103 Best Places to Shop in Amsterdam, Netherlands

You know that famous floating flower market? It's a tourist trap. Instead, pick up your tulip bulbs, fresh flowers, plants, and organic herbs at one of the many other markets where Amsterdammers actually shop, like the weekly "Amstelveld Plant Market." It’s held on Monday (March to December) on one of the city's prettiest squares, leafy Amstelveld, with its old white wooden church and sunny sidewalk cafés overlooking the adjacent canals. The farmers' market on Noordermarkt (every Saturday) is another good option.

Come here for arm candy with class: vintage Rolex, Jaeger LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, Omega, IWC, and Cartier watches, as well as exclusive timepieces by Christiaan van der Klaauw, Van der Gang, Squale, and D. Dornblüth & Sohn. 

Founders Anna de Lanoy Meijer & Nina Poot take inspiration from their travels to Bali, India, and Thailand for their colorful, creative, and affordable jewelry, housewares, and clothing. There’s a second store in De Pijp at  Gerard Doustraat 94.

The dazzling, skylighted quarters of this hidden Grachtengordel atelier-cum-store evoke the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Since 1987, antiquarian Anouk Beerents has been buying 18th- and 19th-century antique mirrors from France and Italy, and restoring them for local and international clients (including Ralph Lauren shops in Chicago and New York, and the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Amsterdam). Replete with ornate gold- or silver-gilded frames, several hundred museum-quality mirrors (some actually from the Palace of Versailles) adorn the walls of this space, which is so large that customers are invited to park their cars inside. Visits are by appointment only, and international shipping can be arranged.

The largest covered art and antiques market in the Netherlands is a cooperative, housing more than 55 dealers and 10,000 objects. You may have to browse through a lot of junk, but you wouldn't be the first to end up with a great buy on an antique doll, a first-edition book, or military memorabilia.

This antiquarian's heaven, housed in a former department store, offers five floors of treasures on Amsterdam history. Specialties of this family-run business include books on pre-18th-century art, classical archaeology, architecture, biology, and the Olympic Games, as well as topographical maps and prints. It also offers a fair share of other literature nicely shelved by subject.

Chocoholics, take note: this Oud-Zuid institution not only sells handmade bonbons in sophisticated flavors like Earl Grey, cranberry-caramel, and black sesame-lychee, but will also custom-design just about anything you can imagine in chocolate. Several options are available for those with lactose, gluten, or cacao allergies. There is also a shop on  Molsteeg 11, offering ArtiChoc's most famous in-house specialty, Hemelse Stenen or ''Heavenly Stones," meltingly soft chocolate squares with nuts.

Founded in 1967, this shop is treasure trove of jewelry, fabrics, furniture, and other curiosities—both old and new—from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Fashioned by three local goldsmiths—Marijke te Loo, Marit de Koomen, and Wouter de Gruijter—the exclusive, handmade gold jewelry here evokes the romance of Byzantium.

Looking to stock up on original gifts for the (grand)kids back home? Head to this colorful toy store and boutique on trendy Javastraat, where you'll find brands like Petit Monkey, Bobo Choses, Konges Sløjd, and Janod for kids up to 10. There's also a specialist in-house hairdresser, where the littles can perch on unicorn, VW bus, or motorcycle seats. Every kids' haircut (€29.50) includes your choice of plaits, glitter, or a rainbow of spray-on colors. 

Stop by this highly respected specialty shop for art books after visiting the nearby Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum, or Rijksmuseum. The store also has an interesting selection of highbrow literature and nonfiction.

In business since 1792, this is one of the city's oldest and finest jewelers. In fact, founder Adrianus Bonebakker was famously commissioned by King Willem II to design a royal crown. While Bonebakker still manufactures and sells high-end jewelry and diamonds, you'll also find watches and fine jewelry by the likes of Ole Lynggaard, Pasquale Bruni, Boucheron, and Messika.

Redolent of a bygone era in a rural New England town, this browse-worthy shop sells used English-language books on all subjects and many a secondhand paperback.

Women inspired by the betwixt-beach-and-bar look of Ibiza should sashay their suede ankle boots here for brands such as Isabel Marant Étoile, Paul & Joe, Antik Batik, Ganni, Masscob, and Joseph.

Established in 1841, this Dutch department store chain offers affordable fashion for the whole family, ranging from 100% organic cotton baby clothes to plus-size cargo jeans and recycled swimwear. There are always sales racks, and if you have the patience to paw through them, you may be rewarded with some discounted gems. The Kalverstraat store is one of five in Amsterdam alone; for other locations, visit the website.

