Amsterdam is a wonderful city to shop, thanks to its compact, walkable centre and its love of independent, one-off stores. Hunt vintage and design in the picture-perfect Nine Streets, graze and bargain at the vast Albert Cuyp Market, pick up tulip bulbs at the floating Flower Market, browse designer flagships on the PC Hooftstraat, or rummage the Waterlooplein flea market. This guide covers the best shopping streets, markets and stores, with what to buy where and insider tips.
Boutique DistrictThe Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes)
Area
Canal Ring
Type
Boutique District
“The best area for independent shopping — vintage, design and concept stores between the main canals.”
Street MarketAlbert Cuyp Market
Area
De Pijp
Type
Street Market
“Bargains on fabric, clothing and cosmetics alongside all the food — bring cash for the stalls.”
Flower MarketBloemenmarkt (Flower Market)
Area
City Centre (Singel)
Type
Flower Market
“Buy certified bulbs to take home legally — check for the export/phytosanitary label for your country.”
Department StoreDe Bijenkorf
Area
Dam Square
Type
Department Store
“The rooftop food and drink terrace overlooking Dam Square is a handy, view-rich pit stop.”
Luxury AvenuePC Hooftstraat
Area
Museum Quarter
Type
Luxury Avenue
“The city's designer flagship strip — combine window-shopping with the museums a block away.”
Flea MarketWaterlooplein Flea Market
Area
City Centre (Waterlooplein)
Type
Flea Market
“Dig for vintage clothing, records, army surplus and bric-a-brac — haggle, and go earlier for the best pickings.”
Shopping StreetHaarlemmerstraat & Haarlemmerdijk
Area
Centrum / Jordaan edge
Type
Shopping Street
“A locals' favourite for indie shops, delis and food — voted one of the city's best shopping streets.”
MarketNoordermarkt
Area
Jordaan
Type
Market
“Saturday: organic farmers' market; Monday morning: antiques and textiles flea market — go early.”
Amsterdam shopping in detail
1.The Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes)
The Nine Streets (De Negen Straatjes) is Amsterdam's most delightful shopping district, a compact grid of nine picturesque little streets that link the main canals between the Jordaan and Dam. Far from the chain stores of the nearby Kalverstraat, this is the heart of the city's independent retail: a dense, walkable cluster of one-off boutiques, vintage and second-hand clothing shops, quirky concept stores, Dutch designers, specialist bookshops, jewellers, and gift and homeware stores, threaded with inviting cafés, brown bars and lunch spots for when you need a break. Set among gabled canal houses and humpbacked bridges, it's as pretty as it is browsable, making shopping here a pleasure even if you don't buy a thing. It's the place to find genuinely original pieces, local design and vintage treasures rather than global labels, and the human scale keeps it charming and unhurried. Most shops keep relaxed late-morning-to-evening hours, with Thursday the traditional late-night shopping day and some opening on Sundays. Give it a leisurely half-day, wandering street to street with coffee stops, and you'll experience Amsterdam shopping at its most characterful and enjoyable.
Hours
Shops ~10:00/11:00–18:00 (later Thu; some Sun)
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Tram 2, 11 or 12 to Spui, or 13/17 to Westermarkt
Insider tip: The best area for independent shopping — vintage, design and concept stores between the main canals.
2.Albert Cuyp Market
The Albert Cuyp Market is not only Amsterdam's best food market but also a genuine shopping destination in its own right, the largest daytime street market in the Netherlands with around 250 stalls stretching down the Albert Cuypstraat in the buzzing De Pijp district. Alongside the famous food stands — fresh stroopwafels, herring, cheese and global street snacks — you'll find rows of stalls selling fabric by the metre, clothing, shoes, bags, cosmetics, flowers, electronics accessories, homewares and all manner of everyday bargains, backed by permanent shops and cafés along the street. It's a lively, unpretentious, thoroughly local place to shop, where haggling is fair game and prices are low, and it's a fascinating window on the neighbourhood's diversity. This is where Amsterdammers come for practical shopping and a bite, not a tourist boutique row, which is exactly its appeal. It runs Monday to Saturday and is busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon. Bring cash for the smaller stalls, combine your shopping with lunch on the hoof and a wander through trendy De Pijp, and enjoy one of the most authentic and enjoyable market experiences in the city.
