There are plenty of shopping possibilities in Amsterdam, where you can get anything from grungy second hand and vintage clothes to expensive designer labels.
The shops’ opening hours are between 9am and 6pm Mondays through Saturdays. Certain Thursdays and Fridays until 8pm. Large chain stores and shops in the touristy areas are open on Sundays as well, from 12am to 5pm.
Some possibilities in the different areas:
De 9 Straatjes
Amazing shopping area full of small and appealing shops. The neighborhood has its own site: www.theninestreets.com
Make sure you don’t miss:
Laura Dolls
A dream of a store for anyone with just a tiny bit of a hidden princess inside. Top quality vintage dresses, hats, gloves and shoes.
Across the street, Laura Dolls has a branch that sells 70s vintage stuff, like wonderful large-flowered bed linen and pretty little dresses.
Laura Dolls, Wolvenstraat 6
www.lauradolls.nl
Mendo
Mendo is a bookstore and an art gallery at the same time. A shop that’s absolutely worth visiting if you’re interested in design.
Mendo, Berenstraat 11
www.mendo.nl
De Kaskamer
Perhaps the best cheese vendor in the city, which says a lot in Amsterdam. You can wallow in the most delicious vintage cheeses.
De Kaskamer, Runstraat 7
Pompadour patisserie
If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you swing by Pompadour Patisserie, where you can get wonderful green tea chocolates and Dutch butter cookies.
Pompadour Patisserie, Huidenstraat 12
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Café Winkel
If you’re into cream and bombastic apple pies, try out Winkel’s apple pie, which is a brick of a cake. Your wait for a table will be rewarded.
Cafe Winkel is at the corner of Noorder Markt and Westerstraat.
Centrum
Little exclusive Swedish shop with a large selection of wonderful designs. The shop is closed on Mondays.
Rika Boutique, Oude Spiegelstraat 9
www.rikaint.com
The latest Dutch design presented in a huge store. Big pieces of furniture made from recycled materials, lamps and ceramics in all shapes and sizes and funky carpets. Frozen Fountain is a fabulous showcase for Dutch design at its best.
Frozen Fountain is open Mondays 1pm to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.
Frozen Fountain, Prinsengracht 645
www.frozenfountain.nl
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Cafe de Jaren
Great café in two levels with a big terrace towards the river Amstel. A fabulous place to breathe freely and one of Amsterdam’s biggest cafés where you can sit and work and use the wireless Internet.
Cafe de Jaren, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22
Oud Zuid
If you’re looking for posh stores, go to P.C. Hooftstraat, which is not far from Museumplein.
DKNY, Armani and Hugo Boss have their stores in this temple of the posh, and it can be a fun place to go if you’ve got the money.
Expensive brand stores can also be found on Baerlestraat and Beethovenstraat.
Shoebaloo
Don’t miss Shoebaloo, which sells fabulous shoes and bags. There are five Shoebaloo stores in Amsterdam.
Shoebaloo, PC Hooftstraat 80
www.shoebaloo.nl
Jordaan
In this neighborhood there’s a long series of small shops worth checking out.
Olivaria
Olivaria is one of a kind, with a unique concept: They only sell items that are in some way connected to olives. There are more than you can imagine!
Olivaria, Hazenstraat 2a
Nukuhiva
Organic and fair-trade, but in the same time very trendy clothes, so you can spend all your money with a good conscience.
Nukuhiva, Haarlemmerstraat 36
www.nukuhiva.nl
Funframes
Specialized in picture frames.
Funframes, Egelantiersdwarsstraat 14
In Joordan you can also find the amazing Nordenmarkt Market.
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Café Papeneiland
Have a wonderful cup of coffee in one of the city’s oldest and most poetic places, which has served coffee since 1641.
Café Papeneiland, Prinsengracht 2
Local
A lovely little place with only six tables and a few seats at the bar.
The food is a mix of dishes from all four corners of the world and their service is laid-back.
Open Wednesday through Saturday 6pm – 1am.
