For Real!? Eight Amsterdam tips that may blow your mind.

So you’ve finally decided to visit the awesome city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The flight is booked, you know where you’re staying and even have the itinerary planned. But wait! There’s still something you should know about Amsterdam before taking a step on that plane. First, check out these awesome Amsterdam tips:

1. Netherlands, Holland, or Dutch?

All three: Amsterdam is the largest city in the country of the Netherlands. The city is located in Netherland’s Province of North Holland. The residents are called Dutch and speak Dutch as a primary language.. Confusing? Yes, just a little.

2. Tesla for Hire

The amazing electric-car has become a status symbol of sorts in America, but believe it or not, you’ll find them lined up in the taxi queue upon arrival to Schiphol Airport, for the same price as any other taxi.. Want a ride in a Tesla? Go to Amsterdam!

3. Coffeeshops

Need a little extra pep in your step while exploring Amsterdam? Well, a Coffeeshop might NOT be what you’re looking for.. You can grab a cup of coffee at any cafe, but a Coffeeshop is where you’d go for marijuana.. If marijuana IS what you’re looking for, there’s a Coffeeshop on just about every block in Amsterdam. As long as you’re 18 years old, walk right up to the bar and ask for a menu.. You can buy up to 5 grams legally, and the staff can help you pick out something suitable. You can smoke in-house, or head over to a Smart Shop for smoking accessories of choice..

4. Smart Shops

Smart Shops get their name from selling herbal supplements, like ginko biloba, that are supposed to stimulate the mind and improve memory.. They also sell any type of smoking apparatus imaginable, but in Amsterdam, they are famous for selling legal “Magic Truffles,” containing the psychoactive compound psilocybin.. A trip on your trip!

5. Red Light District

The Red Light District was really no surprise for us.. I’ve heard stories as far back as memory serves, but it’s still kind of a shocker.. One moment you’re walking down a pretty cobblestone street, adjacent to a boat-lined canal, with views of church steeples and beautiful brick buildings, and suddenly the view is replaced by professionals marketing their wares by window, waiting for their next client..

6. Amsterdam is Dangerous

Crime? Nope, well as far as we saw.. For a large city, it was amazing that I can’t remember even hearing a police siren.. You can get killed here though, from a bicycle.. There’s bikes, lots and LOTS of bikes, and they will run you right over if not paying attention.. The good news is they have their own, red colored lanes on every street.. Motorized scooters also use these lanes, and they creep up fast! And, crossing the street sometimes means two bike lanes, four car lanes, and two tram lanes, so keep that head on a swivel!!

7. Canals and Bridges

Amsterdam is probably best known for it’s legal “soft” drugs and prostitution, but who knew that they compete with Venice, Italy for sheer number of canals and bridges.. Venice has slightly more canals(177) than Amsterdam(165), but Amsterdam has THREE TIMES as many bridges(1281) than Venice(409).

And last, but definitely not least of our Amsterdam tips

8. XXX

Across the rooftops of Amsterdam, especially on important governmental buildings, we saw large red and black flags with a white XXX displayed.. We thought Amsterdam was just letting their freak flag fly, but it turns out this is Amsterdam’s 500-year-old coat of arms, and has nothing to do with x-rated entertainment..