Amsterdam pulls you in with its canal-side charm, bike-filled streets, and that easygoing vibe that makes you want to stay forever. But here’s something most travel blogs won’t tell you: not every corner of this city deserves your time or money.
You’ll find plenty of guides telling you where to go. This one’s different. It’s about the spots that’ll drain your wallet, waste your afternoon, or leave you wondering why you bothered.
Your trip matters. Every hour counts. So let’s talk about the places that locals skip and smart travelers learn to avoid.
Places to Avoid in Amsterdam
Amsterdam rewards travelers who know where not to go just as much as those who know the must-sees. These ten spots might look tempting on the surface, but they’ll cost you more than they’re worth.
1. Damrak Street (Especially the Restaurants)
Walk off the train at Central Station and you’re immediately funneled onto Damrak, the wide street that cuts straight through the city center. It’s lined with restaurants that have one thing in common: they’re all terrible.
These places exist solely because tourists stumble off trains hungry and tired. The menus feature oversized photos of food that look nothing like what arrives at your table. A simple pasta will set you back €25, and it’ll taste like it came from a box. The Indonesian rijsttafel that promises authentic flavors? It’s microwaved mediocrity served with a smile that disappears the moment you’ve paid.
Here’s what really happens on Damrak. Restaurant staff stand outside, menus in hand, calling out to anyone who makes eye contact. “Best pancakes in Amsterdam!” they promise. “Traditional Dutch food!” The desperation should be your first clue. Good restaurants don’t need to hunt for customers on the street.
The coffee shops (yes, those kinds) on Damrak are equally problematic. They charge double what you’d pay two blocks away and attract crowds that make the whole experience feel like standing in line at a theme park. You can do better.
2. The Kalverstraat Shopping District
Kalverstraat is Amsterdam’s main shopping street, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a main shopping street anywhere: chain stores, overpriced tourist shops, and crowds so thick you can’t walk at a normal pace.
You’ll find the same H&M, Zara, and Foot Locker that exist in your hometown. Between these familiar stores sit souvenir shops selling wooden clogs for €40 and “I Amsterdam” T-shirts made in Bangladesh. Nothing here captures the real Amsterdam. It’s shopping mall culture transplanted onto a historic street.
But the real issue is the atmosphere. Kalverstraat feels like someone drained all the charm from Amsterdam and replaced it with commercial desperation. Street performers compete with each other at deafening volumes. People bump into you without apology. The whole place vibrates with the kind of frantic energy that makes you need a vacation from your vacation.
3. Cannabis Coffee Shops Near Tourist Hotspots
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Many people visit Amsterdam specifically for the legal cannabis. That’s fine. But buying from coffee shops in tourist zones is like paying $20 for a beer at a baseball stadium when there’s a perfectly good bar across the street.
The Bulldog chain, particularly the location near the Red Light District, has become a tourist processing center. You’ll pay premium prices for average products while surrounded by first-timers who’ve never smoked before and are about to have a very uncomfortable afternoon. The staff rushes you through because there are fifty people behind you waiting for the same rushed experience.
Quality varies wildly in these tourist coffee shops. You might get exactly what you asked for, or you might get whatever they feel like giving you. They know you’re leaving tomorrow, so there’s zero incentive to build customer loyalty.
Locals go to quieter shops in residential neighborhoods where the staff actually explains different strains, where you can sit comfortably, and where the prices reflect reality instead of tourist desperation. Places like Tweede Kamer or Greenhouse Namaste offer better products and environments without the circus atmosphere.
4. The Diamond Factories and “Tours”
Amsterdam markets itself as a diamond capital, which is technically true but misleading. The “diamond factory tours” advertised throughout the city aren’t educational experiences. They’re elaborate sales presentations designed to pressure you into buying overpriced jewelry.
Here’s how it works. You’re led through a showroom where someone explains diamond cutting with theatrical flair. It’s mildly interesting for ten minutes. Then comes the pivot: you’re ushered into the sales room where “special prices today only” magically appear. The pressure is subtle but constant. Staff members hover, making small talk that always circles back to “which piece caught your eye?”
The prices aren’t competitive. You’re not getting a deal because you happened to visit on some magical discount day. You’re paying for the overhead of running these tourist operations, plus the commission for every person involved in getting you through the door. That diamond ring costs the same or less at jewelry stores back home, minus the high-pressure environment.
5. Overpriced Canal Cruises (The Generic One-Hour Tours)
Canal cruises seem mandatory when visiting Amsterdam. The canals are gorgeous, and seeing the city from the water level offers a unique perspective. But not all canal tours are created equal.
The big operators running one-hour loops from near Central Station charge €18-25 per person for what amounts to floating in circles while a recorded voice shares facts you could read on Wikipedia. These boats pack in seventy people, the windows get foggy, and everyone’s standing up, blocking everyone else’s view, trying to get photos.
You’re stuck on a predetermined route that hits the same spots every other boat hits. The commentary, whether live or recorded, delivers the same tired jokes about houseboats and Anne Frank’s house. An hour sounds reasonable until you’re 45 minutes in and realize you’ve been looking at the same architectural styles on repeat.
Better options exist. Smaller operators offer two-hour tours with actual knowledgeable guides who’ll tell you real stories about the buildings you’re passing. Evening cruises provide better lighting for photos and fewer boats clogging the canals. Some companies even offer small private boats you can rent with friends. Yes, these cost more, but the difference between a mediocre canal cruise and a memorable one is worth the extra euros.