Hours
Mon–Sat ~09:00–17:00 (closed Sun)
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Tram 4 to Stadhouderskade or 24 to Marie Heinekenplein
Insider tip: Bargains on fabric, clothing and cosmetics alongside all the food — bring cash for the stalls.
3.Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market)
The Bloemenmarkt is Amsterdam's famous floating flower market, a picturesque row of stalls that sit on floating barges along the Singel canal between Koningsplein and Muntplein — reputedly the only floating flower market in the world, a legacy of the days when growers sailed their blooms in to sell. Today it's a colourful, fragrant strip selling fresh-cut flowers, potted plants, and above all the tulip bulbs and seeds that are the market's signature, alongside gardening bits, cheese and the inevitable souvenirs. It's undeniably touristy and more compact than its reputation suggests, but it remains a pretty, cheerful stop in the centre and the obvious place to pick up bulbs as a very Dutch gift or memento. If you plan to take bulbs home, buy certified packs that carry the correct export/phytosanitary label for your destination country (particularly important for the US and outside the EU), as uncertified bulbs may be confiscated at customs. It's free to wander, central and easy to combine with the nearby Nine Streets, Kalverstraat shopping and the Begijnhof. Go earlier in the day to see it at its freshest and least crowded.
Hours
Mon–Sat ~09:00–17:30, Sun ~11:00–17:30
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Tram 2, 11 or 12 to Koningsplein, on the Singel
Insider tip: Buy certified bulbs to take home legally — check for the export/phytosanitary label for your country.
4.De Bijenkorf
De Bijenkorf ('The Beehive') is the Netherlands' most prestigious department store, and its flagship occupies a landmark building right on Dam Square in the heart of Amsterdam. Spread over several floors, it's the city's one-stop luxury and mid-to-upper shopping destination, gathering international designer and high-street fashion, a big beauty and cosmetics hall, accessories, watches, homeware, and a well-stocked food and gift section under one roof, all with a polished, contemporary feel. For visitors it's especially handy on a rainy day or when you want quality shopping without traipsing between boutiques, and the rooftop restaurant-café with its terrace overlooking Dam Square makes a pleasant break with a view. There's a tax-free shopping service for non-EU visitors, and seasonal displays (its Christmas windows are a city event) add to the appeal. It's more upmarket than the chain stores of the adjacent Kalverstraat but broad enough to suit most budgets in parts. Central, easy to reach and reliably good, De Bijenkorf is the natural choice for department-store shopping in Amsterdam, and its Dam Square location means you can fold it into general sightseeing with no detour at all.
Hours
Daily ~10:00/11:00–20:00 (later some days)
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Tram 2, 12, 13, 14 or 17 to Dam
Insider tip: The rooftop food and drink terrace overlooking Dam Square is a handy, view-rich pit stop.
5.PC Hooftstraat
The Pieter Corneliszoon Hooftstraat — universally shortened to 'the P.C. Hooft' — is Amsterdam's most exclusive shopping street, a short, elegant stretch in the smart Museum Quarter that gathers the big international luxury houses in one place. Here you'll find the flagship boutiques of the major fashion, leather-goods, jewellery and watch brands, plus high-end Dutch and European designers, in handsome townhouse premises just a block from Museumplein. It's the city's answer to a Bond Street or Avenue Montaigne: polished, upscale and aimed squarely at luxury shoppers, with prices to match. Even if the labels are out of budget, it's an easy and pleasant window-shopping stroll, and its location makes it effortless to combine with a visit to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum or Stedelijk, all a few minutes' walk away, and with leafy Vondelpark just beyond. The surrounding Oud-Zuid neighbourhood is one of Amsterdam's most affluent and attractive, adding to the refined feel. Come on a weekday for the calmest browsing. For designer and luxury shopping in Amsterdam, the P.C. Hooftstraat is the definitive address, and its museum-district setting means it slots neatly into a culture-and-shopping day.
Hours
Shops ~10:00–18:00 (Sun varies)
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Tram 2 or 12 to Rijksmuseum / Van Baerlestraat
Insider tip: The city's designer flagship strip — combine window-shopping with the museums a block away.
