What things to do and what things NOT to do?
2006-08-21 02:21:08 · 8 answers · asked by HuNTeR 2 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Netherlands
Just walk there like you walk in your own country. Don't start being a tourist making pictures of the prostitutes. Go there by daylight if you go there for the first time. Then there are not so many drunk people on the street and you can see better. Mostly the dutch people are not the problem but drunk or stoned tourist from other country's.
Visit the prostitution information center or take a tour and feel free to asked AL the questions you want to asked about how save it is.
Ignore everyone who tries to sell you dope. Mostly they will sell tourist rabbit **** or washing powder anyway.
Being a dutch woman I sometimes walked through the red light district in the evening on my way to a restaurant. I didn't feel unsafe but was aware to stay out of the way of people who had to much to drink and were loud.
It might be nice to go with a guided tour through the red light district.
helpful addresses (with an English site)
http://www.toptours.nl/index.html (click on the English/American flag on the left)
http://www.ignatzmice.com
http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/ (vvv is Dutch for tourist information)
2006-08-21 03:38:04 · answer #1 · answered by pffffffff 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Very simple...
Do NOT take photographs!! I cant stress this enough. They have bouncers that will throw you and/or your camera into the river.
Also many people see a sex show... thats your choice, i saw one but personally i didnt get it... I thought it was a waste, its just people having sex, but not like passionate sex, just unemotion continuous sex and the stage rotates and its different people having sex... interesting.. but kinda a waste for the prices
Besides for this... just use common sense that you would whenever traveling.
There are plenty of beautiful women (many of which are very young) its kinda sad... I wouldnt recommend using the prostitutes although they are much cleaner than anywhere else (they are forced into regular STD checks) ...
Still they have sex a lot... and you know who knows if they contracted an STD that night from a guy just before you.
Again though thats common sense
If you decide to smoke or do drugs (which is not advised) please be careful, only purchase from the coffee shops (not from side vendors)...
Don't piss on the street (because this is illegal, and you could get a rather large ticket)
Thats all I can think of now...
remember like anywhere when you travel use common sense and you should be okay...
This sounds simple, but with all the guilty pleasures in amsterdam, its easy to get taken advantage of when your stoned out of your mind or so drunk you cant walk.
It makes you an easy target for pickpockets and all the other stuff
That said, have fun, be safe! Holland is a wonderful place, with wonderful people. Its a shame that most people only see amsterdam. If you have time, take a train around and check out all the other little places in netherlands... You can probably do it in a day because the country is so small... I'd buy a round trip ticket from Amsterdam to Maastricht, and get out on all the little stops along the way... trains run by often so its easy to catch the last one..
The only place i didnt like was Den Haag (The Hague), the only place in all of europe people were excessively rude and nasty!
I lived in Maastricht for a while, and really really like it, its a wonderful city and the oldest cities in netherlands
Have fun!
2006-08-21 11:59:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't dangle your rolex in front of everybody. The main thing to beware of is pickpocketers. You don't have to be afraid someone is going to rob you with a gun or a knife - it's way to crowded for that. If you're there during normal hours when it's crowded (that is until way after midnight) you don't have to be afraid of anything.
If you're still on the streets at five am, you could get into trouble if you're in a street almost alone.
2006-08-21 17:14:24 · answer #3 · answered by leatherbiker040 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pfffff offered great advice, the only thing I would add onto that is when you walk through the RLD DO NOT take pictures of the prostitutes sitting in the window. They aren't all proud of their occupation choice & it's also rude. You could get beaten up by them or someone from the establishment can come out from nowhere & take your camera. They'll either expose the film or take it. No seriously.
2006-08-21 11:08:02 · answer #4 · answered by jmintecu 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is a seedy neighborhood but not dangerous (you are unlikely to get mugged or worse). However hanging onto your valuables and carrying as little as possible is always a good idea anywhere you travel - you are less likely to lose anything.
Just don't buy drugs from any sketch-looking people on the street. They won't bother you if you ignore them. Anything you do should be from a licensed regulated source...
2006-08-21 09:46:27 · answer #5 · answered by Mike R 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do not react if someone is offering drugs or other things.. Do not go there after midnight. Used to be fun but now it is to scary.
2006-08-21 15:40:20 · answer #6 · answered by vineto 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make a copy of all documents in case somebody robber you - and have money and documents in two different pockets so they don´t take away all!
Nice holidays!
2006-08-21 09:28:37 · answer #7 · answered by lele 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take your own condoms
2006-08-21 13:57:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