Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VERY safe? No. Ok as long as they stick together after dark? yes.

Agree. FWIW I think they would be VERY safe in other cities in NDL like Utrecht or The Hague.

I like The Hague better than Amsterdam, but it’s easy to walk into places that are a little iffy there, too.

Not terrible blocks, but places like a somewhat shabby block near DuPont Circle that has a panhandler who’s a little too hyper.

If they are inexperienced drinkers planning to drink some, I would go over pacing your drinks and what to watch for if someone overdoes it.

Anonymous wrote:VERY safe? No. Ok as long as they stick together after dark? yes.

Agree. FWIW I think they would be VERY safe in other cities in NDL like Utrecht or The Hague.

VERY safe? No. Ok as long as they stick together after dark? yes.

Anonymous wrote:Would you say it will be VERY safe, beyond potential pickpockets? Any other major risks for girls? And will it be fun? Not a group that is going to do pot/drink a lot. Interested in museums, history and any sort of thrift/quirky stores.

To me, for someone who doesn’t drink or do drugs, Amsterdam seems about like Boston in terms of fun, but with more canals and canal boat tours.

I don’t know what Ghent looks like.

Brugge is gorgeous and seems a lot calmer than the touristy parts of Amsterdam.

Some of the panhandlers in Amsterdam are obnoxious. I’m skeptical about the idea that the non-gun-related crime rate there is lower there than in a place like the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

If I would let the three girls in question go to Adam’s Morgan without a chaperone, I’d let them go on the Benelux trip.

I think that they’d probably be happier if they stay at places in fun but safe neighborhoods and try to be with a block or two of their hotels or hostels after about 9 p.m.

Respectable Dutch people tend to go to bed early, and, for nondrinkers who aren’t going to a show, Dutch cities can be pretty boring after about 9.

Are they planning to go to “coffee shops” in Amsterdam? There are lots of magic mushroom shops etc and I’d have concerns about safety—mostly because of the other young tourists they’d meet. If none of them are the type to do that, I wouldn’t worry.

In general it’s a very safe city but if you are looking to meet/get involved with other young travelers there could be more risk.

Anonymous wrote:Bruges and Ghent are similar. Are there specific things they want to do in each?
I would go to Bruges. You can take a nice day trip to the coast at Knokke by train if the weather is nice. Water is like ice but it's nice to walk along shore.

Actually, I didn't think they were similar at all.

This sounds like a great trip for that age. Have any of the girls traveled to Europe before? I'd especially be inclined to let them go if at least one of them is more travel saavy/has been to Europe/traveled internationally prior to this trip.

I (female) went to the Netherlands when I was 22 with 3 male friends (my 20 yr old boyfriend at the time, now DH, and 2 college buddies). I think I generally felt fine except our very first day someone tried something suspicious (I could tell by tone and body language) in Dutch st the airport. I suspect he was selling drugs. He disappeared when the men I was traveling with came and joined me. Waiting near the Anne Frank House, I got clipped by a bicycle, slipped, and narrowly avoided falling in a canal. I know someone else who was hit by a bicycle so that seems like a risk in Amsterdam. My friends and I also visited The Hague, Utrecht, Gouda, Maastricht and then went over the border to see Aachen in Germany.

It's fine as long as they stay together and stay away from the bar scene full of British guys.