Don’t Do This in Amsterdam: 17 Things to Avoid and What to Do Instead

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Share on Telegram
• Share on WhatsApp

Don’t do this in Amsterdam: reduce the city to its most obvious stereotypes. This guide covers what actually catches visitors off guard: the traps, the scams, and the local etiquette. So that you can experience the city locals actually live in.

Amsterdam has a way of feeling both grand and low-key at once: canal houses leaning slightly into each other, world-class museums a short bike ride apart, a pace of life that never seems to rush even in the busiest parts of town. It’s a city built at human scale.

Still, it’s also one of the most disproportionately visited cities relative to its size anywhere in Europe, and residents have noticed. Think of this as your don’t do this in Amsterdam guide, drawn from the patterns that repeatedly catch visitors off guard. The city center now leans heavily toward tourist spending rather than everyday life, housing has become nearly unreachable for people who grew up there, and certain streets feel designed around foreign visitors rather than the Amsterdammers who actually live nearby.

Amsterdam Basics

Don’t Do This In Amsterdam: Overview

Amsterdam’s canals, coffeeshops, and bike culture make it one of Europe’s most relaxed-feeling capitals. That is, until you’re standing in the wrong bike lane, paying tourist prices for a canal cruise booked dockside, or handing your wallet to someone claiming to be police.

Our “Don’t Do This In Amsterdam” list wasn’t created to put you off this liberal city. Rather, it’s meant to be the practical version of what your imaginary local colleague would tell you over a coffee and waffle: what to watch for, what to skip, and what to do instead, so your time and money go toward the Amsterdam that’s actually worth experiencing.

Below is our complete list of actual tourist traps to avoid, scams aiming at visitors and cultural tips to make your Amsterdam experience flawless.

#	Category	Don’t Do This In Amsterdam	Do This Instead
1	Trap	Eat fast food or pancakes with no printed prices near Dam Square/Centraal	Check for a posted menu, or follow the queue for a real frituur
2	Trap	Book a canal cruise dockside at Damrak	Book online in advance with a smaller, reviewed operator
3	Trap	Pay inflated “tourist menu” prices at coffeeshops right off Dam Square	Walk a few streets further for local, better-value coffeeshops
4	Trap	Buy mass-produced clogs and tulip souvenirs	Visit independent craft shops away from the main tourist strip
5	Trap	Fall for “free sample” cheese-shop tourist traps near Dam Square	Find a real cheese market or specialist shop
6	Trap	Book only the flagship Heineken Experience	Take a smaller local brewery tour for a more genuine (and cheaper) beer experience
7	Scam	Buy a suspiciously cheap bike from a street seller	Rent from a proper shop (MacBike, Black Bikes)
8	Scam	Show your wallet to “plainclothes police”	Never hand it over; ask to go to a station
9	Scam	Take an unlicensed “pirate” taxi at Schiphol or Centraal	Use an official taxi with blue plates, or take the train
10	Scam	Buy drugs from a street dealer, especially in the Red Light District	Only buy cannabis at a licensed, ID-checking coffeeshop
11	Scam	Accept a bike rental “damage” claim without proof	Photograph the bike before and after, rent from a reviewed shop
12	Scam	Use an ATM with a suspicious card slot	Use ATMs attached to bank branches, cover the PIN pad
13	Culture	Walk in the bike lane	Stay on the pedestrian path, look both ways
14	Culture	Treat the Red Light District as a photo-op	Visit respectfully, leave the camera away
15	Culture	Read Dutch directness as rudeness	Take a blunt answer at face value, it’s not personal
16	Culture	Assume cannabis is legal to use anywhere, anytime	Keep it to the coffeeshop or your accommodation
17	Culture	Expect American-style chattiness from staff	Read brief, direct service as normal, not poor service

For a more detailed take on each of the listed Amsterdam items, chose a Don’t Do This In Amsterdam category below:

That’s it for our list, and remember: the Dutch metropolis is one of the most-visited tourist destinations globally, so If you want to turn your visit into a more authentic experience and escape the masses, don’t do this in Amsterdam!

Heading to a different destination? Here’s what not to do in Barcelona, Paris, London, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Rome or Prague.