r/AskNetherlands

My husband and I are visiting Amsterdam for 5 days. We plan to take 2 of those days to visit cities in the surrounding area. We are not looking for nightlife - just interesting architecture, good food, and history. We have narrowed it down to Haarlem, the Hague, Rotterdam, Delft, Utrecht, Den Bosch, and Edam/Volendam/Marken. We obviously don't have time visit all of these places. Are any of these areas repetititve (either just like Amsterdam or just like each other)? Which stand out for first time to Netherlands visitors? Thank you!

Hi, I’m a 23 y/o man from London looking to go to Amsterdam for a few nights with my partner and friend. I’ve heard a little about how some of the natives don’t particularly love tourists especially those that come just to do drugs etc. Whilst we’re there we do plan to maybe try out the coffee shops or bars/clubs but we’re not really the type to go on a drug fuelled bender lol

What tips do you have to remain respectful to the people and culture of Netherlands?

If you live there, what things do tourists do that really annoy you? Or that you find disrespectful?

Being from London I know what it can be like to live somewhere with high tourism and how it can be frustrating to the people just trying to live their daily life.

Also, I only speak English, is it considered rude to hope most people will also somewhat speak English, should I learn some Dutch?

K, I 18F was in Amsterdam and went into a rubber duck souvenir store as it was closing at 10pm.

I'm English, and 180cm /5'11 with very pale skin.

The guy behind the till looked at me and the conversation was;

"Are you from Germany?"

"No, England"

His face looked like he had been physically hurt by the fact that I wasn't german.

"I'm sorry" (in the way that it could have been "thats unfortunate")

A series of awkward fist bumbs ensued and I paid and left.

Wtf? Is there some beef with England or thing about the culture that I don't know.

All views and opinions welcome

The VOC prioritized short-term profit over everything else, which is why the Netherlands, unlike other colonizers, has a very weak cultural footprint worldwide (and collapsed anyways).

Also, due to its greed, it was the VOC which settled the Chinese on Taiwan/Formosa (there were none before), making the VOC essentially responsible for the current Taiwan crisis.

Are these things just ignored on the Dutch school curriculum or do people just don’t care?

When people outside the Netherlands think of Dutch food, it's usually stroopwafels, Gouda cheese, or maybe bitterballen. Those are all great, but I'm curious about the dishes that don't get nearly as much attention internationally.

If you could recommend one Dutch food that every visitor should try, what would it be and why? It could be a traditional meal, a snack, a dessert, or even something that's mostly known by locals.

I just moved to the Netherlands, and I’m blown away by the legally available options.

I have unmedicated ADHD. Sometimes, I used to take “Adderall” (not really, but yk) so I could focus on my hobby, which is writing. Here, there are so many legal and natural alternatives. I’ve added a bunch of stuff to my cart, but obviously, I don’t want to buy everything. What do you recommend?

(Bonus question: What is the easiest way to get “Adderall” without having to go to a party, and without connections? I’ve already met some dudes in the Red Light District offering C and E out in the open, but I’m not sure if I can trust them. And I also don’t live in Amsterdam.)

Ik heb recentlijk interesse gekregen over paspoorten etc. en iemand die ervaring heeft met immigratie, naturalisatie etc, heeft mij verteld dat het als surinamer moeilijker is om de nederlandse paspoort te krijgen dan als een Turk nederlandse nationaliteit wilt krijgen.

Dit vind ik super vreemd, want surinamers zijn vloeiend in nederlands en ik zou zeggen qua cultuur veel dichterbij nederland dan Turken. Ik weet dat het makkelijker is voor studie etc, maar voor werk en naturalisatie blijkbaar niet.

Ik weet weinig over nederland eerlijk gezegd dit is obv een nederlander die vroeger surinamer was. Hij heeft mij ook verteld dat er vaak ernstige geweldadig gevallen zijn omtrend Turken, maar Surinamers vrij nil.

Ik ken ook heel weinig negatieve politieke gebeurtenissen tussen NL en SR besides the decembermoorden maar dat was in de jaren 80.

Worden surinamers neergekeken ofzo? want de nederlanders die hier komen worden best goed verwelkomt.

I’m curious because whenever people ask about nightlife, many Dutch Redditors say they don’t really go to clubs.
So what does a typical Friday or Saturday evening actually look like for people in their 20s and 30s?
House parties?
Dinner with friends?
Festivals?
Bars?
Board games?
I’m genuinely curious what’s considered a “normal” weekend here.

