The Bulldog is Amsterdam’s best-known coffeeshop. Image courtesy of sherpas428 on Flickr.
Amsterdam’s notorious coffeeshops are not known for their mochaccinos and double espressos; instead of pedaling caffeine, they deal in marijuana and hashish. Since the hippie-led dope-smoking era led to the de-criminalizing of some soft drugs in 1976, coffeeshops have played a large part in Amsterdam life and brought millions of euros into the city through cannabis tourism. Here are a few facts that you might need about Amsterdam coffeeshops.
More than 220 coffeeshops exist today, most found concentrated in the Oude Zijde around the Red Light District, and it’s estimated that up to 70% of all visitors to the city drop by a coffeeshop. Operating under something of a legal grey cloud, they are considered too much a money-spinner to be closed down altogether but are strictly legislated by the City Council; coffeeshops are not allowed to advertise their wares and they all must have an official green and white sticker in the window.
There was talk back in 2012 of introducing a system of ID cards for coffeeshop users – the so-called ‘weedpass’ – that would have prevented overseas tourists from using them. But this came to but nothing, probably down to financial reasons.
Bob Marley – the man who launched a thousands spliffs. Image courtesy of Kevin Gessner on Flickr.
There are now ‘no-toking zones’ in Amsterdam, strictly enforced around schools in an effort to enforce the ban on school kids smoking marijuana on the premises. Watch out for the red-circled sign bearing a reefer, accompanied by the words ‘blowverbod’ underneath.
If you’re not interested in soft drugs but want to get a totally legal high, explore the smart shops selling natural stimulants such as Guarana and supposed aphrodisiacs like Gingko Biloba as well as magic mushrooms, growing kits for weed and seeds. Check out the Magic Mushroom Gallery, with branches on Spuistraat and Singel, or the cheery Azarius on Kerkstraat behind the Leidseplein, where you can buy bongs, vaporizers and scales.
But back to the drugs. First of all, here are some ground rules to bear in mind when buying soft drugs in Amsterdam. If you want a smoke, go to one of the coffeeshops. Contrary to expectations, it is actually illegal to buy drugs on the street and buying from passing dealers increases the chances of being ripped off with herbs or even sheep dung substituted for weed. It’s fine to carry five grams of dope for your personal use – it might get confiscated if the police stop you – but if you are caught with more than that, you will be prosecuted, fined and maybe even jailed. Don’t buy any drugs at all if you are under 18; it’s illegal. Don’t buy hard drugs anywhere in The Netherlands and certainly don’t even think about leaving the country with your stash. If you get caught, you’ll go to prison.
Amsterdam coffeeshop Dampkring. Image courtesy of FacemePLS on Flickr.
Most coffeeshops provide a menu of their wares and prices are something between €5-€12 per gram; a general rule of thumb is that the more expensive the dope, the stronger it will be. Hash is divided into ‘light’ and ‘dark’ and is normally named after its country of origin (Lebanese, Moroccan), and grass after the strain (Cheese, Super Skunk). A gram of weed is enough to roll four or five joints or fill a good few pipes and it is also now illegal to smoke these on the street.
Coffeeshops are staffed with people who know what they are talking about, so if you are a novice smoker, ask for advice about the effects of the various options and remember that THC levels in grass and hash have got considerably higher in the last decade or so.
For those who don’t want to smoke, options include vaporizers and eating a lump of hash in a cookie. If you choose to eat a spacecake (hash brownie in my day), the effects will take a couple of hours to kick in so make sure you don’t have anything too pressing to do for a few hours. Plenty of water, candy and fizzy drinks with a high sugar content help to combat a high that threatens to become too intense. Alcohol can reinforce a high and coffeeshops have (supposedly) been banned from selling it since 2007; if you just want a drink, go to an Amsterdam bar. Following the citywide tobacco-smoking ban, any punters using tobacco in their spliff are now sectioned off from other users by law. While it’s acceptable to smoke weed bought in another establishment, you’ll get a black look if you don’t buy at least a snack.
So where to go for your (almost) legal high? Just like restaurants and clubs, Amsterdam coffeeshops come in all guises, from garish or modish to murky and dark. Amsterdam locals will turn up their noses at the Bulldog chain, but with five branches in the city center, they are easy to find and the Bulldog Mack on Oudezijds Voorburgwal was once voted the best British pub outside Britain. They are unpretentious and the staff members (budtenders!) are knowledgeable even if the psychedelic décor is enough to raddle the brain before a smoke. The Greenhouse Centrum is another central venue with visually challenging interiors near Dam Square, which has a growing reputation for the sale of organic weed. Rokerij II has three branches, with the most popular along Singel, looking alike a surreal Moorish palace with low-slung sofas.
Spacecake on sale in an Amsterdam coffeeshop. Image courtesy of Matthew Reid on Flickr.
The Dampkring on Handboogstraat featured in Ocean’s 12 and sees an endless stream of people coming through the doors in order to emulate George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Grey Area on Oude Leliestraat has won many accolades for the quality of its weed and plays non-stop reggae and ska; opened in 1992 and claiming to be the first ‘official’ coffeeshop in Amsterdam, Abraxus on Jonge Roelensteeg has a chilled-out vibe and is decked out as an ethereal marine underworld. For a real local’s hangout, try Trinity, easily missed behind its non-descript façade at Sarphatistraat 87 near the Oosterpark. Prices are cheaper than some venues in the city center and it has pool tables and friendly bar staff.
But half the fun of visiting a coffeeshop is finding one that suits you; keep your wits about you and don’t overdo it. And remember, if you are dying for a cappuccino, please head straight to the koffiehuis.
Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Amsterdam
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