6.Waterlooplein Flea Market
Waterlooplein is Amsterdam's oldest and best-known flea market, trading since the nineteenth century on the square beside the Stopera (the combined city hall and opera house) in the centre of town. Its stalls sprawl with a treasure-hunt jumble of second-hand and vintage clothing, retro leather jackets, records and CDs, army surplus, bags, jewellery, ethnic crafts, cheap bicycles, quirky souvenirs and pure bric-a-brac, making it the go-to spot for bargain-hunters, students and anyone who enjoys rummaging for something unusual. The quality and stock vary wildly stall to stall and day to day, which is part of the fun — you might turn up a genuine vintage find, a novelty souvenir or nothing at all — and haggling is expected. It's a lively, scruffy, thoroughly local scene rather than a polished shopping experience, and it has a long, colourful history as the heart of the old Jewish quarter's trade. It runs Monday to Saturday; arrive earlier in the day for the best pickings before the crowds. Combine it with the nearby Rembrandt House Museum, the Jewish Cultural Quarter and Hortus Botanicus. For vintage hunters and the curious, Waterlooplein is a characterful, free-to-browse Amsterdam institution.
Hours
Mon–Sat ~09:00/10:00–17:00 (closed Sun)
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Metro 51/53/54 or tram 14 to Waterlooplein
Insider tip: Dig for vintage clothing, records, army surplus and bric-a-brac — haggle, and go earlier for the best pickings.
7.Haarlemmerstraat & Haarlemmerdijk
The Haarlemmerstraat and its continuation the Haarlemmerdijk form one long, lively shopping street running north-west from near Centraal Station toward the Westerpark, and it's a perennial local favourite — repeatedly voted among the best shopping streets in the Netherlands. Away from the tourist crush, it's lined with an appealing mix of independent boutiques, homeware and design shops, bookstores, and above all a fantastic array of food: artisan bakeries, cheese shops, delis, chocolatiers, coffee roasters, wine merchants and some excellent casual restaurants and cafés. That blend of browsable shops and quality eating makes it a great street to wander and graze, with a relaxed, neighbourhood feel and a young, creative crowd. It sits handily between the centre, the Jordaan and the up-and-coming Westerpark and Haarlemmerbuurt areas, so it's easy to reach on foot from Centraal and combines well with the Jordaan's canals and markets. It's less about luxury or big brands and more about characterful independents and good food, which is exactly why locals love it. For visitors wanting to shop and eat where Amsterdammers actually do, the Haarlemmerstraat is a rewarding and enjoyable choice.
Hours
Shops ~10:00–18:00 (some later; Sun varies)
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
A short walk north-west of Centraal Station; trams toward Haarlemmerplein
Insider tip: A locals' favourite for indie shops, delis and food — voted one of the city's best shopping streets.
8.Noordermarkt
The Noordermarkt is one of Amsterdam's most charming and characterful markets, held on the pretty square around the seventeenth-century Noorderkerk in the heart of the Jordaan. It wears two different hats depending on the day. On Saturdays it hosts the beloved Boerenmarkt, an organic farmers' market where growers and producers sell fresh vegetables, artisan cheeses, breads, mushrooms, olives, juices and flowers — a lovely, high-quality, sustainable market much loved by locals for weekend shopping and grazing. On Monday mornings it transforms into a well-regarded flea and antiques market, with stalls of vintage clothing, textiles, fabrics, antiques, curios and bric-a-brac that draws dedicated bargain-hunters and vintage sellers from across the city. Both are set against the postcard backdrop of the Jordaan's canals and gabled houses, and both are ringed by excellent cafés — the surrounding spots do a roaring trade in apple pie and coffee for market-goers. It's a genuinely local, atmospheric experience rather than a tourist market. Go early, especially for the Monday antiques, and combine it with a wander through the Jordaan's lanes. For farmers'-market produce or vintage finds with real neighbourhood charm, the Noordermarkt is a delight.
Hours
Sat organic market ~09:00–16:00; Mon flea/antiques ~09:00–13:00
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Tram 3 or 5 into the Jordaan; beside the Noorderkerk
Insider tip: Saturday: organic farmers' market; Monday morning: antiques and textiles flea market — go early.