ileen

Will be at the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam from 8 to 10 a.m. Wondering if the shops will be open at that time. I specifically want to go to the duty-free shop and purchase some chocolates for gifts.
Or do you know if there maybe another shop that sells chocolates.
Also do you think the prices are comparable to what we see in the regular stores.
Any other advice on the subject is welcome. Thanks

mwinnick

They will definitely be open. Lots of traffic and lots of PAX guarantees that and 8am is not really early.

There is a sort of supermarket shop there. Sells chocolates and anything else you might want to eat, prepared foods, etc. It's quite unbelievable what it sells.

Not sure about pricing comparisons but when I looked, even with the bad Euro exchange, they were close.

spaarne

The chocolates I buy at Schiphol are from little corner kiosks. They are very expensive but they are equally good.

See the Duty Free shopping info at
http://www.schiphol.com/Shopping/Shopping.htm

Local alcohol and tobacco are bargains.

ileen

Thanks for the very useful information. I plan to do some last minute shopping there.

travelgourmet

I'm assuming that you are connecting and not leaving the secure area. In that case, I would think everything will be open. All of the duty free shops should be open. And, in my experience, they all have the same pricing, so I would tend to go to largest one you see to get the best selection. Unless, of course, if there is a specialty shop. I don't know of one for chocolates, but I do know there is one for whiskey, for example.

In terms of the generalist shops, if you are connecting from non-Schengen (i.e. the US) to a Schengen destination (i.e. much of Europe), then your best bets are likely to be the shops just after you go through passport control and security. There is a relatively large food shop to your left as you walk toward the main terminal area. If you are going from Schengen to a non-Schengen destination, then the best shop is (if I remember correctly), in the corner of the first large shopping center you encounter, which you will note by the fact that the ceiling is double-height in this area.

spaarne

There is at least one large shop devoted to chocolates.

ekscrunchy

The shops are open, but I would not expect chocolates to be any bargain in the airport.

Bargains are on items like alcohol and cigarettes that usually bear heavy taxes..in my experience I have found that foodstuffs are almost always MORE expensive in airports than in shops in town. This is true not only in Amsterdam but in most all airports that I've visited..

Barbara_in_CT

Not chocolate, but the Rijksmuseum has a store with some lovely things. I wish I could give you directions but it is outside their mini museum and not in the center of things.

SharonG

I love that shop that is like a grocery store. I bought several boxes of chocolate wooden shoes. Hokey but people loved them.

travelgourmet

<i>but I would not expect chocolates to be any bargain in the airport.</i>

I don't think they are either. Indeed, I'm skeptical that one saves big money, even on booze and cigarettes, at least compared to the US. But... I find that the shops in Schiphol have a pretty good selection of some items, and that that is reason enough to shop there for things like booze, cosmetics, chocolates, etc.

ekscrunchy

Yes, it is true that even with alcohol, the savings are not always guaranteed. You really need to price things before you leave home in order to ferret out what is a bargain and what is not..even within the same airport, some booze is a bargain and some is not, as compared to US prices.. for example, Absolut vodka may represent a great value, even compared with US wholesale, while Stoly prices may be in line with a discount liquor store in the US. (That is just an example..)