Babylon

Babylon sits on Beursstraat, a quiet side street running parallel to the Damrak behind the Beurs van Berlage — and directly next door to a police station. The juxtaposition is the shop's calling card and a decent short lesson in how Dutch tolerance actually works in practice. It's a two-minute walk from Centraal Station and the Damrak crush, but the street itself is calm.

The shop is reggae-themed and on one level: a long counter to the left as you enter, with a separate smoking area behind a glass partition at the back — a useful arrangement in winter, and it keeps the buying and sitting halves distinct. Air conditioning, seating comfortable enough to stay in, toilets, headphones tolerated, tobacco permitted.

Prices are the main draw. For a shop this close to the Damrak, it's markedly cheaper than the surrounding competition, and the hash in particular is well regarded — including house-pressed products under the Babylon name. Ask about multi-gram deals; five-gram discounts come up regularly in reviews.