10 Fun facts about Amsterdam

9. Amsterdam is one of the most sustainable cities in the world

With the popularity of bikes and good public transport, Amsterdam has a head start to many other city’s when it comes sustainability. The city is also incredibly green, with trees lining many of the streets and canals and around 40 parks. The Vondelpark is the most popular park in the city centre, while the Amsterdamse Bos on the southern side of the city is 3 times the size of New York’s Central Park.

10. Legal and illegal things in Amsterdam are different than other parts of the world

Amsterdam is known as a forward thinking city with lots of freedom for everyone, but not everything is how you might think. A frequently made mistake is the though that soft drugs are legal in the Netherlands, but they are not, they are simply condoned and only up to a point. Only soft drugs bought at a coffee shop is condoned and they are only allowed to sell up to 5 grams to a person per day.

On the other hand, prostitution is legal in the Netherlands. Many of the women who work in Amsterdam’s Red Light District are even part of a union and they pay taxes, too. Remember, when you are travelling you must follow the laws of the country you visit.