Amsterdam tourist information

A few local habits, from tapping a card on the tram to keeping out of the bike lanes, are worth knowing before the first day in Amsterdam.

• Best time to visit: Tulips bloom from late April to early May, and July and August are the warmest months, with averages around 22 °C. The months from November to March are usually the most affordable.
• Days needed: Three to four days cover the canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and a couple of neighbourhoods at a steady pace, and a fifth day suits a trip out of the city. The 10 top sights in Amsterdam
• Where the centre is: The centre is the Centrum district, between the IJ and the Singelgracht canal, with Dam Square at its heart. Museumplein, the Vondelpark and the Heineken Experience lie just outside it in the Zuid district, and Zaanse Schans is out of the city in Zaandam. The Amsterdam city centre map draws the limits, and the free tourist map adds a walking route, both as PDFs.
• Money and tipping: The Netherlands uses the euro and is ahead on cashless payment: almost all establishments prefer cards, and some take no cash at all, so a contactless debit or credit card matters more than notes. Tipping is not mandatory; a modest tip of around 5 to 10% of the bill is customary.
• City tax: Hotels, holiday lets and campsites add a city tax of 12.5% of the room price before VAT to every night of a stay, and cleaning charges count towards it while breakfast does not. How the Amsterdam city tax works
• Local rules and fines: Smoking cannabis in the street is banned in the old centre around the Red Light District, Dam Square and Nieuwmarkt, and drinking alcohol in the street is banned in marked zones there, at Leidseplein and elsewhere; terraces are exempt. Swimming in the canals, urinating in public and littering all bring fines. In the Red Light District visitors are asked not to photograph or film the windows, and guided tours past the windows are banned; elsewhere in the centre guided groups are limited to 15 people and must finish by 22:00. Amsterdam tourist rules
• Getting around and bike lanes: The centre is easy on foot, and trams, metros, buses and free ferries cover the rest, paid for by tapping a contactless card in and out. Bike lanes are the red paths beside the pavement: bikes on them move fast, so walking in them is dangerous, and it pays to check both ways before crossing them or the tram rails.
• Safety and emergencies: The main risk is theft: almost 4 in 10 pickpocketing reports come from the area around Dam Square, Centraal Station and the Red Light District. In an emergency call 112, whose operators also speak English. Is Amsterdam safe for tourists?
• Booking museums ahead: The Anne Frank House sells tickets only online, on its own website, for a set time; all tickets for a date go on sale on Tuesdays at 10:00, six weeks ahead, and none are sold at the door. The Van Gogh Museum also sells online only with a start time, and every Rijksmuseum visitor needs a booked start time. Tickets for the top sights
• Public holidays: The Netherlands has 11 national holidays and Amsterdam adds none of its own, with King's Day on 27 April a massive celebration in the city. The tourist office guide lists the dates of 2026.
• Language: The language is Dutch, and English is widely spoken in Amsterdam and across the Netherlands.
• Tap water: Tap water is safe to drink everywhere in the Netherlands. Waternet, which supplies Amsterdam, checks its quality every day, and the city has more than 500 free drinking water taps, available 24 hours a day, including in the Vondelpark and the Museum Quarter.
• Driving and parking: Every street inside the A10 ring road is paid parking, most roads in the city have a 30 km/h limit and diesel vehicles face a low emission zone. Park and Ride sites on the outskirts charge a reduced rate to drivers who continue into the centre by public transport, but only with a paper or chip card, since paying by bank card does not qualify.
• Entry rules: The Netherlands is in the Schengen area, so visitors from the UK and other visa-exempt countries can stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU Entry/Exit System can register fingerprints and a photo at the border, and passports must have been issued less than 10 years ago and run for at least 3 months after leaving.