Since I landed in Amsterdam I have had the pleasure and the misfortune to hear some outrageously unbelievable stories and "facts", from several Greek expats that moved recently here as well and tried to pass them on to me as the truth. After some extensive research its time to debunk some of them and start dissolving these new Greek urban legends of Amsterdam.

Tram line No5 is "unoffically" free!

The legend says: The government has decided to let Tram No5 without an inspecting officer. This is happening in case somebody has a problem or no money or is lost to have an emergency "rescue tram line".

Explanation: The reason why there is no inspector in Tram No5 is because the tram has to stop at stops that open on different sides. So its a practical issue of space. No inspector booth equals more space. Now for those that still want to ride the Tram No5 without checking in with a ticket or their chipcard, be aware, there are checks being done by GVB and if you get caught the fine is going to be much more then the ticket you just saved.

You can check the quality of your narcotics at the police station!

The legend says: There is a special place in the police departments in the center where you can check out your narcotics (illegal - the ones people buy in the street) and see if it is indeed what you bought.

Explanation: There are indeed places where you can test your narcotics and you can find a list here, but it is not the police that does the checking. So please, if you are going be stupid and purchase illegal narcotics from the street, don't take them to the police. You will probably get arrested. In fact, how about not taking them at all?

Why don't you rent a house in Spui? I have a friend that has an awesome house for 700 per month.

The legend says: Everybody has a friend who has a friend, who rents a beauuuuuuutiful house in Spui with 700 euros inclusive per month.

Explanation: Every person I know in the Netherlands would love to rent a house in Spui, especially with 700 euros. This is called, wishful thinking! And yes there might be one or two lucky bastards out there that managed to get such a house but trust us, finding the mythical awesome 700/month house in Spui might be harder than seeing the Loch Ness monster!

Coming soon with more urban legends. If you know a new legend please email us at [email protected]