What are the DON'TS of visiting the NETHERLANDS?

What should you absolutely NOT do in the Netherlands?
Which things are a clear NO-GO in Dutch culture?
Which topics should you AVOID?
What are the DON'TS of the Netherlands?

In this video we learn 27 don'ts about visiting Holland... (oops, that's one of the 'dont's'... don't say that, say 'the Netherlands' instead!).

Do you know more things that you should NOT do in the Netherlands. Write it in the comments below the video!

More Dutch culture videos with Dutch language students in the following playlist:

Video produced by:
Bart de Pau
(online Dutch teacher and founder of the Dutch Summer School and Dutch Winter School)

Editing: Nicolás Balbontín, Kim van den Corput, Bart de Pau

To know more about our:

[TerryVogelaar]

Yeah, those bike lanes are dangerous if you don't know the rules. That's why they are red. It's tourist blood.

[xeldrin]

Also worth mentioning, if you want coffee, don't go to a coffeeshop. Go to a café or brasserie

[myrrhsense]

The don't cycle if you don't know how is a real one. We Dutch people get cycling classes in primary school. Also if you do it wrong (like cycling on the pavement/side walk, cycling without proper lights, etc) you can actually get pretty high fines.

[ArcasAugustus]

“Don’t assume the Netherlands is just Amsterdam”. The whole video is literally just about Amsterdam.

[baskoning]

I would say you can order things on the menu 'with a twist', but dont overdo it. For example, if you order a kipsaté, but dont want the saté sauce, just say it, and you will get one without the sauce, no problem. Or if you have an allergy or something: no problem. Its just that if you start altering every item you order, its a nuisance.

[sheepisfortheweak]

Honestly though, if you go to the Netherlands, don't overthink things too much. The only things to really take into account are:
- Don't walk on the bicycle path. This is the biggest don't. It actually pisses people off
- Be mindful that Dutch people are very direct and speak their mind. Know that beforehand so you're not caught too off guard
- Don't show up out of the blue. Make aapointments
- Just be nice and be respectful. It is a country that people call home. it is not a playground.

The rest of it is just trivial. Be decent and nobody is going to mind you at all.

[elisabird]

I´ve just come home from the Netherlands, where I did not walk the fietspad. A few things: I didn´t notice any smell, from canals or anything else. And the weather? I left cold, wet Madrid and arrived in bright, sunny Amsterdam. We were very lucky with Dutch weather. I live in the Canary Islands. We have a reputation for good weather, which is true if you stay by the sea. But the islands are very high, and you can get different weather in different parts, even of a small island. So I always take a lighweight waterproof, and a bikini. Our trip to the Netherlands was brilliant - my daughter is going to marry a man from Eindhoven. He´s very nice.) Best wishes.

[vinno]

3:38 really surprised to hear that as I always thought we are relatively open about that. It's not a common or easy topic here, but it's not taboo like in the US. The only ones who benefit from not discussing salary are the employers

[benbaartman]

As a Dutch, I'd rather have a foreign person telling me that Dutch sounds familiar with German, rather than mentioning the 2010 World Cup I mean, yeah, we do have a history with Germany, but that history is not as fresh as the final..!
(We just love the Germans. Very polite when they are visiting us, and friendly neighbours with a superhigh rate of hospitality when we are visiting them.)

[ingeleonora-denouden]

As a born and raised Dutch I say: you are all right!
Only about walking on the 'fietspad': here in the 'other part' of the Netherlands (not Holland but the east) it's pretty normal to walk on the bicycle path because there is no other path to walk ... Or you'll have to walk in the (wet!) grass ...

[fryfrysk]

Great to see all these reactions from a foreign perspective on subjects, that are quite normal or common to us

[falklewin]

I am surprised to see how different this video is from other videos like this one. Im glad I clicked on it, I agreed with quite a lot of don’ts and I think this was an accurate representation of our culture ! Great video !

[nicocost]

Just be your self and be prepared to get direct feedback. There's no problem if you follow your own path. If someone else has a problem, let him or her keep it. Honesty is the best universal virtue we all have.

[frith.calluna]

Also in Amsterdam: don't exit the tram through the wrong door. I made that mistake recently and the lady behind the counter wasn't too happy with me :)

[dbpehue]

Persons interviewed for sure mainly were in Amsterdam. They experienced the behaviors and culture of the people in 'Holland'.

[TurboTurtles]

My Don't as a Dutch person would be to not call "The Netherlands" Holland. I get annoyed when people say they went to Holland, when it's called The Netherlands.

[shoelacedonkey]

Hector & Silvia seem like incredibly kind and fun people! Really trying to get to know the Dutch culture while also admitting to forget it often (thank god they do though, us Dutch can be quite stiff when it comes to things we're not used to).

[Sjipsvingers]

Visit Drenthe sometimes de plattelanden (the flatlands) are amazing to see. Its so peacefull. If you really want to rest go to Drenthe. You can really relax there.

[hellomynameisjoenl]

As a born and raised Netherlander, I can say Dutch and German _are_ very similar. Sure, they’re very different to each other, and there are some really clear singular differences (Dutch has no ä, ü, ö, ß, and German has no ë), as well as a really different overall vibe. But of all languages of the world, German has to be the one that’s closest to Dutch by quite some distance, ignoring the languages that are as directly related to Dutch as Frisian and Afrikaans.

[rubberoracle]

3:55, if you're curious about de age of a person that is older than you, i always ask: hoe jong ben je? (Which means: how YOUNG are you?). It's a little bit more polite to ask