Planning to visit Amsterdam? Here’s a useful guide to read

To every traveling aficionado planning to visit Amsterdam, there are some important things to know before reaching the capital of Netherlands. Here’s a useful guide.

You’ve already established that your next holiday destination is Amsterdam. You have your plane tickets ready, booked a beautiful room next to the city center and have already thought about what to wear to take some amazing photos. But there’s more to know that this about Amsterdam.

Holland ≠ the Netherlands

There’s a common misconception that Holland and the Netherlands are one and the same country, but they aren’t. Holland is actually a region and it takes up only one third of the Netherlands. Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland are the two provinces of Holland (the region) and Amsterdam is the largest city in Noord, BUT the capital of the province Noord is Haarlem, not Amsterdam, as many may believe.

Yes, you can buy Cannabis

Amsterdam is renowned worldwide for the fact that people are allowed to purchase cannabis, but the thing is you can only do this from licensed coffeeshops. You can easily recognize them by their green-and-white sign displayed on the front door.

However, even though cannabis laws are more relaxed here compared to other European countries, you are only allowed to smoke inside these licensed coffeeshops.

The main transportation mode is cycling

Amsterdam is known as the most bike-friendly capital city in the world, with more than one million people owning a bike. There are bike lines everywhere around the city and everyone is encouraged to rent a bike in order to see Amsterdam ‘like a local’.

Watch for the blue bike sign in order to ensure you’re on the right side of the street and in case you want to change direction, signal it using your hands. Keep an eye on pedestrians, mini cars, scooters and other cyclists.

If you choose to walk instead, make sure you don’t stand on the bike line, as you will hear numerous bike rings all around you.

In case you’re thinking to buy a bike from here, make sure you go to a reputable store. It is recommended to avoid street vendors that sell bikes at suspiciously cheap prices.

Go beyond the Red Light District

The Red Light District is by far Amsterdam’s most popular neighborhood and every traveler visiting the city wishes to spend one night here. However, there’s more to the Netherlands' capital than this.

There are tons of other places you can visit and some examples are:

• Rijksmuseum
• Museum van Loon
• Rembrandt House
• The NDSM neighborhood, for amazing photos of graffiti, cafes and the city’s best flea market
• Papeneiland, Bickerseiland & Realeneiland for photos of beautiful architecture

… and many more.

Challenges related to buying stuff

When in Amsterdam, one of the biggest challenges you may encounter is related to paying for things and services. Most stores here prefer electronic payments and some of them have even decided to stop accepting cash. Unfortunately, most visitors own MasterCard and Visa cards, whereas most stores in Amsterdam only accept Maestro cards.

However, most stores have signs placed at the entrance specifying their preferred payment methods, so pay attention to this.

Why the locals love the color orange that much

Whenever there are national holidays or the national football team plays, the entire city is covered in orange. You’ll see many locals dressed in orange clothing or having their face painted in this color, but ever wondered why they love this color this much?

The color orange is the symbol of the Dutch Royal Family and they are descendants of William of Orange, who was the first king to rule in Netherlands.

Don’t miss the Dutch national cuisine

There are various Dutch staples worth trying, although some of them, such as raw herring or snert, may not be to everyone’s liking. However, borrelhapjes, saté and stamppot are definitely worth trying.

Considering all the aspects above, chances are you’ll have an amazing holiday in Amsterdam.