Local, Westerstraat 136
www.local-amsterdam.nl
De Bakkerswinkel
An old fashioned patisserie and a lovely place to have lunch. Order the spinach quiche from the handwritten and hand illustrated menu or try one of the freshly baked cakes.
De Bakkerswinkel, Warmoesstraat 69
www.bakkerswinkel.nl
De Pijp
The neighborhood where the wonderful Albert Cuypmarkt market is located also houses lots of good shops.
Duikelman
An absolutely amazing store if you’re into cooking or you just want to look like a pro while you’re trying to conjure up dainties in your kitchen. A true land of milk and honey for those who like to spend time in the kitchen.
Duikelman, Ferdinand Bolstraat 68
www.duikelman.nl
The shop has a large selection of ceramics. Pretty and very feminine.
Blond, Gerard Doustraat 69
www.blond-amsterdam.nl
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De tart van m´n tante
A hallucinating place where you can give satisfaction to every need your sweet tooth might have.
I have never seen a place that looks anything like this. Just like the ingenious cakes, the decoration is so sweet it sets your teeth on edge. Artificial flowers and huge centerpieces with fake cakes.
Kitschy, but wonderful nonetheless, since it’s so perfectly done with big nylon butterflies as lampshades and a wall covered with tulip wallpaper.
The owner is easily stressed out. A party of ten made him close the doors for new patrons and gesticulate in despair.
De tart van m´n tante, Ferdinand Bolstraat 10
www.detaart.com
City of Markets
If you’re turned on by second hand bargains, you’ve come to the right place. There are countless markets in Amsterdam with abounding ragbags.
In the Joordan neighborhood, you can visit the Noordenmarkt market and experience a true Amsterdam atmosphere. This is where the city’s hippies along with the chic ladies go to buy flowers, charcuterie, fruits and knick-knacks. The market is open on Mondays and Saturdays. Mondays it is primarily clothes that are being sold, and on Saturdays the stalls fill up with organic food products.
The Waterlooplein market is barely as authentic, but nevertheless offers good chances of making a bargain: Burberry coats, Ralph Lauren shirts and cowboy boots. The good bargains are hiding in between a million t-shirts with prints, rubbish sunglasses and multicolored scarves blowing in the wind and attracting visitors from all over the world.
If you prefer design and literature to second hand clothes, definitely don’t miss out on Droog, where design and art get together. You can buy benches made of revolving glass globes, tables ornamented with carved frogs and freaky rubber pets, which are actually tomato plants in disguise!
Athenaeum
Bookworms should go to Athenaeum. Don’t enter unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money on books and magazines.
Athenaeum, Spui 14-16
www.athenaem.nl
In the street Leliegracht, you will find many other well renowned bookstores.
Other recommendable markets are:
Spui art market
Torvet Spui, a five-minute walk from Dam.
Open on Sundays.
Tram 1 and 2 from the Central Station.
Not a huge market, but with a diversified supply of paintings, lithographs, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry.
Thorbeckeplein art market
Thorbeckeplein close to Rembrandtplein
Open on Sundays.
Tram 4 from the Central Station.
Large supply of art works.
Flower market
Along Singel between Munttoren and Koningsplein
Is it touristy? Sure. But a great place if you’re interested in plants and flowers. You can get anything your green heart desires – bulbs, seeds and garden tools.
Open every day except Sunday.
Tram number 4, 9, 16 and 25 from the Central Station.
Alternative farmers market
Noordermarkt
No tram goes there, but it’s a good 15 minutes walk from the Central Station. A cozy market in De Jordaan. You will find every organic food product that exists.
Stamp market
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, between the squares Dam and Spui.
Open Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Trams number 1 and 2 from the Central Station.
A Mecca for stamp collectors. But if you’re not among those, you will probably not find it too interesting.
Flea market
At Waterlooplein, close to the city hall and the musical theater.
Open every day from 12am to 5pm.
Tram number 9 and metro from the Central Station.
Lots of clothes, antiques and semi-antique bric-a-brac and everything that belongs to a good flea market.
By Mette Lomholdt