Amsterdam travel: Everything British tourists shouldn’t do on a visit to the Dutch capital

Sex, soft drugs and alcohol: for many young British travellers those are the key attractions of Amsterdam.

“After you have gone through customs at the airport you will be welcomed by our guide and be taken to your hotel in a top-quality bus,” boasts the stag trip firm Chillisauce.

“Little does the stag know about what’s going to happen on the journey home! Entertainment awaits! Along the way, the bus will be pulled over by a ‘police officer’ who gives the stag his deserved punishment.”

The “Stag Arrest” on the way in from Schiphol airport is just an overture to a hedonistic trip to Amsterdam. Later, say the organisers, “sex shops and peep shows” await in the Red Light district – a city-centre zone like no other in Europe.

But the city itself isn’t keen on such visitors. The official Vision on Tourism in Amsterdam 2035 report says: “Groups of tourists that only visit the city for alcohol, sex and drugs are a nuisance.

“Our hospitality can no longer be at the detriment of our inhabitants’ quality of life.”

Under a coalition deal signed in May 2022, and known as the Amsterdam Agreement, the city has pledged to “combat bachelor parties that cause disturbances and organised pub crawls”.

Now the civic authorities have launched a campaign to persuade stag parties to avoid the Dutch capital. But what exactly are the rules and practices that appeal to young British travellers?

What’s the problem?

“Groups of tourists seem to think that Amsterdam is a place that will allow just about anything. We want to get rid of this kind of tourism,” say the city authorities.

As many airline passengers to Amsterdam will testify, the city is a key destination for young British travellers – particularly men. You might spot a stag party at the departure gate or, on arrival, an Elvis Presley impersonator queuing up for passport control with a bunch of pals.

Young men converge on Amsterdam from across Europe, but the UK – and particularly England – comprises the biggest source of overindulgence.

“Binge-drinking stag and hen parties from England make their way to our city,” says the Vision on Tourism. That is why a new campaign has begun by targeting British males.

The city authorities say: “Amsterdam is known internationally as a free and open city that shares its cultural wealth with visitors from all over the…