Amsterdam Coffeeshop Guide: Rules for Visitors

The five steps below run from the shop counter to the street, and the table shows the one thing to watch in each.

Step 1: Amsterdam coffeeshop guide basics

A coffeeshop is a shop where adults can buy small amounts of cannabis over the counter, because the Dutch government tolerates the sale of soft drugs in "coffee shops". Despite the name, the business is cannabis, not coffee, so a regular cafe is the place to go for a coffee and a snack. No official page read for this guide compares the two. The government also says it is against the law to possess, sell or produce drugs, so tolerated does not mean legal.

In the Netherlands, tolerated does not mean legal.

The toleration comes with limits. According to the Dutch government's toleration policy, a coffeeshop may not sell hard drugs, may not advertise drugs and may not sell cannabis to minors. Each municipality also decides whether coffeeshops may open in its town and how many, and it can add rules of its own.

Key Takeaway Selling is tolerated only in the shop, only for adults and only in small amounts, and each Dutch town can add rules of its own.

Step 2: Who may enter and how much you may buy

You must be 18 or older, and I amsterdam, the city's tourist board, says your ID is checked at the door. Bring a passport or an ID card, and expect a no if you cannot show one.

A shop may sell you no more than 5 grams of cannabis in a single transaction. The same 5 grams is the amount of possession that the Public Prosecution Service does not prosecute. Buying and possession are still, strictly, a violation of the law.

Pro Tip Treat 5 grams as a ceiling for the day, not a target, because it is both the most a shop may sell in one sale and the most the prosecution tolerates you carrying.

Whether visitors may buy at all depends on which official page you read. I amsterdam says tourists are allowed to buy cannabis in Amsterdam coffeeshops. The Dutch government says that since 1 January 2013 only residents of the Netherlands may buy in coffeeshops, and that enforcement differs from municipality to municipality. The government page does not mention Amsterdam, so it does not say what Amsterdam shops do. Ask politely at the door and accept the answer. The government page also says owners must check that customers are "residents of the Netherlands aged 18 years or older". No official page we could open says what Amsterdam shops do with a foreign visitor's ID, or sets a daily limit beyond the 5 grams per sale.

Each shop sets its own menu, and this guide lists no shop prices. The Dutch government's toleration page and I amsterdam's page on sex and drugs both leave prices out. The only official figures are the 5 gram limit per sale and the €100 street fine. Read the menu at the counter before you pay. Both pages also say nothing about edibles, so ask the staff how they count toward the 5 grams.

Step 3: Where you may and may not smoke

You may not smoke cannabis in the streets of the old centre. Since 2023 it is illegal for both visitors and residents in the Red Light District, Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square, signs say "No smoking cannabis in public", and officers can issue a €100 fine.

You also cannot smoke cannabis in most clubs or bars, even in their smoking areas. A coffeeshop is the place built for it, and the shop will tell you its own house rules.

Vondelpark has no clear official answer, and the city's own park rules page blocked our reader. The City of Amsterdam's How to Amsterdam page says smoking cannabis is forbidden in the public area of the city centre and that nuisance fines run from €100 to €650. It names no park. According to NL Times, a news report, Vondelpark and the streets around it became a nuisance area in 2026, and police can expel people for 24 hours, or 72 hours when drug dealing is involved. The report describes no cannabis ban. I amsterdam names three areas for the street ban: the Red Light District, Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square. The park is not one of them. The tourist board's page on Vondelpark does not mention smoking either, so no official page we could open says yes or no. Not being named in the ban does not make the park a safe place to smoke. Look for signs at the park entrance, and move on if a park employee or an officer asks you to.

Step 4: Stay safe on bikes and with street dealers

Do not ride a bike after using cannabis. The Dutch government's traffic brochure says operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs is strictly prohibited, and it names bicycles as well as cars. Walk, take a tram or call a taxi.

Hard drugs are a different matter. The tourist board calls the use and distribution of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy strictly illegal. It also advises you to ignore street dealers, who often sell fake or unsafe drugs. A coffeeshop is not a hard-drug shop, and none may sell them.

If someone feels unwell, call 112. You cannot, I amsterdam adds, be prosecuted for offences related to taking drugs after visiting an emergency department.

Step 5: Choose a guided walk or a plan without smoking

You do not need a tour to visit a coffeeshop, because the rules above are all you need at the counter. A tour is worth it when you want the district explained, a night out that is organised, or something that involves no smoking at all.

The first option is the guided walk. The 2-hour Red Light District and coffee shop walk costs from €24.75 per person, is run by Trigger Tours, is rated 4.7 (4.67 before rounding) from 4,629 reviews and has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. You get a guide and a tour of the district, in English, German, Dutch or Spanish. On your own, you pay nothing for the walk but get no explanation; with the guide you pay the price above and get one. The ratings come from GetYourGuide and are not an independent check. Group size depends on the option: up to 10 in a small group, and up to 15 in a standard or private group. The booking page gives three meeting points, depending on the option you choose, and sets the minimum age at 18 if you want to visit a coffee shop. It is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, and the listing does not say that a coffeeshop visit or any cannabis is included.

The city's own rules matter here. Official guided tours of the Red Light District are not allowed, says I amsterdam. The City of Amsterdam's tour rules allow guided tours in the centre with an exemption, with up to 15 people, between 8:00 and 22:00 and never past the sex workers' windows, and they do not allow alcohol or drug use during a tour. The guide to the red light district of amsterdam explains what these rules mean for the walks on offer.

The second option involves no smoking. The Cannabis Museum with an audio guide costs from €10 per person and has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It is self-guided across three floors, and the listing says most visitors spend about 45 minutes. It stands at Damstraat 6, a short walk from Dam Square, and the listing gives no separate meeting point. The museum is open until 22:00 and the listing asks you to arrive by 21:00. It is run by Cannabis Museum Amsterdam. Free hemp tea, a goodie bag and 10% off in the museum shop are included, a live guide and food are not, and smoking and arriving intoxicated are not allowed inside.

The third option is on the water. The smoke and lounge city boat cruise runs from €23 per person for a 70-minute lounge cruise, is operated by Buddha Lounge Boat Amsterdam, is rated 4.7 from 10,114 reviews and has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The listing sells a relaxed, smoke-friendly cruise on a covered boat for up to 20 guests. The cruise includes music, heated seats and an English- or Dutch-speaking captain. Drinks are not included, and the page lists two drinks at €10 extra or unlimited drinks at €15 extra. Cannabis products are not included either. The page says the cruise is not for people under 18 or wheelchair users, and it does not allow intoxication. The listing says it leaves from Central Station, gives two meeting points depending on the option you choose, and asks you to arrive 15 minutes early. For other evening trips on the water, see the canal cruises.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide.

All three are rated well. The walk shows 4.7 from 4,629 reviews, the museum 4.2 from 1,422 reviews and the cruise 4.7 from 10,114 reviews.

A tour is the wrong choice if you only want to buy something. A walk is not a shop visit, and none of the three listings promises cannabis. For that, go to a coffeeshop with your ID and the rules in this guide.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for Amsterdam in October 2026 found 18 cannabis-related listings, from €9.50: two museum tickets, smoke-friendly boats, coffeeshop walks and workshops.