The Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, has one of the highest tourist-to-resident ratios of any city in the world. In 2024, roughly 20 million tourists visited a country of 18 million people — and concentrated overwhelmingly in a handful of postcodes in Amsterdam's city centre. The Dutch are famously direct. Here's what they actually think.
"Amsterdam Is Not a Theme Park" — And the Government Agrees
In 2023, Amsterdam's city council launched a "Stay Away" campaign specifically targeting British stag parties and male tourists aged 18–35 with a history of disruptive behaviour in the red light district. It was the first time any European city government had explicitly told a specific demographic group not to visit. The campaign ran on social media in the UK and included warnings that disruptive behaviour would result in on-the-spot fines of up to €140. The decision was not controversial among Amsterdammers — it reflected years of accumulated frustration.
The city has also closed the Ij-tunnel to tourist buses, capped the number of tourist accommodation nights, removed cannabis sale licences from the city centre, and banned new tourist shops from street-level retail space. The message is consistent: Amsterdam wants tourists, but not every kind of tourist, and not in unlimited numbers.
The Directness Factor
The Dutch are famously and genuinely direct — not rude, but precise in a way that other cultures can misread as coldness. If a Dutch person tells you something is "not bad," it almost certainly means they genuinely like it (superlatives are culturally mistrusted). If they tell you that you are standing in the cycle lane, they are telling you because they want you to move, not because they want a conversation. The directness applies to tourist behaviour judgement: a Dutch shopkeeper or local will tell you directly if you are being annoying. Take this as useful information, not personal attack.
The Cycle Lane Issue
Every year, thousands of tourists are hit by bicycles in Amsterdam because they walk in cycle lanes. The cycle lanes in Amsterdam are red-surfaced and placed between the pavement and the road — many visitors assume they are part of the pavement. They are not. Walking in a cycle lane will get you hit. Being hit by a Dutch cyclist going at commuting speed is painful and occasionally seriously injurious. If you hear a bell behind you, move immediately and move to the pavement, not into the cycle lane. This is the single most important practical piece of advice for Amsterdam.
What Dutch People Actually Love About Tourists
The picture is not all friction. Most Dutch people genuinely enjoy meeting curious, interested visitors — the country has a long history as a trading hub and cosmopolitan nation, and many Nederlanders are enthusiastic explainers of their own culture. Ask a Dutchman about the water management system, the history of the Golden Age, or why Dutch cheese is served in slabs rather than wedges, and you'll get twenty minutes of engaged, well-informed conversation. Go outside Amsterdam to cities like Utrecht, Groningen, Maastricht, or Haarlem: the tourist density drops, the prices fall, the locals are more relaxed, and the Netherlands you experience becomes measurably more genuine.
Quick Etiquette Guide
- Never walk in the red cycle lanes
- Don't photograph people in the red light district — it is explicitly illegal and deeply disrespectful to the workers
- The Dutch greet with one kiss on the cheek (not two or three like Belgians); handshakes for formal settings
- Punctuality is taken seriously — being late for a dinner invitation without warning is genuinely rude
- Splitting bills (going Dutch) is both culturally normal and the origin of the phrase