6. The Cheese Museum
Amsterdam has several “museums” dedicated to cheese, and they’re not museums in any meaningful sense. They’re cheese shops with a couple of informational plaques and some old cheese-making equipment gathering dust in a corner.
The one on Prinsengracht is particularly egregious. You walk in expecting to learn about Dutch cheese history and production. Instead, you get a five-minute walk through a small room before being deposited directly into the sales area where staff offer “tastings” that are really just opportunities to upsell you on vacuum-sealed cheese wheels.
Dutch cheese is fantastic. You should absolutely buy some while you’re here. But buy it from an actual cheese shop or a market where the focus is on quality products rather than tourist manipulation. The Albert Cuyp Market has cheese vendors who’ll let you taste varieties, explain differences, and sell you excellent cheese without the museum charade.
7. Leidseplein After 10 PM (Unless You’re 19 and Drunk)
Leidseplein is a major square that transforms from relatively pleasant during the day to absolute chaos once the sun goes down. It becomes party central for drunk tourists, bachelor parties, and teenagers looking to cause trouble.
The bars surrounding the square cater to this crowd with cheap drink specials and terrible music played at volumes that make conversation impossible. Fights break out regularly. The whole area smells like spilled beer and bad decisions. Street performers trying to earn money get drowned out by groups of British guys on stag weekends singing football chants.
If you’re looking for Amsterdam’s nightlife, there are many better options. The Jordaan neighborhood offers cozy brown cafés where locals actually hang out. De Pijp has fantastic bars with character and reasonable prices. Even if you want to party hard, there are clubs scattered throughout the city that don’t require you to wade through Leidseplein’s mess to reach them.
8. Red Light District Strip Clubs and “Live Shows”
The Red Light District fascinates visitors, and walking through is part of the Amsterdam experience. The window prostitution is legal, regulated, and worth seeing simply because it exists nowhere else quite like this. But the strip clubs and “live shows” are advertised throughout the district? Skip them completely.
These establishments operate on a bait-and-switch model perfected over decades. They lure you in with promises of affordable drinks and spectacular shows. Once inside, drink prices triple from what’s listed outside. The “shows” last three minutes and feature bored performers going through motions. Then comes the hard sell for private dances that cost €100 for five minutes.
Some of these places get genuinely aggressive if you refuse to spend more money. Bouncers block exits. Staff members intimidate you into opening tabs. The whole experience is designed to extract maximum cash from drunk tourists who won’t complain because they’re embarrassed about being there in the first place.
The Red Light District has legitimate bars and clubs that treat customers fairly. Stick with places that have actual reviews and reputations to maintain. Or better yet, appreciate the district’s unique atmosphere from the streets and spend your money elsewhere.
9. The Floating Flower Market (For Actual Shopping)
The Bloemenmarkt sounds magical: a flower market on floating barges along a scenic canal. It appears in every Amsterdam guidebook and Instagram feed. But actually, shopping there is disappointing unless you’re specifically looking to take photos.
Most stalls now focus on tulip bulbs packaged for tourists. The prices are inflated, and here’s the kicker: you probably can’t legally bring them into your home country anyway. Many nations restrict agricultural imports to prevent pest transfer. The vendors know this, but sell them anyway because tourists don’t ask questions until they’re already at the airport.
The fresh flowers look beautiful, but wilt quickly if you’re traveling. You’re essentially paying €10-15 for a bouquet you’ll enjoy for an afternoon before throwing it away. The whole market has shifted from serving locals to extracting money from visitors taking selfies.
If you actually want to buy flowers or bulbs, neighborhood flower shops throughout Amsterdam offer a better selection, lower prices, and advice about what you can legally transport. The Bloemenmarkt works as a photo opportunity. Treat it as such and keep your wallet closed.
10. Any Restaurant With a Multilingual Menu Board Outside
This is a universal travel rule that applies everywhere, but Amsterdam’s tourist zones make it especially relevant. If a restaurant displays a menu board outside in five languages with photos of every dish, run away.
These restaurants don’t need to be good because they serve each customer exactly once. You’re on vacation, you’ll never return, and they know it. The strategy is volume over quality: cycle through as many tourists as possible, serve them adequate food at inflated prices, and move on to the next group.
You’ll find these places clustered around Dam Square, along Damrak, and throughout the Red Light District. They serve “traditional Dutch food” that Dutch people don’t actually eat. The uitsmijter (open-faced sandwich) costs €14 and arrives cold. The bitterballen come from a freezer bag. Everything tastes vaguely the same because it’s probably prepared in the same central kitchen and distributed to multiple restaurants.
Finding good food in Amsterdam requires walking ten minutes away from major landmarks. That’s it. Ten minutes in any direction and suddenly you’re in neighborhoods where restaurants cater to locals. Menus are in Dutch, with maybe an English translation. Staff might not speak perfect English. Prices drop by 30%. Quality increases exponentially. Your meal becomes memorable instead of regrettable.
Wrapping Up
Amsterdam is genuinely special. The canals really are that beautiful. The biking culture really is that impressive. The museums genuinely deserve their reputations.
But you’ll miss the good stuff if you spend your time and money on tourist traps designed to separate you from your cash as efficiently as possible. The real Amsterdam exists in quiet streets where locals actually live, in brown cafés that have served the same families for generations, and in markets where vendors care about their products.
Avoid the obvious money grabs. Your Amsterdam experience will be infinitely better for it.
