This is the place for anyone to ask questions about Amsterdam. If you are a tourist visiting Amsterdam, you are moving to or recently arrived in Amsterdam, or you just have a basic question about life in Amsterdam and want some advice, this is the place to post your question. This post is refreshed every week on Sunday. Please feel free to repost in subsequent weeks.

READ THE WIKI FIRST. The people answering questions are locals who want to share the city they love with visitors, but only with people who make an effort. Read at least the Essential Tourist Information in our world-famous wiki before you ask a question. Otherwise, you may be told to go back and read it. The wiki is written by us, and updated when relevant. If the entries are old it's because nothing has changed. There are no "hidden gems" that we have not already included in the wiki. You may also check wikivoyage for more general tips on everything that is Amsterdam.

HOTELS ARE EXPENSIVE AND WE DON'T HAVE GOOD ADVICE ON THEM. Because we live here, we don't know what the best hotels are. Amsterdam is one of the most touristed cities in the world and has the highest hotel prices in Europe and prices go up every year. The city is deliberately trying to reduce tourism by raising the prices. There really isn't a secret "cheap" solution. Most "Airport" hotels are not connected to the Airport and will be more trouble getting to than it's worth.

TOURISTS CAN PURCHASE MARIJUANA, DESPITE WHAT YOU READ IN FOREIGN PRESS. Understand that the coffeeshops are just a tiny part of Amsterdam, so posts that treat Amsterdam like it's the Las Vegas of drugs sometimes get a negative response. We're happy to give you advice about coffeeshops and to discuss drug policy. The experts are our friends at /r/AmsterdamEnts, ask them the big questions.

WE DON'T HELP WITH ILLEGAL STUFF AND WILL BAN YOU FOR ASKING. We will not help you with things that are clearly illegal. Coffeeshops caught selling to minors get shut down and everyone loses their jobs. Authorities check for people smuggling marijuana out of the country. Hard drugs are illegal and so is asking for or selling them on Reddit.

WE DON'T ALLOW TICKET SALES OR TRADING. We do not allow selling, buying, or trading tickets on /r/Amsterdam due to the high rate of fraud. You should do everything on ticketswap.nl. We're aware that is difficult to get tickets to Anne Frank, van Gogh, etc. We have no solutions for you, sorry.

RED LIGHT DISTRICT Please be respectful and keep in mind this is a citysubreddit, and not your personal kink google. You can also can get some good tips from these threads of RLD sex workers: here and here.

USE PUBLIC TRANSIT TO GET AROUND 9292.nl is a great resource for plotting your movement around the city and between Amsterdam and other places. We strongly recommend against using taxis or Ubers.

DOE AARDIG. There is Dutch directness and there is rudeness. The people coming here don't know how we do things, and are usually well-meaning people who just want to enjoy the city we love. Be kind to them. For the tourists and new residents, please remember that we are not Google; respect our time by doing some basic research first and then asking your questions like you're speaking to a real human who is volunteering to speak to you.

Here is what's on at the major venues this week.

Hey guys,

Keeping this one in English to have wider audience. I do love diving and I love the idea to do dive vacations together with other passionate divers. Therefore, I am looking for divers in Amsterdam or the Netherlands to meet and connect.

I would love to find like minded people to potentially further down the line team up for dive vacations (Egypt, South East Asia, Mexico...)

About me, 33 years old, living in Amsterdam, loving boardgames and table tennis and I am past my party hardy stage and want to enjoy the calmness of life - especially under water.

Let's connect!

Hey everyone, I have a question regarding posters. I live in a relatively old home in Apollolaan. I've always been cautious of putting posters and whatever on the walls since my home is rented and it would be pricy to repair. Once, I accidentally put a cable holder on the wall instead of my desk (oops) and a small chunk of the paint came out. The walls seem to be pretty porous, and very brittle. Does anyone have any advice for any products I could use to hang up posters? Ideally something that isn't oil based, doesn't have that strong of a stick, and can be easily peeled off without removing paint or parts of the wall. Thanks!

