Is Netherlands Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

The Netherlands generally is very safe with a well-functioning police force and emergency services. Dutch people are open-minded, respect diversity, and crime rates are low. However, like any place, it's advisable to stay alert and aware of your surroundings, especially in crowded touristic areas and late at night. Always follow local alerts and advisories to avoid potential risks.

Safety index

4.6 /5

Based on 6 experiences

4.5 /5

Based on research and crime data

Safety overview

Safety at night:Safe

The Netherlands is known for high safety standards, even during night hours. Bigger cities have well-lit streets, offering a sense of security to its inhabitants and visitors. However, as in any place, caution should still be exercised. Stay in populated areas, avoid poorly-lit streets and always be aware of your surroundings. Do not engage in risky behaviors and steer clear of potentially dangerous situations. Make use of public transportation where possible, as they are generally secure and reliable. Allow friends or family to know your whereabouts whenever you plan to be out during late hours.

Public transportation: Safe

In general, the Netherlands' public transportation system is considered highly safe, especially in comparison to global standards. This includes well-connected and frequently running buses, trains, and trams, as well as cycling paths. There is an efficient network of ferries in cities like Amsterdam. While petty theft can be seen in crowded areas, measures like use of surveillance cameras, patrols, and lighting provide safety. It is advisable to stay alert, especially in larger cities and at night, and always keep your belongings within your sight. Keep the local emergency number (112) handy, although it's unlikely you'll need to use it.

Street harassment: Low

In general, the Netherlands is known for its respectful and open-minded people. Street harassment is not commonly reported, and it is considered one of the safer countries for solo female travelers. Instances of harassment can occur, as they can anywhere in the world, but these are not prevalent, and women often feel comfortable navigating cities and towns on their own both during the day and night. Authorities and residents have a low tolerance for harassment, and there are usually strict measures in place to handle such situations. Nevertheless, exercising general vigilance is recommended.

Petty crimes:Low

Netherlands generally holds a reputation for being a safe country with low levels of petty crime. However, popular touristic cities such as Amsterdam can see occasional instances of pickpocketing and bike theft. Always be cautious of your belongings, particularly in crowded areas and on public transportation.

Tap water:Very safe

Tap water in the Netherlands is of high quality and perfectly safe to drink. It goes through rigorous testing and regulations to ensure it exceeds the safety standards. Not just that, but it's also environmentally friendly due to less reliance on bottled water.

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Travel experiences

Overall rating

4.6 /5

based on 6 experiences

Rating summary

Things to do

4.6/5

Safety

4.6/5

Food

4.3/5

Budget-friendly

2.9/5

Solo travel experience

The Netherlands are super safe and the majority of people speak English, so I was able to get directions if needed. Plus their public transport is amazing, it's so easy to get from city to city!

Posted: October 23, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 4/5Budget-friendly: 4/5Safety: 5/5
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Solo travel experience

Itinerary: Amsterdam (5 nights) with a day trip to Haarlem and The Hague Antwerp (3 nights) with a day trip to Ghent Utrecht (3 nights) with a day trip to Rotterdam Safety: I felt very safe there. Recommendations: Train travel within the Netherlands is fantastically easy. Pick up an OV-chipkaart when you arrive, load it with euros,and you can catch a train to nearly everywhere.

Posted: September 25, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 4/5Safety: 5/5
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Solo travel experience

Itinerary: Brussels (1 day) Ghent (1 day) Bruges (1 day) Antwerp (1 day) Rotterdam (1 day) The Hague (1 day) Utrecht (1 day) Amsterdam (3 days) Safety: I felt very safe. Recommendations: Netherlands is really easy to travel to. Just make sure you get a public transport card.

Posted: September 25, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 3/5Safety: 5/5
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Solo travel experience

Itinerary: 2 days in Amsterdam 1 day in Leiden 1 day om Utrecht 1 day in Hague 1 day in Rotterdam Safety: I felt safe alone. Recommendations: Netherlands is a great country. It’s small so most of these places are within an hour of Amsterdam

Posted: September 25, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 4/5Safety: 5/5
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Solo travel experience

Itinerary: Two days in Amsterdam One day in Elburg One day in Harderwijk One day in Amersfoort Two days in Utrecht Safety: I felt perfectly safe. Recommendations: Public transport in the Netherlands is pretty good and affordable.

Posted: September 25, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 4/5Safety: 5/5
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Solo travel experience

Itinerary: Amsterdam: 3 days Kaag: 2 days Leiden: 2 days Safety: I've felt nothing but safe in the Netherlands and the people are great. Recommendations: The Netherlands is a beautiful place.

