That`s it, 12 weird laws that the Netherlands has! However, at least one person must be a Dutch citizen to legally marry here, so Australians who want to seal their same-sex vows may want to jump across the pond in New Zealand before considering Amsterdam for their wedding. Not only can you ride a bike in a museum, but you can also do it without a helmet (an act that will get you fined $145 or more in Australia), and most importantly, you can ride a bike safely. > prostitution is legal, which also means that Dutch law requires all workers to pay taxes equally in the Netherlands. Or at least up to 1. January, when the law changes and the sale of alcohol to people under 18 is banned – a pretty solid initiative, given that excessive alcohol consumption among young people, as in Australia, is increasing in Holland. After all, there are a lot of quirks going on. The décor is funky and unique. The shower is located in a bizarre and fully enclosed room that makes it look like you are bathing in the emptiness of space. And if you`re in the mood to descend into ultra-tranquility, the spa — located in a former underground bank vault — is super refined and super cold.

Interestingly, this little boy is not really called Hans Brinker, but the story is remembered this way. Moreover, the author had never been to Holland and so many of the historical facts of the book are false. However, the book was a great success in the United States and sparked people`s interest in Holland. It takes a little getting used to (wearing thick socks!), but then you have a pair of shoes that will last you a lifetime. That means half the story isn`t quite right. However, policy in this area has weakened over the decades, with addicts treated as sick rather than criminals, especially heroin addicts. It`s also legal to have ecstasy (which is actually largely made in Holland) tested anonymously for pollutants in clinics across the country, and possession of up to five pills is tolerated (only in Amsterdam, mind you). For the rest of the country, it`s just a pill). It`s also officially legal (or decriminalized, it doesn`t matter) to have sex in Amsterdam`s parks after dark. > Dutch law prohibits the sale of fireworks, except for the three days before New Year`s Eve (29-31 December).

During this time, fireworks are legal between 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 2 a.m. on Jan. 1 — when a buying and demolition frenzy inevitably begins. Clogs date back to the Middle Ages, when clogs were popular throughout Europe. In the 15th century, the wooden shoe was made from a single piece of wood. The hooves were strong and kept their feet dry while walking through muddy streets and swampy areas like Holland. The manufacture of clogs is a real skill that is still practiced by professional saboteurs in Holland. Legally, of course. The drinking age for beer and wine was 16, but in 2015 it is 18.

It is not legal to sell alcohol everywhere cannabis is sold, but some liquor suppliers are 420-friendly, especially on the patio. The same goes for a car hitting a bike – that`s also a big no-no. Please people, pay attention to bikes and cars, you also pay attention to them. They dominate us all. 🚲 The good news? This local weed pass you`ve heard of is NOT valid in Amsterdam. Tourists are always welcome in the rest of the cafes. By the way, hash oil is classified as a hard drug and is therefore absolutely NOT legal. However, hashish (including some very strong varieties) is still on the menu. For better or worse, here are five things you can do in Amsterdam that you definitely can`t do in Australia – at least not legally. Sorry for Pulp Fiction fans, things have changed since Vincent Vega`s diatribe on Holland that opened the film in 1994: Since 2003, stops and searches are legal. But honestly, when that happens, they look for weapons.

And while we have seen crude arrests of recalcitrant people, we have never seen random stops and searches. In a country sometimes described as too bureaucratic, the Netherlands controls some unexpected things, such as who can share houses, where you can lock up a burglar and whether you can take an acorn from a forest tree. Since 2000, prostitution has been officially legal in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Discussions, plans and ideas for regulating prostitution have existed since the 1950s. For example, it is officially illegal to smoke cannabis on the streets of a Dutch city. While it`s not technically a law, it means we need to hear them every other Monday FOREVER. The Dutch were the first to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, as they like to remind anyone who will listen. The very first ceremony was presided over by the mayor at the time, Job Cohen, himself. However, the privilege extends only to legal residents.

And not that there are no fanatics: even in Amsterdam there is an occasional street attack. You may have all heard that strange and loud noise that sounds every first Monday of the month at 12 o`clock. The Dutch government requires these emergency drills to test alarms at least once a month. A law that is good for tenants and not so good for landlords, tenants have an incredible amount of protection. In fact, the landlord can`t evict you unless a court decides they can. > To possess a weapon for hunting purposes, Dutch law states that hunters must first complete an in-depth (and expensive) course for one year in order to obtain a hunting diploma. After that, they will only receive a permit if they can prove that they have access to a hunting ground. They must also take shooting lessons to learn how to inflict the least amount of suffering on their prey. >It is illegal for more than three people to share a house. This is an attempt to stop home sharing, which is also illegal. This is partly true.

As they said in the movie Pulp Fiction, a police officer in Amsterdam has no right to search you unless he has a specific reason to suspect you of doing something illegal. All the other fun stuff – LSD, DMT, cocaine, MDMA, etc. – is clearly illegal, although still less illegal than in most parts of the world. If the police catch you with small amounts, the worst thing you can expect is confiscation and possibly a fine. But only maybe. Number 7 is not correct, there are no mandatory emergency exercises in the Netherlands. The alarm still rings every month, but it`s a relic of the days when those sirens were made of metal and had to be set in motion to prevent them from rusting. Since random activation would have caused too much confusion, it was decided that they would always come out on the 1st Monday of the month. This leads to the joke that this would be the perfect time for the Russians to attack cannabis is illegal. Seriously, that`s always been the case. It actually falls into that dark gray area that the Dutch call «tolerance» – for grass, it goes back to 1976.

Basically, the police will look elsewhere at up to 5g per person or plants per household, as long as you don`t sell them. They will also look elsewhere, mostly in the other direction for cafes, but there is no legal way to deliver them. Livestock farmers, even small farms, have been attacked more and more frequently and some of the small quality-oriented farms have been frightened. In addition, a number of cafes (almost half) have been closed for various reasons – so there are «only» 200 left in the city. Enter Amsterdam`s first Cannabis Social Club: Tree of Life. These are just locals, but members get better quality buds for less. and a new circle of stoner friends. The government says this model is not legal, but so far they have been «tolerated.» Also sold legally in smartshops: peyote and other psychedelic cacti. The Dutch are much more comfortable with their clothes than most other countries, and the Dutch government says it`s not illegal to do it in public, but it`s not like you see people walking naked down the street. (Although once a year you`ll see them cycling through the city in their, as the Dutch say, «Adam and Eve costumes.») It is even occasionally (inconsistently) provided with a ticket.

Topless is certainly not uncommon on beaches and other bunks, and some are designed for complete nudity. In spas and saunas, as we have already warned, nudity is the norm. While some of the things travelers encounter in Amsterdam may be morally questionable to some, others seem reasonable and raise the question: what could we learn from the Dutch, and would their way of life work here? Isn`t weed technically illegal, but instead, laws simply aren`t enforced below a certain amount? Another really stupid and outdated practice, but technically selling weed is still illegal, right? As already stated, mushrooms are a little more in the air.