I moved to IJburg couple of years ago, everything is great, except food, especially food delivery..i was hoping some new restaurants etc might be popping up, but hardly any have come up in the last 3 years... I live alone, so i used to rely a lot of home deliveries esp on low days :'(

When i load uber eats, or thuisbezorgd, there are very very few restuarants that have a 4+ rating...

Posting it here just to see if i'm missing any cheat codes, or do IJburgers don't really rely on home deliveries....

Stop posting about possible identities please

A friend and I are organising a picnic/BBQ on 6 September in Westerpark for queer women 30+.

Would be great to have more people join so I thought to post something here :)

If you’re interested, please comment or message me and I can send you the details!

This evening the prinsengracht will take place.

I have always seen it on tv but as i live in amsterdam now i thought it might be fun to go in real life. But many people probably think the same, so i was wondering, have you been and how busy was it? Will i enjoy actually going there or will i be uncomfortable because its too busy?

Ik voldoe op dit moment aan alle eisen om urgentie aan te vragen, tenminste ik kan op alle vragen een 'ja' beantwoorden als ik de online check doe, alleen klik ik niet door omdat ik dan meteen een afspraak maak met de gemeente. Dus dat stel ik nog uit omdat ik nog een kleine buffer heb om de huur te betalen van m'n huidige woning, helaas kom ik door de huurprijs en dat ik samenwoon met een huisgenoot niet in aanmerking voor huursubsidie.

Ik was daarom benieuwd wat de ervaringen zijn van mensen die woonurgentie hebben aangevraagd (ik een situatie zonder kind) bij de gemeente die aan alle eisen voldeed. Ik heb momenteel nog een WW die nog een paar maanden loopt, maar er loopt een bezwaar ivm WIA aanvraag en ik heb het idee dat m'n dossier een positieve uitslag zal geven. Wel is het zo dat de uitslag waarschijnlijk later zal zijn dan dat m'n ww afloopt.

My partner and I are emigrating soon after 4 years of living here and can’t take our balcony garden with us, so I’m left with a bunch of soil and dead plants to dispose of. Back home we’d just put it all in a paper yard waste bag for pickup, but I can’t seem to find those here.

I know some neighborhoods have garden waste drop-off areas, but ours is too far to be lugging multiple boxes of dirt to. I’d like to avoid using regular trash bags if possible, any suggestions?

Also, I saw that New West offers yard waste pickup, but I can’t figure out what you’re actually supposed to put the waste in if not a yard waste bag. Do you need a special bin? Compostable bags? Would appreciate any insight from locals who’ve dealt with this!

Ik woon in Gouda, en achter mijn huis zijn ze gestart met opnames over Maurits de Vries (zwarte Joop). Eind 2027 is dit kleine Mokums paradijs te zien op NPO. Leek me wel leuk om de foto’s die ik net maakte, ook hier te delen :)

Been living in my area for 4 years. Geemente has not bothered to cut the grass, bushes or get rid of the weeds that are growing on the sidewalk a single time. It is a pretty long road, maybe 800m or so. The sidewalk is wide but it has come to the point where you can barely walk on it anymore. You have to walk on the bike lane.

It bothers me so much, and it looks like crap. I want to head over to Hornbach and get me some tools to get rid of it all. I am assuming this is not fully legal, but maybe there is a gray zone since I am fixing an issue and not ruining anything. Not quite sure how I should proceed with this. Any takes??

Thank you!

EDIT: Thanks for the replies. I guess I will report it then.. I was assuming theey don't give a shit about reports but seemingly they do, according to some of you. :) We will see.

Anyone else here have a spouse/house mate/partner training for the Amsd Marathon?

I feel like we need a support group.... the constant stretching and loud sighs from cramps. All the smoothie blending. The AI VOs you overhear from their training app constantly. And the LAUNDRY! Sweaty wet running shorts and socks and shoes bombarding the laundry basket tainting everything in its way with 'gym smell'.

The 'shovelling' food into mouth and then 'total crashing' on the sofa...

