Shopping

What keeps Amsterdam current is the city’s capacity to surprise. You’ll find something eclectic, enticing and unexpected round every corner. Single-item stores abound in the delightfully offbeat Nine Streets where you’ll find entire specialty stores devoted to the wonders of just one gadget, product, or essential — from the toothbrush to the button to the flip-flop. It’s an exceptionally stimulating city to shop; there’s an excitement about it, a passion for innovative and intriguing products that’s truly infectious. Like everything in Amsterdam, there’s a quintessential, Dutch quirkiness to the shopping scene that’s irresistible.

The city has flourished, once again, into an energetic Euro-style center. Exciting design-centric boutiques are sprinkled throughout the revitalized man-made islands of the vibrant Oostelijk Havengebied — the Eastern Docklands. Bike over bridges between these harbor islands — just make sure to add generous panniers for your purchases. Saunter round the art studios of the revitalized NDSM shipping yard. Be tempted by classics of Dutch Design on display in tiny galleries or vast department stores. Stroll through the quirky boutiques of the Negen Straatjes — the Nine Streets that link the city’s western ring of canals — to discover handmade shoes, avant-garde attire, unique jewelry, and prime vintage.