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Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

Netherlands

10 rules found

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: A café is not a coffeeshop – don't smoke cannabis in the street or take it abroad

Do

  • If you just want coffee, go to a café or koffiehuis
  • A coffeeshop sells cannabis and does not serve alcohol
  • You must be 18 or over and carry ID to enter a coffeeshop
  • Whether tourists may enter varies by city – ask the staff

Don’t

  • Don't smoke cannabis on the street in Amsterdam's Red Light District, Dam Square or Nieuwmarkt
  • Don't buy anything from street dealers
  • Don't take cannabis on planes or trains or across the border
  • Don't cycle or drive after using it

Since May 2023, smoking cannabis on the street in those central Amsterdam areas gets you a warning and then a fine if you ignore it; cannabis is only tolerated, not legal, in the Netherlands, and taking it abroad is illegal in most countries.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: Government of the Netherlands: Toleration policy regarding soft drugs and coffee shops

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: Signal your turns, use lights after dark and keep your phone out of your hand when cycling

Do

  • Keep right, and ring your bell before overtaking on the left
  • Stick out your arm to signal before turning
  • Turn on front and rear lights at dusk, in the dark or in poor visibility
  • Pull completely out of the lane before stopping to check a map or take photos
  • Cross tram tracks as close to a right angle as you can

Don’t

  • Don't hold your phone to call, text or navigate while riding
  • Don't stop suddenly in the middle of the lane
  • Don't ride after drinking or using cannabis

Since July 2019 holding a phone while cycling has been illegal and, like riding without lights, can get you fined (amounts as officially published); sudden stops and unsignalled turns also cause collisions.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: Maastricht Bereikbaar – Cycling rules

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: cannabis is tolerated only in designated places

Do

  • Understand that 'tolerated' does not mean legal

Don’t

  • Smoking cannabis in public places
  • Buying or possessing drugs outside designated places

Using it in public is illegal; buying or possessing it outside designated places can mean prison.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Netherlands travel advice

Cultural sensitivitiesPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: Check the signs before taking photos in museums, and never photograph Red Light District windows

Do

  • Check the photo signs in each gallery on the day of your visit
  • Leave large bags and suitcases where the museum asks
  • Move and speak quietly in churches still used for worship
  • Ask before taking close-ups of people

Don’t

  • Don't use flash, tripods or selfie sticks
  • Don't rely on old guides about photos in the Van Gogh Museum galleries
  • Don't walk around or photograph worshippers during a service
  • Don't photograph sex workers in Red Light District windows

Staff will stop you if you break a museum's photo rules; photographing the windows in the Red Light District angers the people there and is often stopped on the spot. Rules change, so go by the signs on the day.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: Van Gogh Museum house rules

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: Let people off first, talk quietly on board and stay silent in quiet carriages

Do

  • Queue in order of arrival at shops, attractions and counters
  • Let passengers off before you board, without pushing
  • Keep silent in the quiet carriage (stilte)
  • At rush hour, take off your backpack and move bags off seats
  • Give up your seat to older people, pregnant women and people with disabilities
  • Keep your voice down at night in residential streets and along canals

Don’t

  • Don't cut in or stand side by side blocking the way
  • Don't play sound out loud from your phone
  • Don't urinate in public

Dutch people have little patience for late-night noise and public nuisance and will often say so directly; central Amsterdam has been cracking down on nuisance in recent years, and some behaviour can be fined (as officially published).

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: IamExpat: Cannabis ban comes into effect in Amsterdam's Red Light District

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportPlace-specific guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: cycle paths are not footpaths

Do

  • Before crossing, look for bicycles and e-bikes first — they have priority over cars
  • Use pedestrian crossings

Don’t

  • Standing or walking on a cycle path

Traffic on cycle paths is fast; crossing outside a pedestrian crossing can bring a fine.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Netherlands travel advice

Local customsTippingCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: Rounding up is enough of a tip – ask for the bill yourself

Do

  • If you are pleased, round up or leave a little change
  • Ask the waiter for the bill when you are ready
  • Feel free to suggest paying for your own order among friends
  • Bring a bank card, plus a little cash

Don’t

  • Don't feel bound by high tip percentages on the card terminal
  • Don't hold a table for a long time without ordering when it is busy

Not tipping is not rude; waiters generally will not rush you to pay, so waiting for the bill only keeps you sitting longer. Some places accept card payments only.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Cultural Atlas: Dutch Culture – Etiquette

Local customsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: Shake hands, and don't take Dutch directness personally

Do

  • Shake hands with a nod and eye contact when you first meet
  • Say "Goedemorgen" or "Goedemiddag" when you enter a shop
  • Follow the other person's lead if friends greet with three cheek kisses
  • State your needs and opinions directly and clearly
  • Learn to say "Dank u wel" (thank you)
  • Be on time, and let people know in advance if you will be late

Don’t

  • Don't keep your other hand in your pocket while shaking hands
  • Don't take blunt feedback as a personal attack
  • Don't boast about wealth or achievements

Punctuality matters in the Netherlands and turning up late without notice is considered rude; bluntness is usually about the matter at hand, and too much politeness can leave people unsure of your point.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Cultural Atlas: Dutch Culture – Greetings

Site-specific notes 11

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Zaanse Schans

  • Don't climb windmill sails or enter areas that aren't open
  • don't peer into or photograph residents' windows for long
  • note: some Dutch 'coffeeshops' are something else entirely — visitors should know the difference.

Keukenhof

  • Stepping into the flower fields for photos is strictly forbidden (growers detest it)
  • drones are banned
  • don't pick flowers or take bulbs away.

King's Day in the Netherlands

  • Mooring boats in no-mooring zones
  • blocking the way in front of stalls for a long time
  • throwing things into the canals
  • causing trouble after drinking

Delft

  • At the pottery factory, do not touch unglazed pieces or works whose glaze is still wet
  • do not be noisy around the royal burial vault
  • do not cycle on footpaths

Kinderdijk Windmills

  • Do not enter mills or private areas that are not open to visitors
  • keep away from turning sails
  • do not park on the dikes or go into the water

Cube Houses and Markthal

  • Most cube houses are private homes, so do not knock on residents' doors
  • do not photograph residents' windows at close range
  • do not block the aisles of the Markthal

Giethoorn

  • Do not enter private gardens without permission
  • do not make loud noise next to homes

Van Gogh Museum

  • Do not photograph in the galleries or use flash — raising a phone toward a painting outside the atrium will draw staff intervention
  • do not carry a large rucksack into the galleries — check it first (free storage is provided)
  • do not treat the museum as a quick photo stop ending at the shop — the collection is extremely dense, and allowing under 2 hours will make the visit very rushed

Anne Frank House

  • Don't make noise, laugh or take selfies in the annexe
  • don't queue for long at the door blocking the canal-side pavement

Rijksmuseum

  • Don't touch the paintings or exhibits
  • don't use flash
  • don't hog the best spot in front of the Night Watch

The Amsterdam Canal Belt

  • Don't jump into the canals to swim
  • don't throw rubbish into them
  • don't press up against houseboats or house windows to use them as photo backdrops

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