What to bring back from Amsterdam: souvenirs and where to buy them

Food souvenirs

Dutch cheese

Cheese is the most popular souvenir from the Netherlands. Gouda is sold according to its age: young (jong), semi-mature (belegen), mature (oud) and extra mature (overjarig), getting firmer and more crystalline as it ages. Look for the word boerenkaas: it means a farmhouse cheese made from raw milk. Edam, shaped like a ball, and Leerdammer round out the classic range, along with Goudas flavoured with cumin or nettles.

Where to buy it: the cheese shop chains in the centre (Henri Willig, Old Amsterdam and others) offer tastings and vacuum-pack their cheeses for travel. Reypenaer, at Singel 182, runs guided tastings of its aged Goudas. The cheesemongers at Albert Cuyp Market and at the Saturday organic market on the Noordermarkt sell by the slice, often for less. To see cheese in its traditional setting, the Alkmaar cheese market takes place on Friday mornings from late March to late September (from 27 March to 25 September in 2026, from 10am to 1pm), and the farm at the Zaanse Schans gives demonstrations every day. Our guide to Dutch cheeses covers the varieties and tastings in detail.

Tip: ask for it to be vacuum-packed (vacuüm verpakt). A hard cheese packed this way will keep for a few days without a fridge.

Stroopwafels and other sweet treats

The stroopwafel, two thin waffles stuck together with caramel syrup, is eaten warm at the market and taken home by the packet. Supermarket packets (Albert Heijn, Jumbo) cost far less than the metal tins in souvenir shops. At Albert Cuyp Market, the Rudi's stall has been making them since 1978.

Other typical sweet treats can be found in supermarkets: drop (liquorice, sweet or salty), hagelslag (the chocolate sprinkles the Dutch put on their bread), speculaas (spiced biscuits) and, in November and December, the chocolate letters of St Nicholas, described in our guide to Sinterklaas.

Chocolate

Tony's Chocolonely, the Dutch fair-trade chocolate brand, has its shop at 15 Oudebrugsteeg, five minutes from Central Station, open daily from 10am to 7pm. You can design your own bars there and find every flavour the brand makes.

Jenever and liqueurs

Jenever, a grain spirit flavoured with juniper, is the ancestor of gin. It comes as jonge (young, more neutral) and oude (old, maltier). The Wynand Fockink proeflokaal, in the Pijlsteeg, a narrow lane behind Dam Square, has been serving jenevers and liqueurs since 1679 and sells its bottles in the shop next door; the tasting bar is open daily from 3pm to 9pm. Off-licences (slijterijen) and supermarkets also sell the big brands.

Flowers and tulip bulbs

Tulip bulbs are the most iconic souvenir. The Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt), on the Singel, sells dozens of varieties in packets, with the colour and flowering period on the label. The Tulip Museum, at Prinsengracht 116, open daily from 10am to 6pm, tells the story of the flower and sells bulbs and gifts in its shop.

A few rules:

• Season: bulbs are planted in autumn, from September to December, to flower in spring. Bought in spring, they are mostly decorative.
• Within the European Union: you can take them home freely for personal use.
• Outside the European Union (United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States, Canada…): many countries require a phytosanitary certificate. Buy packets that come with one, and check your country's rules before buying.
• Cut flowers: they do not travel well; wooden or silk tulips last better.

Delftware and decorative items

Blue and white Delftware (Delfts blauw) decorates mugs, tiles, plates and miniature canal houses. Most of the cheap pieces sold in the tourist streets are decorated with printed transfers and made far from the Netherlands. A hand-painted piece bears the word handgeschilderd (hand-painted) and its workshop's mark on the underside; it costs considerably more. In Amsterdam, Heinen Delfts Blauw has a shop at Prinsengracht 440, open daily from 10am to 6pm. The Delftware miniature canal houses that KLM gives to its business class passengers have become collectors' items; you can find them at the second-hand stalls of Waterlooplein Market and the Noordermarkt on Mondays.

For designer objects, tableware, posters or jewellery, wander through the Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes) and the neighbouring Jordaan. The shops at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum sell reproductions, notebooks and items inspired by their collections, such as the Sunflowers or Almond Blossom.

Clogs and classic souvenirs

Wooden clogs (klompen) remain the cliché of the Dutch souvenir. The decorated pairs sold in town are mostly ornaments; to see how they are made, the clog workshop at the Zaanse Schans gives demonstrations and has a shop on site. Magnets, "XXX" T-shirts (the three St Andrew's crosses from the city's coat of arms) and miniature bicycles are sold all over the centre: compare prices, as they vary a lot from one shop to another.

Where to shop

Addresses and opening hours checked in October 2026 on the websites of the businesses listed.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Cannabis products: seeds, lollipops and "space cakes" sold in shops in the centre are banned from import in most countries, including France and Belgium. Do not put them in your suitcase. The rules in Amsterdam itself are explained in our guide to coffee shops.
• Liquids in hand luggage: soft cheeses, syrups and bottles bought in town must go in your hold luggage. What you buy after security at Schiphol can go in the cabin in its sealed bag.
• The Damrak shops: prices there are often higher than elsewhere for the same products. One street further on, or at the supermarket, you will pay less.
• Waterlooplein Market: since 2026, its regulations have been gradually excluding tourist souvenirs; people come for second-hand and vintage, not magnets.

Going further

To combine shopping with a stroll, follow our day-by-day guide to Amsterdam's markets and our selection of thrift and vintage shops. To find out what to taste while you are there before choosing what to take home, read what to eat in Amsterdam.