Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt)

Since 1862, fresh flowers and plants have arrived by barge from the Dutch countryside to Amsterdam. While this assemblage of flora still shows up daily, it comes by van, not boat, to the Bloemenmarkt, the world’s only floating flower market. Here, you can browse 15 fragrant stalls on houseboats permanently moored on the Singel. Now the best-known flower market in Holland, this colorful attraction is packed with tourists on sunny weekends. Still, it’s a great place to pick up Dutch tulip bulbs in a plethora of shades and varieties, as well as many other types of bulbs, seeds, cut blooms, and houseplants. Ship a bag of bulbs home, or grab a souvenir at one of several shops hawking T-shirts, mugs, clogs, Dutch cheese, and other fun and inexpensive gifts.

I have been to Amsterdam a few times and never saw the flower market, strange for a person who loves to garden. It is a gardeners dream, so many types of bulbs are being sold at very reasonable prices. DO take the time to go all the way to the last table as the more you go further down the road, the cheaper the bulbs get. Loved it!

After biking all around Amsterdam, you will work up an appetite. While perusing all the millions of flowers and bulbs, it was a nice surprise to find something to nibble on. After we sampled all the cheeses, we were full and it cost nothing! Great for a break when you get tired of looking at flowers and bulbs.

If you wish to see the best local flower market in Amsterdam, head to the block-long Bloemenmarkt on the Singel Canal. It is the most famous flower market in the Netherlands, and it is a floating market, dating back to 1862. While the flower market is mostly for locals, visitors enjoy shopping here as well. At the market you can find fresh flowers year round, and you can even purchase tulip bulbs to take home. They will assist you in selecting bulbs that can legally be taken back to your country. I enjoyed these very colorful wooden tulips on display at the market. I knew to expect wooden shoes in Amsterdam, but this was a novelty. I was also surprised here to see Cannabis Starter Kits for sale. While such a thing may be legal in Amsterdam, it would not be a recommended souvenir for most visitors. Makes for an interesting photo, however. If you are visiting Amsterdam, be sure to make a trip to the Bloemenmarkt. It is colorful, fun and a great place to wander. The market is located at 610-616 Singel, 1017 Binnenstad, NL and is open every day of the week except Sunday. Great place to meet the locals, and a wonderful place to take photos too!

Stop by Amsterdam’s floating flower market to see the world famous tulips (and plenty of other floral varieties). You can get a deal on a bundle of flowers or pick up a souvenir.

...a lovely day spent strolling around Amsterdam, Holland. Quaint little side streets filled with surprises and tucked away stores. It was there that we came upon the Bloemenmarkt (Bloom Market) where bundles and bundles of tulips and other flowers were for sale. Just a couple euros for a bouquet of flowers, VERY unlike the prices I am used to in America! During our adventure we came upon a jewelry shop where the owner makes the jewelry right there on the premises. Unique pieces on display in the window tempting you as you walk by. A sweet little silver ring caught my eye so we went in and had my finger measured and were told to return at 5:00 and it would be ready. It became my most treasured souvenir from Amsterdam and will perhaps be the photo in my next highlight! ;)

Van Gogh had his way with sunflowers, but in Holland tulips steal the show. I start buying bulbs at the Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam‘s floating Flower Market on Singel Canal, in late September. For under €10, I can buy a bag of 100 in assorted colors. After a deep sleep over the long Dutch winter, they emerge like beacons of hope and better weather ahead in late March or early April. By the time temps hit double digits, Nature’s miracles are showing off in all their glory on my terrace. They’re gem-like in their gaudy brilliance, a reminder there’s always light at the end of a cold, dark tunnel. In the Netherlands, you just have to wait for it!

One of my favorite things to do on any visit to Amsterdam...it’s beautiful and fragrant, and just so Dutch. Lovely to buy a bunch of flowers and bring them back to my hotel room. They also sell some fun gardening tools and accessories that you cannot find anywhere else.

Some of the most iconic scenes of the Netherlands are the fields of painstakingly cultivated tulips that sway across the countryside, and Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt is the ideal spot to find these blooms freshly cut. You can peruse the tulips and other flowers across more than a dozen floating houseboats lining the Singel canal. You can also find an enviable variety of bulbs for at-home cultivation. (Make sure to ask which ones are cleared for export.)