Amsterdam is a shopping paradise of a special kind. There is nothing in the Dutch city that cannot be bought. Shopping in Amsterdam offers great opportunities for both small and large wallets, and as a result, in many shopping streets and malls you can find both cheap mass goods and trendy designer goods. Still, let's try to figure out where and what goods are better to buy.
Where to start?
Many tourists who come to Amsterdam tend to combine trips to interesting places and sights with shopping in shops and shopping centers of the city. Many go to the world's only floating flower market, one of Amsterdam's top attractions. This market is located on barges at the end of the Kalverstraat. Florists here can buy Dutch tulip tubers at a lower price.
Shopping in Amsterdam is relevant not only to update the wardrobe. Be sure to pay attention to decorations andprecious metal products. These goods can be bought at the Amsterdam Diamond Center at a price much lower than in European countries. When buying gold items, be interested in quality certificates to protect yourself from buying fakes.
What is 5th Avenue in New York? This is Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, where all the most famous designer brands are represented. The chic shopping area is small compared to other shopping streets, but Jimmy Choo and Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Longchamp, Chanel and Hugo Boss coexist on PC Hoofdstraat. By the way, prices in stores are often two times lower than in Moscow "megas".
Amsterdam Markets
You can't call a full-fledged shopping in Amsterdam without visiting the markets. Each has its own focus - antique, floral, book…
The art market Thorbecke, open on Sundays, is interesting for shopping. There is a trade in antiques and paintings by contemporary artists.
Do not ignore the market, which is called a big flea market - Rommelmarkt. In this market, you can buy clothes of the best world brands, as well as little-known in Russia, but high-quality brands at a fairly low price.
The flea market "Waterloplein" appeared in Amsterdam in 1883. It began its existence as a Jewish bazaar, and in the 60s of the last century there was a brisk trade in clothes worn by hippies. The market now includes a variety of clothing styles, from trendyT-shirts and vintage clothing to various attributes of youth subcultures.
Among the numerous goods on the market stalls, you can find rare items for relatively little money. And if you're lucky, you can buy what you've been looking for for years. But there is no hope for a good deal. Flea market sellers are well aware of the value of their product, good or bad. If this is a souvenir from Amsterdam and the purchase is not of great value, then the deal can be won with a little haggling, as happens in the markets.
Useful information about the work of stores
A large number of shops in Amsterdam are open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 18:00. On Monday, shops open 2 hours later, but are open until 18:00. Tourists should take this into account so as not to stand under the doors of the store and wait for the opening. Every Thursday there is a so-called shopping night when shops remain open until 9 pm. Saturday trading ends early. After 17:00 you will not find any shops open. Sunday is a holiday, so no shops are open. However, you can go to the center of Amsterdam for shopping. Supermarkets in the city center such as Albert Heijn are open daily from 8 am to 10 pm.
As in many European countries, Amsterdam has a Tax Free system, which returns value added tax at the customs post. Each country has its own conditions for this return. For example, in the Netherlands, the return condition is the purchase of goods in the amount of 50 euros in boutiques andstores in Amsterdam.
Sale Season
To make good purchases in Amsterdam, you should go there after the New Year holidays. From the first days of the new year in all stores in Amsterdam there is a reduction in prices. Huge posters hang in the windows, which encourage buyers to go shopping and get a good discount of up to 70%. Residents of Holland postpone their purchases on these days of seasonal sales. Buying designer jeans for 40 euros or fancy boots for 30 euros is a good deal.
Best Stores
When shopping in Amsterdam, many tourists believe that the best purchases were made in the city's largest department store, De Bijenkorf. It houses shops with clothes for men, women and children, shoe and jewelry stores, cosmetics companies. The department store is located on the corner of Damrak Street and Dam Square. If you've purchased an I amsterdam card, don't forget that Bijenkorf department store has a free gift waiting for you!
Harlemmerstraat are small and trendy shops offering clothes from local designers. There is a Zilch store at the beginning of Harlemmerstraat, which sells goods for middle-aged women.
Shopping malls
The largest shopping malls where you can buy successfully are mainly located on the central streets of Amsterdam. Among them is an old-fashioned, Jewish-family-owned mall. It looks almost like home. The store's assortment is similar to that of the De Beijenkorff department store.
On the Kalverstraatthere are two more large shopping centers: "Kalvertoren" (Kalvertoren), working with branded brands Levi's, Dockers, Douglas, and "Magna Plaza" (Magna Plaza) with designer clothes and inexpensive brands Miss Sixty and America Today. On the shopping street, in addition to these centers, there are many shoe and book stores.
The main assortment of Amsterdam's oldest department store is luxury brands. And another store worthy of the attention of shoppers is Vroom & Dressman. It has inexpensive clothes and shoes, so it belongs to the middle price segment.
Where else is interesting shopping?
There are practically no outlets in Amsterdam, except for the Designer Outlet Roermond, located 150 km from Amsterdam in the city of Roermond. You can buy models from more than 150 brands. Discounts in the outlet vary from 50 to 70 percent. You can come for shopping by train from the main city railway station in Amsterdam.
The outlet is open daily, so high-end shopping is available at any time. Roermond is a real attraction. In addition to shopping at low prices, visiting fashionistas from Holland, Germany and Belgium can perfectly relax in the city, admiring its architecture and landscaped areas. There are enough cafes and restaurants in the city to grab a bite to eat between shopping trips. The designer outlet can be a nice addition to a trip through the historic Roermond for tourists and their families. It is located just 30 minutes from Düsseldorf and Maastricht.
It is open all year round except December 25th and January 1st. Opening hours: Saturday - Sunday 09:00 - 20:00, Monday - Friday 10:00 - 20:00.
Reviews about shopping in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is one of the most attractive cities for shopping. Tourists find that the prices of goods are quite affordable for any buyers. Of course, everyone is guided by their wallet. In social networks and on forums, you can get acquainted with the numerous reviews of tourists about shopping in Amsterdam. Here are the impressions of shopping, and advice to those who are going shopping. Reviews are different. Someone is very pleased with their acquisitions, but someone was unlucky, did not finish the marriage. Therefore, everyone recommends carefully considering the purchased items. In the markets, defects in well-known brands and confiscated goods are quite common.
But there are more positive reviews about shopping in Amsterdam. No one comes home without souvenirs and gifts, which means that the trip was a success.