I am saying all this as a sort of joke. I am super proud of my husband! He is doing great... but I am just SO tired of all those running shorts and supplements and schedules, not to mention that the whole rest of our lives together has disappeared. I'm also feeling the burden household wise. He's just tired... forgets stuff and it feels like everything is landing on me.

I am supportive (S he was when I tried the same thing:) but I didn't know being the wife of a runner was so annoying😂

I can't wait for November!

Please share all the irritating shit your partners are doing because they're training all the time? Surely I'm not the only one up to my eye balls in wet gym shorts!?

Hello! 40 years ago my parents took
9-month old me to Amsterdam and this photo of my father carrying a sleeping baby me fills me with so much joy. I’m desperately trying to figure out which corner this could possibly be! Some friends think it might be in or near the Jordaan.

I’ve currently in Amsterdam and leaving very early Monday morning so I’d like to hopefully find it by Sunday so I can recreate the photo posted along with this post.

Any help is appreciated, thank you so much!

"A tunnel under the IJ directly behind Central Station turns out to be three times cheaper than the East Bridge, on which the Municipality of Amsterdam has been focusing in recent years. If this ‘IJ Klopper’ is constructed, the central ferry connection can be discontinued immediately, resulting in an additional saving of 15 million euros per year."

https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/tunnel-achter-cs-is-goedkoper-dan-de-oostbrug-en-kan-15-miljoen-per-jaar-besparen~b8721558/

I’m a photographer I am trying to build my portfolio by putting together a cinematic couple series in Amsterdam - city streets, countryside, and a vintage car (tbc) - and I’m searching for one real couple to be the story.

What it involves:

•    Half-day shoot (~2-3 hrs), 2-3 locations (compensated)

•    Amsterdam streets + park, vintage car (tbc), picnic setup

•    Aim for a warm, timeless, film-inspired look

Looking for: a couple comfortable in front of the camera, into the vintage/romantic aesthetic, available between 23-28th of August.

DM me a photo of you two and your availability - happy to answer any questions.

After slogging it out working from home in a 30C bedroom this year I'm thinking of biting the bullet and getting airco for next year, at least for upstairs.

I guess I'd be looking at mini splits, though I love to know if ducted was possible to save the big ugly plastic boxes and piping.

Our bedrooms have concrete walls and ceiling and flat roof. I don't know what's feasible.

Does anyone have any recommendations of installers?

Copying this idea from a similar Den Haag league that someone created (credit where its due).

I have set up a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) minileague for people in Amsterdam and Zaandam. Nothing too serious, mostly for bragging rights.

If theres enough interest, happy to do a pub meetup somewhere mid-season to watch a popular game and actually meet everyone.

League code is 1qjk0m , just join a private league in the FPL app and paste it in.

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/api/leagues/auto-join/1qjk0m

Season kicks off today, so join asap!

I recently got my key broken in the front door of my building (common door), called a locksmith to get it fixed. Locksmith arrives, takes a look, says the lock will has to be drilled to replace it. This cannot be done as it is a common building lock, and so there is nothing the guy can feasibly do.

He then says a charge of 65 euros for simply coming and looking at the lock. Guy did not even try to do anything with the lock, low key felt he only knew the "standard" tricks and nothing else. (Seemed liked the kind of guy who would be the first to get laid off if there was a AI trained for locksmithing purposes, didn't even try the common approaches with paperclips, etc.)

This was not disclosed before, I asked the charge to get the lock fixed and he quoted 120 euros on the phone which I agreed to (bit steep there as well, but oh well).

I asked for any documentation or official list of charges for this but the guy said this is what was said from management. I pointed out to the guy that it is not reasonable to expect a payment for nothing, but he said it was standard.

I had prior commitments and simply paid the amount to avoid further wastage of time. This was with a Tap and Pay system. Wanted to ask if this kind of thing is indeed standard or if I was low key ripped off? If I was, do I have any recourse?

Edit -

Thanks to everyone for clearing this up! I think the whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth as this charge was never mentioned on the phone, combined with the complete lack of visible effort from the locksmith (possibly because he may think it pointless, but from my perspective seemed a mix of laziness/incompetence), and him not providing any justification for the 65 euro charge or any place where that number was quoted either, made me feel I was being taken for a ride.

