Amsterdam, Netherlands
Introduction
Hip, cosmopolitan and liberal, all of these words so easily describe Amsterdam, but there’s one other term we mustn’t forget: avant-gardist. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise gay and lesbian marriage back in 2001, solidifying its position as a top spot for lesbian travel. And it was in 1946 when one of the world’s first gay rights’ organizations, the COC (Centre for Culture and Leisure) was founded in Amsterdam. It remains an integral part of Dutch queer life today.
Gays and lesbians have long been accepted in the Netherlands. That's why you’ll find us all over town, and not only centred around the gaybourhoods, Reguliersdwarsstraat and Kerkstraat. For the heavy-duty lesbian action, head over to Amstel near Rembrandtplein (on the Southern Canal Belt) where at least three lesbian bars are located, just minutes from one another. Even though that area is lesbian central, your dykedar may not go off as often as you'd hoped. It's not because there aren't any lesbians, but that they're quite discreet.
Amsterdam is also renowned for its Pride Parade, as it's the only one in the world on water. Dozens of floats sail along the canal with hundreds of thousands on hand to watch the fun, including tons of tourists. But on this note I should make one side comment... there have been a number of gay bashings in Amsterdam over the past year or so, including a couple of tourists at the 2007 Pride celebrations. Mainly it is gay men, not women, who were attacked. In response, police have stepped up their patrols of the gay areas and in December, 2007 the city commissioned a study to see if this is a growing problem in this very liberal city, but results are not yet in.
That said, this is not a common situation, and it shouldn't make you think twice about a visit to Amsterdam, a city I absolutely love. The city's response just shows you that Amsterdam takes its reputation as a free and liberal destination quite seriously and wants to make sure that the gay and lesbian community continues to enjoy all of the liberties it has experienced for so many years.
I absolutely loved Amsterdam and didn't encounter any anti-gay sentiments during my 6 day stay in 2005. On the Saturday I visited the Vive la Vie lesbian bar, a cool small bar which was packed with some very yummy women and later attended a lesbian party (“30 Plus” was the actual name of the party, but not the age limit!) at Club Coq with the coolest dj (dj Zubrovka) I have ever seen (she wore ear muffs and had great cleavage). The women in Amsterdam are hot and the city was very gay-friendly. I loved that you can rent a bike and get anywhere in no time and not have to rely on expensive taxis.
Carrie on Oct 02, 2007
I traveled alone to Amsterdam and thought it was one of the easiest cities I have ever visited. Great city to walk around in. The people are beautiful and hip. The architecture gorgeous. Great design everywhere. You can certainly feel their refined art culture history. Silver was a great buy. Heineken museum was fun and a great place for free beer! The women were generally quite attractive. Five days was plenty for this city.
Rebecca on Sep 18, 2007
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