Amsterdam

[sd21]

What would there be for a 17/18 year old to do like what are ages for clubs and bars and all that stuff there. Also what other stuff might intrest me.

[madamtrashheap]

sd21, I read your other post and herrbert's information on the Coffeeshops is very important to consider. Did you also see the post

Amsterdam is an amazing city and we could recommend all sorts of things, but it would help if we knew a little more about your interests. As far as sightseeing goes, there are places like the Van Gogh museum and Anne Frankhuis (house) that you should visit, and there are some other quirky things like the House Boat museum (shows you life on a real house boat), the floating flower markets (Bloemenmarkt) and wander through the Jordaan area for beautiful and local scenery. You can take a ride on a glass-topped canal boat (rather than a glass-bottomed boat - you really don't want to see what's in those canals!) or if the weather is good you can hire a canal bike and pedal/paddle your way around the city at your own pace. The Stedelijk Museum is great for contemporary art and exhibitions and the Amsterdam Historical Museums tells the history of the city. The Jewish Historical Museums is important as it shows the history of Jews in the Netherlands and is made up of synagogues.

As far as clubs and bars, the legal drinking age (therefore entrance into licence places must be with an adult if under the age) varies from country to country in Europe. In many (eg Germany, France, Italy, Greece) beer and wine can be purchased at 16, but going in to bars etc is legally 18, even though it's only spasmodically enforced. The attitude to alcohol in Europe is a little different from, say, north America, but it is also approached with a "responsibility for self" attitude in that getting drunk or binge drinking in public is considered irresponsible and immature. Some clubs have their own 21+ policies and Norway and Iceland, I think, have a legal drinking age of 20. The Czech Republic is 18. The Netherlands, and correct me if I'm wrong herrbert, is 16 for beer and wine but 18 for harder stuff (spirits, etc). So in theory you can go to clubs, but they do have the right of refusal in that you aren't old enough to be served without restrictions and would have to be accompanied by an adult. I have seen cases where under 18s have entered clubs, but that's not a guarantee that you'll get in.

Here's a post about legal drinking ages from last year: pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&n=1&thread=2796&page=1

[sd21]

Id be 18 in a few months when im their and I do look older than 18 too. It is not my major concern.

[madamtrashheap]

sd21 said:

Id be 18 in a few months when im their and I do look older than 18 too. It is not my major concern.

Oh. Not quite sure why you phrased your original post the way you did then.

[herrbert]

The Madam is right, you can buy beer and wine, in a store (but not the strong drinks like wodka, whisky etc, when you are under 16). Be sure to bring your ID to prove you are over 18, other wise you will be refused. (There are big fines for bars/clubs when they poor to minors, so if they have any doubts, they will rather refuse you at the door, then to take that risk)

I am not sure what there is to do in terms of bars, and clubs, because I live too far away from Amsterdam to go there. The only reason I go to Amsterdam, is to see bands play live. (In Paradiso or de Melkweg (Milky Way). too add to the Madam, you can stroll along the Albert Cuyp market (it's no portobello road), and maybe pick up some souvenirs. And ofcourse the Rijksmuseum (although it's being renovated) is opened for business. But personaly I would suggest to at least see the van Gogh, and the Anne Frank House.

[sd21]

Yeah I would most likely visit some of the museums. Thanks for the information. Where about do you live Herrbert?

[herrbert]

In the South-East of the Netherlands, close to the German border (if you have Google Earth, you can type in Arcen, Netherlands and you will find it). It's a bout two hours by car, and therefor cities like Düsseldorf, and Cologne are much nearer, so I am spending more time there, than in Amsterdam.