Amsterdam, beautiful, charming city or boring drug infested rat pit?

Answer 1

BEAUTIFUL! It's a great city to visit!

Answer 2

Amsterdam is overrated. Walk along the Damrak, from the train station the the dove-covered square and all you'll notice are the cheap storefronts, dingy alleyways and pickpockets. There's a certain charm and beauty on either side of the canals Herengracht, Keizergracht and such. But then, Amsterdam is better known for it's large red-light district, it's sex museum and it's airport. The extensive built-up area around the city (Amstelveen, Almere) is as dull as could be, and the people you meet in town are not the friendliest - unless they're young, they hate tourists. Really, they do. The Dutchies here think much of themselves, too much. Manners are often forgot too, unless you pay for them. Grab the subway, and you'll notice just how austere the people are, and just how foul the townscape and materials. It's a bit like Glasgow in the 80s: unforgiving, hard, dull.
Holland can be a charming and beautiful place of course, but Amsterdam and Rotterdam are inflated, unfriendly and streetwise. Excellent fun if you like clubbing, prostitution, fast food, hostels and drugs - but otherwise no. If it's charm and beauty you're looking for, Holland can offer the pretty towns Haarlem, Delft and Leiden. Further to the East, Utrecht is a large town (450.000) that is more compact than Amsterdam is, while it also boasts gorgeous canals and a great nightlife. It's a student town, and people seem the livelier and friendlier for it. Groningen, Deventer, Nijmegen, Den Bosch, Breda and Maastricht are cozy, beatiful, lively and interesting towns further afield. Holland, ie the West Netherlands, however is flat for a good reason. Amsterdam, like Heineken, has poor taste and falls flat within seconds.

Answer 3

Amsterdam is FAR... very FAR from a "boring, drug infested rat pit".

It's a beautiful city filled with culture and charm. As someone stated earlier the buildings are truly unique. When you step out of the trainstation there is no doubt you're in Amsterdam. When you step out of a train station in Paris or Rome or london....you could be in the same city and you wouldn't know until you heard some one speak. In those cities you have to search for the cute spots and the pictureseque landscapes. In Amsterdam you're engulfed in beauty wherever you go.

Answer 4

What is so special about Amsterdam above other European big cities is that the outside is so beautiful. If you visit London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, most buildings are from the nineteenth century or later. The centre of Amsterdam is from 16th century, most of it still beautifully conserved. Cities like Venice are also old, but most of it is not beautifully conserved.
The other cities I mentioned have great museums, so has Amsterdam, although more on 16th, 17th century painters and of course van Gogh, but if you like that, it is as good as the Vatican museum or le Louvre.
Of course, if you want you can go to the part that you'd probably call the "rat pit", but in fact, the red light district is a really friendly neighbourhood. Yes, the prostituting is very open, but that makes it less "Mafia-like", and more friendly. You sit in a bar, and next to you sits a prostitute who is taking a break, not trying to get you as a customer, just interested in how you like your holidays and such. Besides, it is very handy that 90% of the Dutch speak English and ar willing to show it.

Answer 5

It's a great city, much more beautiful that London. The cobbled streets are more reminiscent of York, the canals are really nice and the people friendly. There are also much less cars than you'd expect in a city. There are the obvious seedy aspects to it but the red light district is fairly small and you don't have to go there if you don't want to.

Go on a canal cruise, visit Ann Frank's house (eraly morning or late evening to avoid queues) and generally wander around. It's brilliant.

Answer 6

Both, but I quite like drug infested rat pits...

Answer 7

Just returned this week from amsterdam, and loved every minute of it. Yes there is the seedier side of it, but tell me a city that hasn't got that.

Fantastic place, people, parks, trams etc. LOVE IT!!

Answer 8

I think the first, its a beauful city, lots of charm, possibilities, old buildings and inhabited by the trueblue Amsterdammer, who are friendly and funny. The second i think you can find in any countries capital if you go looking for it

Answer 9

both, depends on what you are going for, but whatever you decide you will have fun and enjoy yourself, during the day and night.

check out the red light district, it is an experience
canal ride
museums
diamond factory
markets

lots of different things to see and try out

have a great time

Answer 10

Amsterdam is very similar to New York. It has good and bad however ther is no way you would want to miss seeing and experiencing that very unique city. It has lots of historical and cultural sites to explore. reaper out............

Answer 11

Entertaining for the young and happy users of the drugs.