Posted: September 25, 2022
Things to do: 5/5Food: 5/5Budget-friendly: 3/5Safety: 5/5
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Meet locals in Netherlands

Kira

Kira

Speaking

About Me

Hi!, My name is Kira and I have been living in the Netherlands for 5+ years now. I am always interested to meet new people, share travel stories and learn about each other’s culture:) I'm interested in animals, backpacking, digital nomad, sightseeing, technology, languages, culture, cinema, food & cuisine and solo travel

Countries I’ve Visited

🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇨🇳 China, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇺 Guam, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇰🇷 South Korea, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇹🇼 Taiwan, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇺🇸 United States, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇻🇦 Vatican City, 🇰🇭 Cambodia, 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇵🇱 Poland

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Nienke

Nienke

Speaking

About Me

Im a nature and people loving girl. I love to make new connections and learn about other peoples perspectives on life. I love deep convo's about anything, but can also shut up and look at a tree for a few hours:) I REALLY love doing weird spontaneous stuff and going where life takes me:)

Countries I’ve Visited

🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇫🇮 Finland, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇨 Monaco, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇺🇸 United States

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Mahshid

Mahshid

Speaking

About Me

Hello :) I’m a collection of paradoxes. I love dancing at festivals as much as talking about how to dismantle capitalism. I do a lot of crafts and DIY’s but I also love to go crazy at parties and be among people. I read a lot but can be very silly and comic at the same time. You can’t guess my character just by looking at something that I did! But what matters the most to me, is to be a good human. And that I strive to be at all times.

Countries I’ve Visited

🇫🇷 France, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇮🇳 India, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇲🇾 Malaysia, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇸🇿 Swaziland, 🇹🇷 Turkey

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Stay with locals in Netherlands

Nienke

Nienke

Speaking

You can stay for:

2 days

About me

Im a nature and people loving girl. I love to make new connections and learn about other peoples perspectives on life. I love deep convo's about anything, but can also shut up and look at a tree for a few hours:) I REALLY love doing weird spontaneous stuff and going where life takes me:)

Countries I’ve Visited

🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇫🇮 Finland, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇨 Monaco, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇺🇸 United States

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Annelies

Annelies

Speaking

You can stay for:

3 days

About me

Love to travel, cook and eat. I live my two sons in a village 15 mins from Rotterdam.

Countries I’ve Visited

🇦🇺 Australia, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands, 🇰🇭 Cambodia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇫🇯 Fiji, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇱🇦 Laos, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇴 Macao, 🇲🇾 Malaysia, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇹🇼 Taiwan, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇹🇷 Turkey, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇺🇸 United States, 🇻🇳 Vietnam

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Isabel

Isabel

Speaking

You can stay for:

1 day

About me

I am a scientist in cancer research that loves the summer and enjoys outdoor activities. I am also a big fan of boardgames and theatre.

Countries I’ve Visited

🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇪🇪 Estonia, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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Upcoming visitors to Netherlands

nataly

nataly

Speaking

About Me

I’m Ucrainian girl . Live in Naples for 14 years. Love travel and meet new people.

mode_comment 0
Daura

Daura

Speaking

About Me

I’m an artist based in Brazil, I love visiting galleries, cafés, bookstores, finding the best vegetarian dishes, and taking photographs ✨

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silène

silène

Speaking

About Me

Hey, My name is silène and I'm interested in books, art, cinema, culture, events & social, education, hiking, nature, nightlife, writing, live music and food & cuisine

Countries I’ve Visited

🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇲🇨 Monaco, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇹🇳 Tunisia, 🇺🇸 United States, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇻🇦 Vatican City

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Local discussions

TravelWhich hostels are the best for a trip to Amsterdam in December?

Hey hey! Planning a trip to Amsterdam in December, wondering if yall know which hostels are the best? Or what area I should stay in for the best walkability :) thanks! Also down if anyone wants to meet up!

Posted: August 6, 2023
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Solo travelHow much spending money is recommended for a 4/5 day trip to Amsterdam?

I’m wanting to go away for my birthday to Amsterdam for 4/5 days. Any recommendations of where to stay preferably the centre and not in a hostel. Also any ideas of how much spending money is recommended? Thanks

Posted: June 25, 2023
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Solo travelWhere to stay in Amsterdam?

I'm going to Amsterdam and Brussels in January. Does anyone have any recs on where to stay in Amsterdam? I've never been before.

Posted: June 23, 2023
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TravelWhat are some recommendations for a 3 day trip to Amsterdam in February?

I’m looking to go on a 3 day Amsterdam trip in February. Any recommendations on places to eat, drink, visit and stay would be appreciated. Trying to stay in a bit of a budget but open to all suggestions.

Posted: November 27, 2022
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TravelWhat are some budget-friendly sights and restaurants to visit in Amsterdam?

I'm in Amsterdam for a few days - does anyone have any recommendations on what to see while staying under a budget? Or any restaurant recs?

Posted: November 2, 2022
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Safety in Netherlands