I'm 36M, divorced, sold my company 2 years ago and have been focusing on kids for the past 2 years which has been great.
I was focused on cars as my hobby and work for past 15 years, all my friends shared the same interests, but after selling my company there is a void.
i don't share the same interests with my old friends anymore and i haven't formed a new circle yet.

I have spoken to many people about it and i see how everyone suggest to join a group or find a new hobby, which is valid, but i don't care about a hobby, i have kids, my days are pretty busy and i would just want to be around people without sweating in a gym. (I do go to the gym, but to train, not question everyone about their intentions about new friends)
About gym my friend told me that he went there to train and sit in the sauna for 2 months until he was able to get "close" enough that some guys would open up for a conversation.

So as an entrepreneur i looked at the "system" and i started to organize dinner events for people like myself, so we could meet and i see us everywhere, i see the posts here, i see the statistics that people are lonely, yet i am facing an interesting block from the same people.

I organize those dinners for 6 people, they all fill some questions so their interests would fit and there are like 50 people already signed up in a week, but most of them are just on idle and seeing the screams for help even here on Reddit there should be thousands of us.

I mean i have met some cool people through this, but i don't understand why most people ignore this option. Is going to a pottery class for months a better option to see if anyone wants to have a conversation deeper than work or daily operations.

What do you think it is?

And if you find the dinner idea something you'd do then comment or DM me, i would love to have as many people coming to the events as possible

I’m over 18 and I’m in the Netherlands right now with a few family members. I think I lost my ID while I was in Amsterdam, so I have a question.
Can I get into any coffeeshops with just a picture of my ID? My physical ID is gone. If anyone knows of any chill coffeeshops that accept that, please let me know.

I've already spent many years in the Netherlands, and I visited all major cities and lots of small towns. I've been to every province either for work or for a "dagje uit". However, I've never been to Zeeland. I'm visiting Zeeland only this summer because of the new train discount on weekends.

Am I a complete outsider, or is it common for people not to visit this relatively remote province? Please tell me whether you've been to Zeeland (only if you're Dutch or if you live here permanently).

As I understand the matter; German, Dutch, and English are all related languages. German sounds different from the other two languages due to being on the other side of a sound shift, but still has a lot of vocabulary in common with Dutch. English has a similar sound library to Dutch, but picked up a lot of non-Germanic vocabulary for various reasons.

The result is that the Dutch language seems kinda familiar to both English and German speakers while still being notably different from either one. This has also led to a lot of jokes about Dutch by speakers of the other languages that I'm not going to repeat because Dutch speakers are probably tired of them.

But what's the obverse of that? Do Dutch speakers think that English or German sound weird? Do Dutch speakers make jokes about the other languages?

Dutch pop media, culture, history, language etc. etc. you name it
just want a good introduction to the Netherlands since I can't afford to travel atm

thank you :D

Let’s say you meet on a dating app and decide to go on a date. I understand there’s no “official” way, but from your experience, what’s the most appropriate way to greet this semi-stranger? Hug? Kiss on the cheek? Fist bump?

Hi! I was invited for a wedding to Netherlands where lovely people advice to me so many cities to go. I decided to have a little trip for a day. I'm going to Utrecht first and then to Rotterdam and after to Dortorecht. (Or maybe I'm gonna go only to Utrecht and Rotterdam, I'm not sure yet) However I don't really know where to go there. Do you happen to know any nice and not touristy places to see the real, authentic Netherlands?

Thank you beforehand!

Hi everyone!
I’m looking for volunteering opportunities in the Netherlands and would love to hear your recommendations.
I speak English fluently and only a little Dutch. Are there organizations where English is enough, or where only a little Dutch is needed?
I’m especially interested in:
Community projects
Animal shelters or wildlife
Activities with children
Nature and environmental conservation
Creative projects (arts, crafts, workshops, festivals, etc.)
I’m based in Meppel but I’m happy to travel further for the right opportunity.
I’m also hoping volunteering will help me meet new people, contribute to the local community, and improve my Dutch over time.
If you’ve volunteered somewhere yourself or know of organizations that welcome international volunteers, I’d really appreciate your recommendations.
Thanks in advance!