I apologize to the locals of Amsterdam who took offense to the "fishing pole" comment...however the entire crux of my original post was entirely disregarded, of which made complete sense. And I hate to break it to all the locals of amsterdam, although your city is beautiful and unique, your tourist trade will plummet without the RLD and coffeshop industries. In fact, much of what is unique and appealing to outsiders is not the actual "physical" representations of coffeeshops and red light windows, but rather, that a society would be so open and welcoming to these ways of life. Perhaps as "locals" its difficult for you to realize that once these freedoms are gone they will never be returned (in our lifetime at least). So instead of lambasting me, I would appreciate if you showed more appreciation toward your own country's freedoms that are being wittled away by the same mentality that attacks me for posting mere opinions and suggestions. And to OP, sorry this has gotten out of hand, this wil be my final post on this discussion. I hope your trip goes well and that you've been presented with a few different options to experience Amsterdam the way you see fit.
And I hate to break it to all the locals of amsterdam, although your city is beautiful and unique, your tourist trade will plummet without the RLD and coffeshop industries
I seriously doubt that; again you have made the assumption that Amsterdam is mainly about drugs and prostitution, which is indeed, as Batara said, an insult to many locals. A certain+ type of tourist (the kind of tourist that gets drunk, eats magic mushrooms and then jumps out of his hotel window because he thinks he can fly) will indeed rather go elsewhere +if the number of coffeeshops is reduced, but I can't imagine that many locals - apart from some coffeeshop owners maybe - will regret that.
Please keep in mind that the vast majority of the Dutch don't use drugs or watch women in red lights in their free time. At the same time, most people don't mind that coffeeshops and red light districts exist as long as they don't bother them. In short, most people's lives won't change if the Amsterdam city board decides to keep a closer watch on, and where necessary close, parts of the red light district. Ditto for the coffeeshops.
Did it ever occur to you that maybe the majority of the Dutch have got fed up, or at least concerned, about how the situation regarding coffeeshops and prostitution has become? The freedoms you keep talking about are, as far as I can see, only a positive thing for those people who feel the need to visit prostitutes (or watch them like animals in a zoo like those camera-touting tourists do) or do drugs - a minority of the population, in short. There have been some protests when the city board announced the closure of some "shops" in the RLD, but my impression is that the majority of the Amsterdammers either didn't care or where actually happy that finally some steps where taken to chase criminal elements out.
As a visitor, you obviously have only seen the "liberal", "free" side of Amsterdam. Before making any judgements about the Dutch as a whole (and worse, before accusing any of us of being tightwads), try to spend some time in other places around the country and talk to the locals. I suggest that you make a particular effort to visit some border towns and speak to the people there to hear about the effects of having a coffeeshop near their houses.
This is an endless conversation that will not take up any more of my time. The simple fact is, you apparently do not actually READ my posts, you simply take offense to anything that strikes you the wrong way without contextualizing the entire post. Been to Maastricht...been to Rotterdam....been to Eindhoven, so I certainly have experienced other pieces of the country. Clearly your approach to this particular forum lends to the ultra-conservative rightwing BS that is polluting the world and the Netherlands wherein your sensitivity to one individual perspective strikes such a chord of angst within. Furthermore, to suggest the tourism of Amsterdam would not be negatively affected by the pending tightening of legalities is quite narrowsighted...but you have proven your narrowsightedness already by lambasting my rights to merely suggest one way, of the many ways, to spend a few hours in Amsterdam.
Yeah, let's end this conversation. It looks like our opinions haven't much changed - we have the right to disagree, haven't we? - and there is no point in endlessly repeating the same things to each other. If you want to believe that you as a visitor understand the situation much better than this "narrowsighted" local, going on with this discussion is indeed a total waste of time. I have done my best not to take any offense and will not hold your comments against you if we encounter each other again on this forum.
Happy travels.
Hi Kiwimoo, there is also a small collection of the Rijksmuseum inside the airport.
For more suggestions on things to see and do, go to my travel website > Travel > Amsterdam Tips, although 7 hours does not give you much time.
Did you do a search yet?
Veel plezier,
Cécile
Amsterdam (who also hates the red light district but does not want to get into that discussion)
heads up on the Van Gogh Museum, I walked by it this weekend (my fifth trip to Amsterdam, I skipped the VG this time) and there was a massive line that didn't look like it was moving. Call/email ahead and see if they are even open on New Year's Eve, and if they have some sort of fast-track to get in.
I flew in from London, so not sure about how long customs take, but assume your flight will be 20 minutes late (v rainy at Schipol in December), so you get off the plane at 6:20. You're on the train at 7:30 at the very latest (tickets are about 4 euros each way to Centraal, I didn't buy a roundtrip), you're in the middle of Amsterdam by 8am.
Let's say you want to leave for the airport at 11:15 at the latest. Three hours is tons of time! I'd spend the time on a canal boat tour, the kids would love that, and then some lunch. Peek into some coffeehouses, they're not scary, and off you go.
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