Europe travel guide

Is Amsterdam prudish provincial and boring?

Amsterdam is famed for being liberal and forward looking. In the Netherlands the emergency services don't get in your way, they only step in when it's required.

However this controversial policy might be beginning to change, much to the disgust of many who celebrate Amsterdam's traditional way of dealing with society.

Cafe owners in the middle of the city have joined forces to complain about plans to, in their eyes, clamp down on people enjoying themselves in local bars and restaurants.

The new laws suggested by Amsterdam district council the Amsterdam Centrum, have voted in favour of a number of measures including one which would make it illegal for customers to sit at an outside terrace past midnight.

Another slightly unusual law is set to prevent people from drinking whilst standing up! As you can imagine, the Dutch don't take kindly to being told what to do like this.

A Dutch newspaper commented on the plans, saying that the centre of Amsterdam was moving closer to becoming 'Staphorst on the Amstel', Staphorst being the most strict and devout Calvinist town in the area.

This isn't the first time the council has come in for criticism, its decision to close 150 terraces and ban construction of new business ventures has angered many. A spokesman from the gay community said that Amsterdam was becoming "prudish, provincial and boring".

This article was written for TravelSavvy Europe by Terry Slanhigh. If you know of an interesting European travel related news story, please get in contact.