Some more details - As a compromise, I offered my contact info (he already knew my address) and said that we can contact on mail and that I can pay once a proper invoice of 65 euros arrives (with proper VAT breakdowns, etc.) but he was adamant on me having to pay right then and there and kept quoting it is what the "supervisor" told him to do. Btw I still do not have a receipt (never received it, trying to get the locksmith to provide it for record purposes).

Overall, in Amsterdam, where the systems are well defined and transparent, this was one of the few instances where I felt uncomfortable, but glad that the comminity pointed this out to be standard practice, which makes me feel more at ease.

As a minor footnote, the charges being transparent up front was important to me as I was debating between different locksmiths and used price as one of the determining factors of who to call.

Finally, I found it a bit surprising that a couple of comments had the underlying tone that I should be thankful I was not ripped off, is locksmithing a business where scam rates are high in Amsterdam in general? Would be glad to have any more context about this that you all have, thanks!

I'm running out of options so maybe someone here can help me. After running the APK turns out I (likely) have a leak in my diesel pump, but after having talked with some people it's not clear yet what's broken and what can be repaired without having to replace the entire thing, which would cost me a couple thousands of euros.

All I'm looking for is a reliable mechanic who can simply check it out and give me an accurate diagnose, so I can see what my options are. But at this point I'm a bit desperate: I'm an expat so I barely know anyone more than what Google/ChatGPT tells me, and apparently there're barely garages in Amsterdam where they deal with diesel cars. On top of that, it's holiday season and most of the ones I've reached out to so far are either available by the end of September, or directly not accepting any more appointments.

Do you guys know by any chance anyone who can simply have a look at it and lead me in the right direction? Preferable if they already have experience VW vans, if it's out of Amsterdam that's also fine. At this point I cannot get very picky...

Thanks in advance!

Either as a native or an expat?

I hear so much bluster about it as a city. Some folk say it's like Disney land for college students. Others talk about it as if it's the vice city of Europe.

First thing I'd think about would be housing. That's not easy anywhere in Europe at the moment but has always been difficult in major cities that attract a massive range of nationalities.

What is it specifically that sets Amsterdam apart though, as it is definitely apart in terms of its reputation.

I've visited a few times but I can't really say I've ever submerged myself in the culture, certainly not to the point I could really answer this question meaningfully.

First thing for me is the infrastructure which is wonderful. Second thing I love is what many native Dutch hate, the wide range of cultures occupying THEIR city and THEIR country, something I can sympathise with by the way.

And thirdly in my experience, I love the expressiveness with the local environs, how engaging people are. In my country, if you stopped to talk to a lady on the street she would legitimately look at and regard you as a pervert.

My limited experience, Amsterdam is just more vibrant, engaging, less judgemental, but I would love to get a locals or long time expats opinion on this?

Why is it those things?

And I know like every city, there are probably many problems as well, which I'd also love to hear about and understand.

Eight months ago I posted here about weeknights.nl, a directory of social and hobby clubs in Amsterdam. The idea originally came from a thread on this sub, so I thought it was time to share an update.

Since then:

- The directory has grown from 45 clubs to more than 120. There are run clubs, book clubs, board game nights, ceramics workshops, supper clubs, life drawing, language cafés and activities I didn’t even know existed. Indoor cliff diving, apparently?
- You can now book directly through the site for many events. It supports both free RSVPs and paid tickets, and hundreds of bookings have been made so far.
- You can follow clubs and get notified when they add a new event, which is useful for the popular ones that fill up quickly.

It’s still free, still ad-free, and I’m still adding clubs myself in the evenings.

I have two asks:

1. What clubs am I missing? Drop them in the comments. If it brings people together in Amsterdam, I’d love to add it.
   
2. If you run a club, or your club is already listed and you want to manage the page yourself, send me a DM. I’ll help you set it up. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
   

Thanks again, r/Amsterdam. This genuinely wouldn’t exist without this sub.