily food budget: €40-60
- Total daily budget: €60-100
Everything’s pricey, especially in tourist areas. Restaurant prices reflect the fact that they’re mostly catering to visitors rather than locals who’ve been priced out.
Food Scene: Tourist-Focused International
Traditional Dutch food isn’t particularly exciting – cheese, stroopwafels, herring. Nothing terrible but nothing amazing either.
There are tons of restaurants catering to tourists with every type of cuisine imaginable, but quality varies wildly.
Places Worth Trying
- Café de Reiger: Good traditional Dutch food, more local vibe
- Restaurant Greetje: Modern Dutch cuisine, pricey but quality
- Winkel 43: Famous for apple pie, always packed but actually good
- Local cheese shops: The Dutch cheese game is solid – try aged Gouda
The Dutch cheese is genuinely excellent, and the stroopwafels are better fresh from street vendors than packaged ones.
Tourist Attractions: Worth Seeing Once
Must-See Spots
- Canal boat tours: Touristy but actually pretty cool way to see the city
- Anne Frank House: Heavy but important historical site (book way in advance)
- Van Gogh Museum: World-class art collection, worth the entrance fee
- Rijksmuseum: Dutch art and history, huge place
- Red Light District: Obviously wild to walk through
- Vondelpark: Nice for a walk, especially on sunny days
Cool Experiences
- Walking the canal ring: Free and beautiful, especially at sunset
- Coffee shop experience: Try at least one if you’re into that
- Bloemenmarkt: Floating flower market, pretty photogenic
- Food tours: Good way to try local stuff without guessing
For a short tourist visit, there’s definitely enough to keep you busy. Just book popular attractions well in advance.
Nightlife: International Party Central
Even with COVID restrictions, you could tell Amsterdam’s nightlife game is strong. The scene is very international party crowd, lots of British bachelor parties and tourists getting messed up.
Types of Venues
- Brown cafés: Traditional Dutch bars, more chill atmosphere
- Tourist bars: Loud, international crowds
- Clubs: Several big dance music venues
- Coffee shops: Weed cafés that stay open late
Fun but not particularly sophisticated – it’s more about the party experience than cultural immersion.
The Housing Crisis: Where Tourism Goes Wrong
This is where Amsterdam goes from “fun tourist spot” to “completely unsustainable nightmare.”
The tourism has created a massive housing crisis where regular Dutch people literally can’t afford to live in their own city center anymore. Airbnb and short-term rentals have completely destroyed the housing market for locals.
Trying to get a place for a month would cost you New York City money – insane prices that make zero sense unless you’re pulling serious cash. Forget about digital nomading here unless you’re making bank.
The whole housing situation is designed around short-term tourism extraction rather than people actually living there.
Safety and Street Reality
The center feels pretty safe during the day with lots of tourists and police presence. Things get sketchier after dark with drug dealing happening on the streets, particularly dealers targeting tourists.
The legal coffee shops are one thing, but there’s also illegal street trade that operates alongside tourism. As a visitor, you’re obviously a target for various schemes, so stick to well-lit, busy areas.
Digital Nomad Assessment
Pros:
- Excellent English proficiency
- Great internet infrastructure
- Beautiful, inspiring environment
- Central European location
- Unique cultural experiences
Cons:
- Absolutely insane housing costs
- Tourist circus atmosphere affects daily life
- Limited interaction with actual Dutch culture
- Constant crowds and party atmosphere
- Everything designed for short-term visits
Digital Nomad Rating: 3/10
Only viable for very short-term stays or if money isn’t a concern. The costs and tourist atmosphere make it impractical for most remote workers.
Weather and Timing
August was decent – warm enough but not hot, typical Northern European summer weather. The long daylight hours were nice for walking around the canals.
- Summer (June-August): Best weather but peak tourist madness
- Spring/Fall: Probably more bearable tourist-wise but weather’s hit or miss
- Winter: Dark and cold, though Christmas markets might be cool
The city’s so built for tourism that it probably works year-round, weather isn’t the main factor.
Who Should (And Shouldn’t) Visit Amsterdam
Good For:
- First-time tourists wanting a unique European experience
- People into party/nightlife scenes
- Art and history enthusiasts
- Anyone curious about liberal drug/prostitution policies
- Bachelor/bachelorette parties
- People who want to do things they can’t do at home
Skip It If:
- You’re looking for authentic Dutch culture
- You’re on a tight budget
- You hate crowds and tourist scenes
- You’re planning to stay longer than a week
- You prefer genuine local experiences
Comparison to Other Cities
Versus other Dutch cities: Amsterdam’s in its own category – way more touristy and expensive than anywhere else in the Netherlands.
Versus European party cities: Similar tourist circus vibe to Prague or Barcelona, but with added legal debauchery factor.
Versus other canal cities: Venice is more beautiful but also more touristy; Bruges is more charming but smaller.
My Honest Bottom Line
Overall Rating: 7/10
Amsterdam delivers exactly what it promises – beautiful canals, legal weed, prostitutes in windows, and a place to act like an idiot for a weekend. The architecture really is gorgeous and there’s something to be said for experiencing a place where you can do stuff that’s banned everywhere else.
But it’s also completely artificial at this point. You’re not experiencing Dutch culture, you’re experiencing tourist culture that happens to be located in the Netherlands. Everything’s expensive as hell, the center is packed with drunk foreigners, and the whole thing feels kind of hollow after a while.
Worth Visiting Once: Absolutely
It’s unique and the canal ring really is beautiful. Plus, where else can you legally smoke weed while walking past prostitutes? It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that’s worth having.
Worth Staying Longer: Hell No
Unless you’re rich and love crowds, don’t even think about it. The housing costs are insane and the novelty wears off fast.
The Bottom Line
Go for a long weekend, check out the canals, try a coffee shop, walk through the red light district, then get out. It’s fun but it’s basically a theme park at this point.
Amsterdam works because it gives tourists experiences they can’t have anywhere else. Just don’t expect to find the real Netherlands there – that’s been priced out and moved to the suburbs.
It’s a perfect example of tourism success destroying what made a place special in the first place. The beauty remains, but the soul has been commodified and sold to the highest bidder.
Have you experienced Amsterdam’s tourist circus, or have you found ways to see the real Netherlands beyond the theme park center? What’s your take on cities that have been completely consumed by tourism? Share your Amsterdam stories in the comments!
