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Amsterdam, Netherlands

AMSTERDAM IS EITHER THE WORLD’S MOST PROGRESSIVE OR DEPRAVED city, depending on your perspective. Whether drawn by its hedonism, liberalism, or stacks of pankoeken served piping hot at every diner, you’ll likely fall for it—hard.

Serious shopping abounds in this city. Stroll down P.C. Hooftstraat—a.k.a. the Dutch’s Fifth Avenue—for designer clothing, jewelry boutiques, and art galleries. On Sundays, head out to Westerstraat in the Jordaan (near Centraal Station) for a bustling market that sells vintage clothing styles you’ll later find in H&M at twice the price. For a treat, stop by a stroop stall for a waffle sandwich drowning in syrup. Then amble over to Albert Cuyp, a market that stretches nearly a quarter-mile and peddles everything from fresh seafood, Indonesian curry, and cheeses to jewelry, books, and shovels. If tulips are your vice, steal to the city of Aalsmeer for the world’s largest flower auction, held weekday mornings in a warehouse the size of nine football fields.

Pub crawling is a national pastime, and many Dutch chase their jenever—a potent gin—with beer. The rowdy Nol Cafe on Westerstraat 109 can usually be counted on for a fun time, especially if you enjoy sing-alongs to American ’80s hits and Dutch folk songs. Lux bar at Marnixstraat 403 near the Leidseplein blends classic Dutch brown (those century-old bars lining the canals) and Euro chic, and is jam-packed with artsy locals and bohemian expats. Spend enough time here and you might score an invitation to their late night lock-ins, where you can lounge until nearly sunrise.

Amsterdam’s “coffee shops” tend to serve their joe in bongs or space cakes, and you can catch a residual high just by walking through the front door. Connoisseurs should head to De Dampkring at Handboogstraat 29, the winner of several prestigious High Times Cannabis cups. Abraxas at Jonge Roelensteeg 12 is good for multitasking: You can check your email and play chess or backgammon while waiting for those funky cakes or shakes to take effect. With its ambient music, soft lighting, and comfy seating, you might never leave Global Chillage at Kerkstraat 51. Fortunately, their staff is accommodating (and DJs spin on weekends).

The infamous Red Light District on De Walletjes is worth a visit, if only for anthropological purposes. Although it is lined with sex shops, sex shows, and a sex museum offering five floors of “enjoyment and arts,” you’re more apt to bump into curious couples and drunk frat boys than sketchy old men in raincoats. The sex workers—who have been unionized since 1984—await their clients behind rose-lit windows, but are more likely to be filing their nails or reading a magazine than anything else. For a voyeur trip, check out the Theater Casa Rosso. According to the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, about 80 percent of sex workers in the Netherlands are from other countries, and many are victims of sex trafficking. For more information, drop into the Prostitution Information Center at Enge Kerksteeg 3.

‟The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”

—William Blake