Despite all efforts tourists are confined to the inner city. Traffic jams are mild compared to typical large city patterns and they affect you only if you use a

Despite all efforts tourists are confined to the inner city. Traffic jams are mild compared to typical large city patterns and they affect you only if you use a car - which you dont really need in the city. The liveability comparison that makes sense is with cities offering similar economic and cultural opportunities. Compared to major world cities Amsterdam is already somewhat of a backwater but outside it it gets positively boucolic. The efficient frontier is when you optimally combine liveability with vibrancy.