10 Best Places to Shop in The Hague, Netherlands

Customers at Backers & Zoon receive the sort of personal attention one would expect from an old-fashioned family jeweler. There's a sophisticated stock of pieces, including signet rings, diamond rings, and Fabergé-style accessories. Prices are not for the fainthearted.

Holland's premier department-store chain has a reputation for combining class with accessibility and is excellent for cutting-edge housewares, fashion accessories, and clothing basics. Do look, too, at the building's period detailing: stained-glass windows, carvings, and original flooring adorn the sweeping stairway on the left of the store.

The Hague's branch of this popular Dutch chain is the perfect place to find kitchenware items and other trinkets for both home and garden.

The centrally located Douwes sells a good range of English-language magazines and books alongside its core Dutch range.

Tucked away from the crowds is Emma, a tiny, very feminine store complete with whitewashed walls and a wooden floor. The owner specializes in silver plate and costume jewelry, much imported from Paris and Berlin. She also stocks a small range of fabulous chandeliers—sometimes in unusual colors, like purple.

The most central traditional street market in the city is an organic farmers' market that is generally held on Lange Voorhout on Wednesday 8–6.

For handmade men's shirts, visit the diplomats' favorite supplier, FG van den Heuvel, in business since 1882.

From late April until mid September on Thursday and Sunday, an antiques market takes over Lange Voorhout. Wandering through the stalls on a fine day, perhaps to the accompaniment of a street musician, makes for a lovely experience. An alfresco café supplies that all-important coffee and apple cake.

In business more than 50 years, these contemporary art specialists welcome browsers, and they have a pretty sculpture garden full of unusual pieces. Note that there are two store locations, directly across the street from one another.