Can you drink alcohol in public in the Netherlands?

Restricted areas/times

Public drinking is generally legal but banned in many specific public locations.

The Netherlands is one of 15 countries classified “Restricted areas/times” for drinking in public — 42% of the 36 with data.

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Public drinking
Last checked
17 September 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Belgium
Restricted areas/times Public drinking is legal generally but banned in specific areas of certain cities.
Germany
Legal Drinking in public streets and parks is legal; some cities and operators ban it on public transport.
Denmark
Restricted areas/times Public drinking is generally legal but banned in many specific municipal zones.
France
Restricted areas/times Public drinking is generally legal but subject to local bans in certain areas or times.
Switzerland
Legal Public drinking is generally legal federally, though specific cantons and venues have local restrictions.
Austria
Restricted areas/times Public drinking is legal nationwide but restricted in specific areas of certain cities.

Other laws in Netherlands

Jaywalking
Legal
Public Smoking Bans
Comprehensive ban
Driving Age
16–17
Homeschooling
Illegal

Every law in the Netherlands → · Where can you drink alcohol in public? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.