Smoking in Netherlands
 

My husband and I are traveling to Holland from Aug. 10-17 and were wondering about the cigarette smoke.

We both do not like cigarette smoke and were wondering if there are non-smoking restaurants, or sections within a restaurant. Also, are there non-smoking rooms at most hotels?

I know some countries like Ireland have passed a no-smoking ban, and we are hoping that Holland has also. Here in Colorado, we just passed a no-smoking law as of July 1, 2006. It is great!

Thanks!

Smokers rule in Holland - good luck finding any true smoke-free restaurants though there must be some. But even ones with no-smoking tables have these often surrounded by smoking tables.
Even at the airport you'll hardly be able to escape the haze - even though except in certain smoking spots it's non-smoking - but not enforced very much.
I'd say Holland is about the worst country for non-smokers in Europe. For such an enlightened society they now lag behind the likes of Ireland, the UK and Italy (of all places) that have fairly strict no smoking in restaurants and cafes, etc. I guess it's that Dutch tolerance - though i agree with the old statement - you're freedom to smoke ends at my nose!

In my research I came across quite a few smaller hotels in Amsterdam that were completely non-smoking.

I was just in Amsterdam last October and for some reason the cigarette smoke didn't bother me. And believe me I am one of those obnoxious NON smokers who is not shy about letting smokers know that their smoke is bothering them...well, at home I am. I am not and wouldn't be in Europe since smoking is better accepted.

Anyway, I really wasn't bothered by the smoke at all....maybe because it was at the end of a 2 week trip and I was immuned to it by then. :)

I would ask for non smoking area in restaurants, but as someone else said, the table next to you could be in the smoking area, so....

I hope your trip will be okay and that it won't bother you much. Expect the worse and you might be pleasantly surprised? :) Maybe that's what happened with me.

I think like Suze says many hotels offer non-smoking rooms, no doubt as a business decision to attract foreign non-smoking tourists.

In Amsterdam you may encounter "smoke" of a different type if you catch my drift!

In Germany there is a lot of smoking too. We ate most of our meals in outdoor cafes and the smoke didn't bother me - I noticed it, but it didn't bother me. And I am a total non-smoker, happy as a clam to be living in California with smoke-free bars and restaurants.

Yes and the day they make coffeeshops non-smoking will never come i think.
Never forget some young Italian xxxxxxx smoking a spliff walking down the street and blowing a billowing mouthful of smoke right into the face of a well dressed upscale tourist, yelling "This is Amsterdam!" You won't likely to experience this but you will sniff cannabis being smoked about town.

I don't think you'll have much problem at the airport. At least from my experience, I didn't see (or smell) people smoking in public areas.
You might want to dine early/earli-ish before the restaurant gets crowded, though you cannot guarantee totally smoke-free dining experience.

I hate cigarette smoke. Spent a few days in Amsterdam in Nov a few years ago and put in more than my fair share of time in brown cafes (it was freezing outside) and don't recall the smoke bothering me that much. But maybe it was because it was right after 4 days in London where the smoke in the pubs about killed me.

We dined outside as much as possible. The non-smoking area in one restaurant in Brugges was one table. We were surrounded by smokers--some who smoked while forking food into their mouths.

I did smoke over 20 years ago, but I never smoked while chewing my food.

Our B&B in Amsterdam had a no smoking policy--Maes B&B.

We just returned from a week in Scandanavia, and honestly feared we'd have lung cancer by the end of the week. Europeans smoke; we, Americans, are not accustomed to it anymore. It stinks. On the streets, in the restaurants and pubs....in the hotel elevator! Yuck.

In Germany this summer, smokers were everywhere...puffing away, insensitive to the fact that others may not want smoke coming in their direction. It always amazes us that since their governments pay for their health care, they don't do more to discourage smoking. But I guess the hard truth is if it makes the smokers sick and they die, they will be off the gravytrain sooner!

The good news for you is that you are going in August rather than the winter. When we were planning our trip we heard that the smoking would be everywhere but we visited during a really warm week and so all of the restaurant tables were outdoors and we did not have a problem. We live in a state where smoking has not been allowed in public for a few years and believe me we notice the difference when we travel. We have always used the dine early and outdoors strategies when in Europe and it generally works well. Hope for warm weather!

Oh PalQ you bring back memories.

Similar experience running across two duuuudes while walking down Harleemerstraat. They were hanging on to each other for support and giggling like a pair of thirteen year old girls.