Understanding Amsterdam: A look at counter-culture

There can be a lot of stigma surrounding Amsterdam and why some people travel there. Amsterdam, while offering an amazing plethora of museums and art galleries, also offers a unique counter-culture, a culture that has every right to be experienced free of judgement.

Budapest is a tale of two cities, because it is an amalgamation of Buda and Pest; Amsterdam is, like Budapest, a tale of two cities, but not for the same reason!

My friends, girlfriend, and I travelled to Amsterdam in January of 2018.

We travel the world and have various experiences in different cities around the globe, but Amsterdam is very much a city where you can return twice and have polar opposite holidays.

By that I mean people get out of Amsterdam what they travel there for; whether it be to smoke marijuana legally, hire a prostitute legally, or experience Dutch culture, art, and history by visiting the Van Gogh museum, seeing Anne Frank’s house, and going on a canal cruise.

For some people who live in a country where smoking weed is illegal; there is no shame going to Amsterdam to try out their coffee shops that A: provide weed that you can trust and B: is 100% above-board and legal.

Smoking weed in Amsterdam supports local businesses, provides jobs, and adds to the nation’s economy, whatever about your views on the plant itself, it’s not something to be made feel guilty of if that’s why you’re traveling.

Soliciting a prostitute is a whole other ball game. And it isn’t a part of this counter-culture that I want or would like to experience – and that’s a personal choice. But spending time in the Red Light District, going to its museum, and getting to know its history makes it almost begins to seem normal.

Amsterdam’s Red Light District is a place where prostitution is regulated, taxed, and the area has a noticeable police presence, which is a hell of a lot more than can be said for other places.

While I am no way trying be a proponent or opponent to the Red Light District I think it is important to state the facts.

Of course, life isn’t just black and white and you can very easily enjoy a mix between both classic culture and the counter-culture that Amsterdam offers.

Strangely enough, while some aspects of the gorgeous Amsterdam might be completely alien to you, for Danish people, it is nothing out of the ordinary, and they fully expect tourists to come and explore the Red Light District and smoke weed before heading off to experience one of the world’s greatest painter’s finest art.

What makes Amsterdam tick is the incredible Ying Yang it has going on for itself. The open-mindedness to sex, drugs, and counter-culture can certainly be different, but it is also a breath of fresh air.

The point of travelling to somewhere new is to experience a new culture, a new way of life; as long as you achieve that in whatever way you see fit, then you experience the liberating feeling that travelling exudes.

What the piece is trying to say is that Amsterdam isn’t like other cities; If you want to go there and just get high and experience something different then I say go ahead – it is your right as a traveller to do it as you see fit. Respect the land you travel to, respect their citizens, and their laws, everything else after that is up to you. There isn’t one right way to travel.

In the end I found Amsterdam to be an adults playground where fun and (counter) culture meet! I’m looking forward to returning and seeing a different side to the city.

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If you enjoyed that then maybe you might enjoy reading about the top things do in Skopje, Belgrade, or Prague.

We stayed in the Q-Factory Hotel and if you’re going over to Amsterdam I would seriously consider this hotel. It is plain but clean and in a very good location for getting in and out of the city centre! But hotels might not be your thing and Airbnb is your preferred choice. If you want to go down the Airbnb route then here’s €30 off your next stay! Enjoy.

Check out some of the Booking.com deals on hotels in Amsterdam right now.