Amsterdam Coffeeshops FAQ - Everything you need to know and more

The general Amsterdam coffeeshops scene is covered on another page, but this FAQ should be useful to those considering they first “trip” to Amsterdam, or perhaps their first trip here in a while. Many people are intrigued when they first hear that the city has around 150 coffee shops, which operate for the sole purpose of selling marijuana and hashish, and letting people smoke it right there.

The first time you go the whole process can be a bit mysterious and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The following topics should answer nearly every question you have about the legendary Amsterdam coffee shops, but if you are still wondering about something please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page and we’ll try to answer it and then possibly add it to this section.

Click on the blue page title for answers to the questions immediately below it.

And for a look at what to expect in Amsterdam’s coffeeshops, here’s a video that includes a brief tour of a few of them:

The basics

• Is cannabis legal in the Netherlands?
• So marijuana and hash are different things?
• What is an Amsterdam coffeeshop?
• Is it easy to confuse a “coffeeshop” with a non-weed coffee shop of café?

Buying marijuana or hash in a coffeeshop

• How do I go about buying marijuana or hashish once inside?
• How much does the weed and hash cost?
• Can I buy in bulk, and save money doing so?
• What else do coffeeshops sell?

Iceolator hash – Is it really that strong?

• What is this new Ice-o-lator hash, and is it really as strong as they say?
• Is all Ice-o-lator hash the same?
• How much does Ice-o-lator cost and where can I get it?
• How do I smoke Ice-o-lator hash

Where you can smoke and where you can’t

• Can I buy weed one place and smoke it in another coffeeshop?
• Can I smoke weed elsewhere in Amsterdam?

The 2008 no-smoking laws

• What about Amsterdam’s new no-smoking law?
• Will the no-smoking law close the coffeeshops themselves?

Other recreational drugs?

• What about other recreational drugs like mushrooms, cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy?

Choosing a coffeeshop, and overdoing it

• Which is the best coffeeshop?
• Which coffeeshop sells the strongest weed?
• Do people ever overdose on weed in the shops?

Joints in Amsterdam

• Do most people smoke joints in coffeeshops?
• Why are these styles so different?
• Is the smoking experience the same with both types of joints?
• I’m terrible at rolling joints, can I get help?
• Where do I find rolling papers?

Bongs, pipes, and vaporizers

• Any chance of finding a bong or water pipe to use?
• What about small and simple portable pipes?
• What about vaporizers?

Edible marijuana, space cakes, pot brownies

• What about eating it, like in pot brownies?
• Can you taste the weed or hash in space cakes?
• Is the high from space cakes the same as from smoking?

Dangers of space cakes

• So there must be hazards involved with eating space cakes, right?
• What is an overdose of space cakes like?
• How can I avoid eating too much?
• Can I drink alcohol while on a space cake?

Finding and buying space cakes

• So how do I know how strong each item is?
• How much do they cost?
• Do all coffeeshops sell space cakes?
• Where is the best place to get them?

Now that you know you are definitely coming:

>>Look for cheap airfare to Amsterdam
>>Look for cheap Amsterdam hotels
>>Find a hostel in Amsterdam

Return to the Why Go Amsterdam home page to see the latest Amsterdam articles. Photo by: flo21