124 Best Places to Shop in Netherlands

Founded in 2007 by Myon Veenendaal and Barbara Hilbrink, this fashion and lifestyle brand celebrates "enduring style" and a "seasonless wardrobe" over trends that come and go. The brand's flagship store offers a good selection of its European-produced mid-range women's fashion basics and some homewares.

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.

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.

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.

The expansive Binnenrotteplein, between Sint Laurenskerk and Blaak station, is home to one of the largest street markets in the country (Tuesday and Saturday 9–5:30). Among the 520 stalls you can find a flea market, book market, household items, used goods, food, fish, clothes, and flowers. The market's approximately 100 food stalls are housed inside the impressive Markthal, on one side of the square, open daily and worth a visit in its own right.

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).

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 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.

De Bijenkorf is a favorite department store, the best in Rotterdam, designed by Marcel Breuer (the great Bauhaus architect) with an exterior that looks like its name, a beehive. There's a good range of clothing and shoes from both designers and the store's own label, plus a selection of cosmetics and perfume on the ground floor. De Bijenkorf is well known for its excellent household-goods line, ranging from lights and furniture to sumptuous fabrics and rugs.

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.

De Candelaer is a smaller pottery, and its city-center location makes it a convenient stop-off for comparisons of Delftware with other craftsmanship available here.

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.

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.

Dille & Kamille is a fantastic store for anyone interested in cooking. From herbs to sturdy wooden spoons to recipe books, this is a browser's heaven. It is one of the few shops in the Netherlands that still carries traditional Dutch household items, such as a huge water kettle to make tea for 25, a nutmeg mill, or a zeepklopper, a device that holds a bar of soap and can whip up bubbles—a forerunner to liquid dish-washing detergent.