Trendy boys and girls flock here for fashionable street wear from labels such as maharashi, Billionaire Boys Club, Rick Owens, and Walter van Beirendonck, as well as the latest sneakers and shoes from Premiata, Grenson, and Both. Do check out the work of local and international artists in the adjacent gallery.

Since 1910, this popular market has been a consumer crossroads in Amsterdam-Oost. Running the length of the eponymous street, the market's 250 stalls sell everything from discount clothing and cosmetics to flowers and fabrics. The food offerings are just as diverse and include halal lamb kebabs, Indonesian loempia (egg rolls), and Dutch kibbeling (deep-fried battered cod).

"The Beehive" is still the nation's best-known department store, where shoppers swarm for top international lines of designer clothing, shoes, and cosmetics, along with a decent array of furniture and appliances, and one of the best stationery selections in town. Recent renovations, including a tax-free lounge and various ground-floor store-within-a-store boutiques, have focused on attracting international shoppers looking for premium brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chloé, Givenchy, Tiffany & Co., and LOEWE.

The city has a number of book markets, although its most famous takes place every Friday on leafy Spui Square. Under the little white tents, it's an antiquarian- and used-book browsing paradise.

A discreet, well-informed staff promote healthful sexual practices at this condom emporium (with an equally handy online store). You'll find a colorful collection of rubbers and novelty condoms as well as allergy-free and made-to-measure options.

With an emphasis on "real food"—local, seasonal, and sometimes organic—and transparent production practices, this sustainable supermarket offers everything from fresh fish, meats, and cheeses to baked goods. A variety of organic wines, artisanal snacks and drinks like kombucha are available, too. Note that only credit and debit cards are accepted.

This shop started out in 1935 as a specialist in English hats and caps. Later, they added pullovers, tweed jackets, tartan scarves, and many other trappings of the English gentleman to their inventory. The cozy shop may be small, but there's plenty to choose from—and they still sell hats, too. There are also locations in Oud-Zuid, Nieuwmarktbuurt, and Amstelveen.

It's Grandma's attic meets the Salvation Army at this stylist’s playground that originally opened on Waterlooplein and now has branches throughout Amsterdam and the Netherlands as well as in Brussels, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Paris, and Hamburg.

Founded in 2009 by the (then) student Guillaume Philibert, who wanted to challenge the status quo and design a premium sneaker at a fair price point, this Amsterdam-based label's now-famous Low Top has successfully bridged the gap between street wear and fashion, winning international acclaim along the way. Visit the flagship store to peruse the entire collection of innovative footwear as well as ready-to-wear luxury streetwear, bags, accessories, and eyewear for men and women.

For superb Chinese porcelain, Venetian glass, and Dutch tiles—all fired before 1900—visit this family-run shop in the Spiegelkwartier. Kitty Laméris has been the "glass and tile expert" on the Dutch version of Antiques Roadshow since 2006, so you know you're in good hands here.

By the beginning of the 18th century, Amsterdam had a virtual monopoly in the diamond industry in Europe, so when diamonds were discovered in South Africa in 1869, there was a windfall for Amsterdam's Jewish communities, a third of whom worked in the diamond trade. Built in 1879, the headquarters of GASSAN was once home to the Boas diamond-polishing factory, the largest in the world, where 357 diamond-polishing machines processed around 8,000–10,000 carats of rough diamonds per week. Today, GASSAN offers polishing and grading demonstrations and free hour-long tours, in more than 27 languages, of the building and its glittering collection of diamonds and jewelry. After the tour, have a stone set to your taste by one of GASSAN's expert goldsmiths. There are other locations in Centrum, Museum District, and at Schiphol Airport.

Born from a progressive platform devoted to exploring the front-lines of avant-garde and underground culture, this fashion and design concept store showcases men's and women's fashion, shoes, accessories, and housewares by brands such as Alex Zeta, Han Kjøbenhavn, Ninamounah, Ximon Lee, Yume Yume, Wolter Pot, and many others.

This charming shop sells all manner of toys, including the entire collection of Brio wooden trains, an extensive selection of puzzles, and a wide range of Pokémon cards, for kids up to age 12.

This prizewinning artisan bakery, which mills its own flour and uses no additives or preservatives, was founded by the Hartog family back in 1896, and despite its good name (or perhaps because of it) remains a small-scale operation to this day. To sample the whole-wheat specialist’s breads and Dutch treats, such as speculaas (spiced shortbread biscuits) and oliebollen or Dutch beignets (a must-try in the holiday season), join the queue.