Two Brits embarked on a journey to explore Amsterdam‘s most infamous neighbourhood, Bijlmermeer, to determine if its “no-go zone” reputation is justified.

Travel YouTuber Wendall, alongside Lewis, an English viewer residing in the Dutch capital, ventured into the notorious area known for its high crime rates during the 1980s and 1990s.

According to Lewis, it has a “notorious reputation for being the worst area”. Before delving into the heart of Bijlmermeer, known locally as the Bijlmer, Windall interacted with locals in central Amsterdam.

One described the area as “ugly” and filled with “high rises”, saying it significantly deteriorated since construction in the late 1960s. She warned: “Just be careful with the parking garages, if you go in and it’s dark.”

Yet that wasn’t the impression Wendall got when he first entered. He described it as “quite picturesque”, adding: “If this was in Birmingham, near to where I’m from originally, there’d be rubbish everywhere, shopping trolleys in these canals upside down, there’d be groups of youths hanging around.”

Despite this, after venturing deeper and conversing with locals who downplayed the area’s “dangerous” reputation, he did encounter a more “ramshackle” part of the Bijlmer. He said: “[There’s] a lot more litter around. The workmen there said that there are some issues, so maybe we are uncovering that there is still a slight edge in this part of the Bijlmer.”

Lewis informed him about the local “bike gangs”, and during their exploration, they met some kids who cautioned that it was “not a good hood around here”. When probed about the area’s troubles, one child listed: “Shootings, stabbings, kidnappers.” However, he reassured Wendall that walking around wasn’t risky for him, implying the issues were only between gangs.

Despite Wendall stumbling upon a shopping trolley in a canal, of which he quipped “nothing is more British”, most locals believed the neighbourhood’s notorious reputation was exaggerated. Another group of youths assured him: “It’s not so dangerous here. Certain places are more dangerous than other places. Because we don’t mess with the people that are dangerous.”

A recent arrival to the area praised it, saying: “It’s beautiful. People are very welcoming. The vibes are good. When the weather is beautiful, you have all kinds of people outside […] It’s honestly not that bad at all.”

Wendall and Lewis then went to the centre of the Bijlmer, and Wendall was taken aback. “If this is the town centre of the roughest area in Amsterdam, or the Netherlands, this is so clean, so nice,” he said. “If I walk around Luton or Slough, Britain is in a far worse state when it comes to town centres, there’d be street drinkers everywhere – I don’t see any street drinking [here]!”

He wrapped up his video by saying: “I think we’ve put the story to bed. Parts of the Netherlands that are considered to be the roughest areas, they’re not dangerous areas at all compared to Britain.”