On the street: bikes, trams and canals
1. Walking in the bike lane
This is mistake number one. Bike lanes (fietspaden), often red and separated from the pavement by a kerb or a white line, look like a pavement to anyone who isn't used to them. Cyclists ride fast on them, and e-bikes even faster. Stay on the pavement, never stop in a bike lane to take a photo, and look both ways before crossing one, just as you would a road. Tram tracks aren't footpaths either.
2. Renting a bike without knowing the rules
On a bike, you ride on the right of the bike lane, never on the pavement or in pedestrian streets, no more than two abreast, and you stick out your arm before turning. Cross tram rails at an angle, or your wheel will get caught in them. Holding your phone while riding is forbidden: iamsterdam, the city's tourist office, cites a fine of €170. At night, a white front light and a red rear light are compulsory. Park your bike only in a bike park or at a bike rack, never against a bridge, a lamp post or a railing: the City removes badly parked bikes and takes them to its bike pound (Fietsdepot), where you pay to get them back. Always lock it by the frame to a fixed object. If you're unsure about cycling in the city, trams and ferries will do the job: see our guide to transport in Amsterdam.
3. Forgetting to check out on the tram
On GVB trams, buses and metros, you hold your contactless bank card or transport card to the reader when you get on and when you get off. Without a check-out, the system charges a boarding fare of €4 instead of the actual fare; the GVB lets you correct up to three missed check-outs per six months on its website. Other traps: the GVB doesn't accept cash, and on trams, only the conductor seated at the back sells tickets (1 hour: €3.40 in 2026). Travelling without a valid ticket costs a €70 fine, plus the fare. On trains, NS disposable tickets carry a €1.60 surcharge per card: paying directly by contactless bank card at the gate avoids it.
4. Underestimating the canals
You don't swim in most of the canals: the City restricts swimming to official spots, such as the Marineterrein or Sloterplas lake. The quays often have no railings and the water is cold: at night, and especially after drinking, keep away from the edge. If you rent a small electric boat without a licence, the speed limit is 6 km/h on the canals, with a maximum of 12 passengers plus the skipper, who must not drink alcohol; you keep to the right, and amplified music is forbidden.
Tickets and bookings: what to plan weeks ahead
5. Turning up at the Anne Frank House without a ticket
The Anne Frank House sells no tickets on site: everything is booked on its official website, for a specific date and time slot. Tickets go on sale every Tuesday at 10am, Amsterdam time, for visits six weeks later, and sell out fast. Allow €16.50 per adult, €7 for ages 10 to 17 and €1 up to age 9. Beware of resellers: tickets are personal, and can be neither exchanged nor refunded.
6. Showing up at the Van Gogh Museum unannounced
At the Van Gogh Museum, every visitor needs a dated ticket with an entry time, valid only for that slot. Buy it online several days in advance, especially at weekends and during school holidays.
7. Planning Keukenhof out of season
Keukenhof only opens in spring: in 2027, from Thursday 18 March to Sunday 9 May, 8am to 7pm. The rest of the year, the park is closed. Tickets, for a date and an arrival time, go on sale from mid-October 2026, and the park warns against fake ticketing sites: buy only on its official website.
8. Looking for the "I amsterdam" letters on Museumplein
The famous red and white letters were removed from Museumplein on 3 December 2018. A permanent set of letters now stands at Schiphol Airport, and the old Museumplein set travels from one neighbourhood or event to another. So don't build your morning around that photo.
Red Light District, alcohol and cannabis
9. Photographing the windows in the Red Light District
In the Red Light District, photographing or filming sex workers is forbidden and considered disrespectful. Guided tours have no longer been allowed to stop in front of the windows since 1 April 2020. At weekends, the area's bars and restaurants close at 2am and the windows at 3am: don't arrive late at night expecting the same atmosphere as before.
10. Drinking a beer or smoking a joint in the street
Drinking alcohol in public space is banned in the centre: in the no-drinking zones, an open can or bottle in your hand is enough to get you fined. Café terraces are obviously not affected. In the Red Light District, shops and fast-food outlets don't sell takeaway alcohol from Thursday to Sunday from 4pm. Smoking cannabis in the street has been banned since 2023 in the Red Light District, on Dam Square and at Nieuwmarkt, with a fine of €100. The details are in our guide to coffee shops in Amsterdam.
11. Confusing a coffee shop with a café, or buying on the street
A coffee shop sells cannabis, from age 18 and on presentation of ID; a café (or a bruin café, a traditional "brown café") serves coffee, beer and meals. Never buy drugs from a street dealer: the City points out that they sell tourists fake or dangerous products. The other traps, fake police officers included, are described in our guide to scams and safety in Amsterdam.
12. Peeing on a street corner
Urinating in the street (wildplassen) carries a €140 fine, and checks are frequent at night in the centre. Our guide to toilets in Amsterdam tells you where to go, including at night.
Paying, staying, behaving
13. Relying on cash
Many shops, cafés, museums and cinemas display "pin only": they accept cards only. A contactless bank card is therefore essential; keep a little cash for the markets. Tipping is not compulsory. It's all explained in our guide to money, payment and tipping.
14. Booking an illegal rental or forgetting the tourist tax
A holiday rental must be registered with the City and can be let for a maximum of 30 nights a year, and 15 nights since 1 April 2026 in eight central neighbourhoods, including the Jordaan and the canal ring: a listing without a registration number is suspect. Also budget for the tourist tax of 12.5% of the room price excluding VAT, which comes on top of VAT on accommodation that rose from 9% to 21% on 1 January 2026: check whether the displayed price includes them. Our neighbourhood tips are in where to stay in Amsterdam.
15. Going out without ID
In the Netherlands, everyone aged 14 and over must be able to show ID to the police or a transport inspector; from age 16, the fine is €100. A driving licence, passport or identity card will do. ID is also requested to buy alcohol (minimum age 18) or to enter a coffee shop. Finally, there's no smoking inside bars, restaurants and hotels, e-cigarettes included.
Summary table
| Mistake | What to do | Fine or cost |
|---|---|---|
| Walking in the bike lane | Stay on the pavement, look before crossing | Risk of accident |
| Phone in hand on a bike | Pull over to the side to use your phone | €170 |
| Forgetting to check out | Hold your card to the reader when getting off | €4 boarding fare |
| Travelling without a ticket | Pay contactless or buy from the conductor | €70 + fare |
| Anne Frank without a ticket | Book online on the Tuesday, 6 weeks ahead | No sales on site |
| Keukenhof out of season | Come between 18 March and 9 May 2027 | Park closed the rest of the year |
| Photographing the windows | Put your phone away in the Red Light District | Forbidden |
| Joint in the street (centre) | Smoke in a coffee shop or on its terrace | €100 |
| Alcohol in the street | Drink on a terrace | Fine |
| Urinating in the street | Use the public toilets | €140 |
| Going out without ID | Keep your passport or ID card on you | €100 (from age 16) |
Rules, amounts and prices checked in October 2026.
Further reading
For everyday traps and safety, read our guide to scams and safety in Amsterdam. To make the most of the tram, metro and ferries, see our guide to transport in Amsterdam. And to arrive stress-free from the airport, follow our article Schiphol Airport to central Amsterdam, getting off at Central Station.
