Tom Coggins

Amsterdam is well-loved for its great food, scenic cycles and poppin’ nightlife, but often, its USP is its uber-cool, uber-chill and completely unique coffeeshops. And for those who aren’t yet familiar, we’re not talking about trendy croissants and latté art in the shape of little seahorses. Sure, they’ve got coffee in Amsterdam. But when we talk about coffeeshops, we mean licenced cannabis cafés, where you can choose from extensive marijuana menus. And they’re more than that, too – these joints are social hubs, creative spaces, and they often have great food menus for your munchies too. One thing to note, though, is that a few of Amsterdam's coffeeshops are really famous, and it's to their own detriment... These spots are now inescapable tourist traps, and we wouldn't recommend them (you won't find Smokey and Bulldog the First on here, for example). But if you want to visit a proper good one? Read on, friends. These are the best coffeeshops in Amsterdam. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Amsterdam🍷 The best bars in Amsterdam🍴 The best restaurants in Amsterdam☕ The best cafés in Amsterdam This guide was recently updated by Callum Booth, a writer based in Amsterdam. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

It’s no secret that Amsterdam is a seriously fun city. And the heart of the fun? That’s the Red Light District. The area is known for its sex shops, strip clubs, coffeeshops and huge gaggles of loud inebriated tourists, but we’ll let you in on a little secret – there’s a whole load more happening than just that. You might not even know that the most popular, De Wallen, is only one of Amsterdam’s red light districts. And you might not know that it’s the oldest area in Amsterdam. Yep, we’re talking about tons of great sights and attractions, from museums to galleries, and from vintage shopping to the country’s most treasured church. Our Amsterdam experts have scoured it for the hidden gems that make it great. Here are our top picks.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Amsterdam🪩 The best clubs in Amsterdam🌿 The best coffeeshops in Amsterdam🛏 The best hotels in Amsterdam🔑 The best Airbnbs in Amsterdam Planning your next trip? Check out our latest travel guides, written by local experts.