38 Best Places to Shop in Canal Rings, Amsterdam

Founded by a duo of graphic and industrial designers, this canal-belt store boasts the Netherlands’ largest collection of restored vintage industrial lighting from around the world, much of it from the early 20th century. Design devotees will be delighted. The store is open by appointment only.

Rarely does anyone leave this renowned shop empty-handed—not with its stock of beautiful oversize art and photography books spanning architecture, landscape design, and natural history.

True turophiles will follow their noses to this exceptional "cheese room," with hundreds of varieties of the world's best cheeses on offer. There are rare finds from France, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland, but we urge you to go Dutch and try Le Petit Doruvael, an aromatic, gooey, washed-rind cheese, or Olde Remeker, a mature, organic farmstead cheese with satisfyingly crunchy crystals.

This gallery-cum-store carries contemporary furniture and innovative home accessories from top Dutch designers like Maarten Baas and Hella Jongerius, as well as international names like Alcarol, Arflex, and Vitra. You can find custom-made scrap-wood cabinets by Piet Hein Eek, as well as artistic cutting boards, innovative lighting, and statement area rugs. The look? Modern minimalism juxtaposed with colorful faux plants made of felt and playful clay furniture.

This culty Amsterdam kidswear clothing label is known for its GOTS-certified minimalist unisex apparel for ages up to 12. The brand's 624-square-foot boutique, which opened in the fall of 2019, is a playground for big and small with a soothing color scheme and a cozy book corner.

Here it's all about the nifty '50s: gala dresses, petticoats, wedding gowns, furs, handbags, top hats, bow ties, and linens from the olden days (reminder: secondhand hankies can make great gifts).

The lighting, furniture, carpets, housewares, and other objects at this temple of design—started by famed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders—are truly “mooi,” Dutch for beautiful. If you can’t transport a larger piece, this is the perfect place to pick up a unique vase or scarf to take home.

This self-titled "Cabinet of Curiosities" is styled on the Wunderkammers of yesteryear, with an eclectic collection of jewelry, men's grooming products, framed insect specimens, housewares, and curiosa. The goods come from around the globe, spanning Sweden to Malaysia.

From Sachertorte to sabayon, and almost every Dutch cookie imaginable, Holtkamp has been a master of European pastry classics since 1969. However, this local family business is just as beloved for savory specialties like croquettes (oblong-shape fried meat snack), which can be sampled in quality eetcafes (cafés with food) all over town. On Saturday morning, the line's out the door.

At this beloved chocolaterie, patisserie, and tearoom, the civilized congregate for afternoon tea in the elegant parlor with its 18th-century wood paneling. The front of the store attends to a steady stream of chocoholics—no less cultivated, just on the go.

A William-and-Mary-era harpsichord? One of the printed maps featured in Vermeer's Woman with a Lute? An 18th-century bed-curtain tie-up? Or a pewter nautilus cup redolent of a Golden Age still life? All these and more may be available in Amsterdam's famous array of antiques stores in the city's "Mirror Quarter," centered on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat and its continuation, Spiegelgracht. If perusing fine art is more your scene, the Spiegelkwartier also houses around 20 contemporary art galleries and 10 ethnographic and Asian art specialists. But—with five double-sided blocks' worth of shops and galleries, from the Golden Bend of the Herengracht nearly to the Rijksmuseum—this section of town often requires a royal House of Orange budget.

Set inside a former bank building, this massive gallery space showcases rotating exhibitions and performances, with a focus on the avant-garde. Check the website for the latest offerings.

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.

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.

It's Grandma's attic meets the Salvation Army at this stylist’s playground that originally opened on Waterlooplein and now has branches throughout Amsterdam and the Netherlands as well as in Brussels, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Paris, and Hamburg.

For superb Chinese porcelain, Venetian glass, and Dutch tiles—all fired before 1900—visit this family-run shop in the Spiegelkwartier. Kitty Laméris has been the "glass and tile expert" on the Dutch version of Antiques Roadshow since 2006, so you know you're in good hands here.

This charming shop sells all manner of toys, including the entire collection of Brio wooden trains, an extensive selection of puzzles, and a wide range of Pokémon cards, for kids up to age 12.

Cool, contemporary Dutch design meets practical handbags, shoes, and accessories in this inviting boutique; geometry has never been more colorful or portable.

For antique European pewter from the 15th through 19th century, Jan Beekhuizen is the authority. His renowned store also carries antique furniture, Delftware, metalware, and other collectible treasures.

Now commanding prime real estate far from anything red-lighted, Mail & Female was one of the first businesses in Europe to present women's sex toys in a tasteful manner when they launched more than 20 years ago. If you want to get serious about better sex, they also organize workshops.

Whether you’re shopping for a gift or for a little something for yourself, this eclectic shop stocks a bit of everything: jewelry, clothes, shoes, housewares, and toys. The cheerful staff are always ready to help you find just the right thing.

This Dutch designer's name has become synonymous with undergarments that could turn the Red Light District a shade darker. With her well-constructed lingerie and swimwear, often featuring strap lattices and unusual cutouts, Dekkers has used many a celebrity's body as her canvas, although women—of all ages and exhibitionisms—adore her body fashion.

Spanning 5,920-square-feet, this emporium sells a princely assortment of European antique furniture, bric-a-brac, and chandeliers dating to the early 18th century, as well as unique clock cases, and Dutch hand-painted folk pieces (some even come from royal palaces and warehouses). The shop also includes a renowned work studio, where antique furniture is upholstered and refurbished. Check its website and Instagram for new arrivals.

This popular chocolatier sells handsomely sized bonbons, handmade using only the finest natural ingredients. Flavors range from classic (caramel, cognac, or walnut) to rather unusual (prune, pepper, and tamarind). Don't forget to stock up on cocoa, sprinkles, and other chocolate delights, too. Its other location is at  Staalstraat 17.

This Sunday market (mid-March to late October) on the Rembrandtplein is a good opportunity to find paintings, lithographs, textiles, and other objets d'art by a collective of local artists.