Amsterdam Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Amsterdam Shopping

Shopping in Amsterdam is really exciting with special things to buy, such as the beautiful Dutch porcelain called “Delftware.” There are also chocolates, cheese, flowers, vintage clothes, and so much more.

Souvenirs

A terrific item to pick up for a souvenir that is charming, not very expensive and makes a great gift when you return back home are the refrigerator magnets. The classics ones are the colorful Amsterdam houses called ‘gables”, and the Dutch wooden shoes. There are hundreds of clever styles to choose from and you will find them in souvenir shops all over Amsterdam.

For beer lovers, there is the Heineken “The City” shop with over 250 Heineken souvenir items including a Heineken bicycle.

The Jorrit Heinen Royal Delftware shop, on Prinsengracht in the Canal belt near the Leidseplein, sells original Delftware porcelain made by the Delft factory in the distinctive colors of blue on white.

Flowers

The Flower Market on Singel is outstanding. Not only are there many beautiful flowers, including the world famous Dutch tulips and tulip bulbs, there are also plenty of nice shops such as the Oriental Art Company and Christmas Palace that sells Christmas items all year long.

Chocolates and Cheese

Near the Flower Market in Amsterdam Center, you will find Henri Willig cheese shops that offer Dutch cheese in many tasteful varieties. Once you have the chocolates and the cheese all you need is some fine champagne or wine, some bread, and you have the perfect picnic.

Clothing

Besides having all the major international fashion brands and some homegrown Dutch fashion stores, one of the most fun things to shop for in Amsterdam is vintage clothing. The popular vintage shops to visit for your treasure hunt include ILoveVintage, Lady Day, Bijons Vintage with clothes for the entire family, Neef en Nicht, and Haasje Over. More modern men’s second-hand items can be found at the Out of the Closet stores that use the money from the sales for AIDS programs.

If you have a talent for making your own clothing designs, then a must-see is the A. Boeken Fournituren (haberdashery) shop. The architecture of this shop dates back to the turn of the last century. This shop has everything you can think of in terms of fabric and sewing accessories.

Shopping Areas

Amsterdam has some lovely walking streets (closed to auto traffic) for shopping. Two of the best ones are Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk that have plenty of small shops to explore.

Dam Square is another great shopping area that has some really unusual shops like De Bierkoning, which sells over 950 varieties of beer. Hogendoorn & Kaufman sells crockery, glass, crystal, and porcelain. For more fridge magnets, visit the Dam Square Souvenir shop and take a photo of yourself, outside in front sitting on the big wooden shoe. For a fun snack in this area, try the french fries that they serve with mayonnaise.

Shopping Centers

De Bijenkorf is a very famous and upscale shopping centre that started in 1870. Magna Plaza is a modern upscale shopping center located in a magnificent historical building. The Kalvertoren Shopping Centre located on the Kalverstraat shopping street close to the Munt has thirty exclusive stores on three floors.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about shopping in Amsterdam.