Is Amsterdam worth a visit?
Amsterdam is one of the most visited cities in Europe, known for its stunning architecture and canal system.
I visited Amsterdam for the first time in February 2024 and had mixed feelings. Therefore, I’ve written this article to answer that age old question: is Amsterdam actually worth a visit?
I’ll go through some of the things I wasn’t expecting about the city, and finish with a review of some of its aspects. Hopefully it’ll provide a decent overview of the reality of a visit to Amsterdam!
Ratings
Accessibility: 5/5 • Safety: 5/5 • Enjoyment: 4/5 • Value: 2/5 • Overall: 4/5
About Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, in Western Europe.
With a population of just under 1 million people, Amsterdam is a city which is compact enough to be explored easily, whilst also containing lots of things to do and see.
What is Amsterdam known for?
Amsterdam is possibly known best for its 17th century canal rings, which split the capital into islands. They once were used to transport goods in and out of the city and now are much more well used by tourist boats.
The canals, paired with its classic 17th century architecture with tall, narrow and often sloping houses, are what make Amsterdam so pretty; this whole vista is very attractive to tourists.
You might also have heard about the Dutch masters. The Netherlands has been home to many of the world’s most famous painters, such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, and many of their artworks can be viewed in museums in Amsterdam. Art aficionados can tour their birth places and homes on trips elsewhere in the Netherlands too.
One other major attraction of Amsterdam is the liberal nature of the Netherlands: a country where prostitution and soft drugs are legal. As such there’s some drug tourism, and the red light district is booming!
Why did I pick to visit Amsterdam?
As I don’t have any particular affection for architecture, art or cannabis, you may be wondering: why did I bother to visit Amsterdam in the first place?
(Okay, you probably aren’t, but I’m going to answer it anyway!)
The main motivation was to see one of my favourite artists – Maisie Peters – in concert. We had missed her UK tour and were very excited to see her in Europe!
Our other motivation was to meet some of the friends we had made during our 2023 year of travel. A lot of backpackers hail from the Netherlands and we were very excited to see some of them again.
Things I wasn’t expecting about Amsterdam
I’ve compiled the below list of things I didn’t expect about Amsterdam. Some of this is quite obvious, but it shocked me just how pronounced it was. Others would’ve been reconciled with a little bit of research, but here we are!
1. There are no free activities
Whenever I visit a new city, particularly in Europe, I can’t help but compare them to London. On any trip to London you’re bound to encounter a free museum: useful for a warm sit down and toilets if nothing else!
This was not the case at all in Amsterdam. There were no free activities; no free museums; not even free toilets.
Instead the opposite applied. Each museum had an entrance fee hovering around the €20 ($22 / £17) mark. We braced it to go to the Van Gogh Museum, but past that we couldn’t justify it; not even for the Rijksmuseum!
2. Everything needs to be booked in advance
Now, I like to pre-book things as much as the next person. But in Amsterdam it was just excessive!
Almost every activity needed to be booked in advance, whether it was a museum ticket, boat tour or restaurant. We had poor success finding somewhere to have brunch in the centre without a reservation!
It took the spontaneity out of the trip a little. If I had attempted to see all of Amsterdam’s attractions, it hardly would’ve been a fun trip and would’ve instead been very stressful.
3. Beer and wine measures are small, but the beer bars are so cute
I was so surprised when I went to my first beer bar in the Netherlands: they’re so small and cosy!
However, shame on me for not reading up about Dutch beer culture before going. I wasn’t expecting the measures to be so small! A beer is often 250 ml and a standard wine 100 ml. Compared to the UK’s measures this is crazy low and I’m glad I didn’t order any wine, lest the small glass surprise me.
4. The tourist area of Amsterdam is tacky
Amsterdam suffers greatly from overtourism; it’s just a known fact. Therefore, the neon signs and tourist “coffee shops” of central Amsterdam shouldn’t have surprised me.
However, they did! Amsterdam still was very pretty, but these streets let it down. I hate to imagine how much worse it would be in high season…
5. There are so many weed cafes
The tourist centre of Amsterdam is full of “coffee shops” (the Dutch term for cafes primarily selling cannabis). These had a slightly sleazy feel to them, with neon leaves on the front and the very obvious smell.
I’m informed that most of these shops in the centre are for the benefit of tourists. The Dutch wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these! Did that improve my opinion of my fellow tourists? Not exactly…
6. I preferred the less touristy areas
Given the tourist feel to the centre, it’s actually no surprise that I preferred other neighbourhoods within Amsterdam. I didn’t attempt to visit particular areas, but the feel was much better; and that made everything feel prettier and friendlier as well.
How would I rate Amsterdam?
I give every location I visit a rating to highlight my opinion of it. That way, destinations can be easily compared and considered against one another.
Here’s what I thought to Amsterdam:
- Safety: 5/5
- Accessibility: 5/5
- Enjoyment: 4/5
- Value: 2/5
Overall: 4/5
You’ll find a bit more info on each score below!
Safety: 5/5
As far as cities go, I felt very safe in Amsterdam. It’s ranked as one of the safest cities in the world and it lived up to its reputation!
Walking around at night posed no problems. Most people were friendly and I felt comfortable.
Accessibility: 5/5
Amsterdam is a nicely set up city in terms of public transport. It’s easy to get to and from the airport, as well as to other Dutch cities, and the various neighbourhoods are connected by a network of buses and trams.
Not to mention, the system wasn’t too expensive, with trains to and from the airport costing around €6 ($6.50 / £5). Generally it was also reliable; there were a couple of times where our bus didn’t turn up, so I’m not sure I’d want to rely on it for important meetings, but it wasn’t too bad either.
The city’s also fairly accessible in terms of its set up and, as far as cities go, I imagine this one would come out well.
Enjoyment: 4/5
I loved the Netherlands and Dutch people. It was fun to see all the canals and see other aspects of Dutch culture.
However, I wasn’t mad about Amsterdam, and probably won’t be rushing back. We visited Utrecht on our trip as well and that was super nice. If I ever make it back to the Netherlands, I’d rather visit cities that are less popular with international tourists and see more of that side of the country.
Value: 2/5
Amsterdam is super expensive in terms of food, accommodation and attractions. There are hefty tourist taxes and the costs all add up. The four days I spent in Amsterdam were some of the priciest I’ve ever had!
Conclusion: is Amsterdam worth a visit?
I enjoyed my time in Amsterdam, but wasn’t enamoured with the centre. I’m glad I’ve seen the canals and met up with Dutch friends but not sure I’ll be rushing back.
Would I say Amsterdam is worth a visit? For sure. But I’ll be visiting other areas in the Netherlands before I head back there!
What were your thoughts on visiting Amsterdam? Let me know in the comments!
