Here’s an English —> Dutch translation tip: When you say “coffeeshop,” the manager behind the front desk at your youth hostel hears “marijuana dispensary.” So if you ask for a coffeeshop recommendation, you’ll end up somewhere called The Green Place.
The laws around marijuana in the Netherlands are fascinating. “Coffeeshops” can’t legally advertise, so you don’t know that you’re looking at anything but an ordinary coffeeshop until you walk in and start coughing. There’s not even a menu on display; in many cases you have to take the initiative to ask to see the marijuana varieties in stock. Also, coffeeshops are only allowed to have a certain amount of marijuana—a very small amount—on the premises at any given time, which often entails multiple daily deliveries. (See Rick Steves’ Amsterdam.)