Witness the Hippie Culture at Amsterdam Coffeeshops

The coffeeshops in Amsterdam should not be confused with cafes which have been a part of its culture since 1970’s, when the Dutch government came up with strict laws and made drew a line of distinction  between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ drugs. The coffeeshops in this city have always existed in its legal grey area unlike the other fully legal smart shops of Amsterdam.

Guidelines for First-time Coffeeshop Visitor

A first-time visitor to Amsterdam can often get puzzled with the term ‘coffeeshop’ because it is used to refer various kinds of establishments. But in Amsterdam, it is the licensed seller of cannabis product while a coffee house or koffiehuis sells coffee and light meals. On the other hand a café is a casual restaurant with or without a bar where you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You can identify a coffeeshop with the help of a green or white sticker which is displayed on its window that designates the legality of its business.

Amsterdam attracts millions of bag packers every year. It is matter of debate among Lawmakers, citizens and local shop owners about the future of this city but it gets most of revenue from tourism. Who said you cannot be Brad Pitt or hang out with George Clooney? Just walk into DampKring which has been immortalized in Ocean’s Twelve , even if you do not find Hollywood shooting its sequel, you can feel the movie atmosphere through its background. This is one best coffee shop in Amsterdam with psychedelic walls, trippy tables and art which welcomes everyone with open heart. It gives you a true Amsterdam coffee shop experience and even if you do not have a partner a resident cat is always there to accompany you. So book cheap flight tickets to Amsterdam.

Cannabis Laws in Amsterdam

Today, the Amsterdam City Council in agreement with coffee shop union Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD) allows operation of such establishments with a set of laid rules and non-transferable licenses.  It is mandatory for these coffeeshops to display an official sign of green and white sticker on their window. High Time Cannabis Cup is one of the major events in Amsterdam coffeeshops which is one of the biggest attractions of the cities and held towards the end of November which is towards the end of Thanksgiving week. It is one of the major smoking events where tourists can witness cannabis cloud and coffee shop crawls throughout the city.  You can witness this by booking cheapest airline tickets to Amsterdam.

Coffeeshops for Tourists

Under the drug policy rule the sale of cannabis product in small quantities is allowed by licensed coffee shops  But majority of these establishment also serve food and drinks but not alcohol. As a tourist you should know that a coffeeshop does not sell alcohol and it does not have a pub-like culture. Some used to sell beer but in 2007 the Dutch government changed rules and dictated that a coffee shop can either sell alcohol or cannabis product. The tourists are exempted from this ban on smoking cannabis in Amsterdam. It will not enforce the ban on sale of marijuana for its two million tourists that smoke and but cannabis from Amsterdam ‘coffeeshops’ on their visit every year. So are you planning to buy last minute flight ticket to Amsterdam?

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