"An Eclectic Shopping Scene From vintage shops and hipster boutiques in the Negen Straats (Nine Streets) to posh designer outlets on P.C. Hoofstraat, Amsterdam's shopping scene is nothing if not eclectic. There's something for everyone on Kalverstraat, a shopping street that cuts from Dam Square through City Center. It includes the Kalvertoren indoor mall, as well as tram tracks running through the middle of the pedestrian byways. Kalverstraat connects with Leidsestraat, another busy pedestrian street leading to Leidesplein. For upscale shopping, head to P.C.Hooftstraat in the Museum District. On the Rodeo Drive of Amsterdam, shops carry the wares of Tiffany, Bulgari, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Jimmy Choo. If edgier design spiked with wine and chocolate turns you on, find it on Utrechtsestraat, another good shopping street that radiates from Rembrandtplein. Haarlemmerstraat is the young buck of Amsterdam's trendy shopping streets. With more affordable prices than its upscale sisters as well as huge variety, it attracts a young, hip crowd looking for edgy clothes, cosmetics and design. An array of ethnic cafés and bars lines the street, with everything from traditional Dutch fare to Asian, Indian, Italian and Mediterranean fare. In South Amsterdam, Beethovenstraat has wide sidewalks and big shop windows on an elegant shopping street built in the 1930s. Come for clothes, wine, chocolates, cheese and a more contemporary ambiance than streets in the old City Center offer."
Ah, Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat—Amsterdam’s glittering runway of wealth, where luxury boutiques line up like peacocks preening for attention. Sadly, I forgot to dress the part of “successful jet-setter” and therefore didn’t dare waltz into the temples of high fashion for my holiday shopping haul. I didn’t want to be that tourist who lowers the property value simply by stepping inside.
The street itself? Surprisingly quiet. I was expecting something with a bit more pulse, perhaps a symphony of clinking glasses and credit cards swiping in unison. Instead, I got people delicately sipping wine at al fresco cafés, a few folks perfecting the art of pedestrian window shopping, and parking spaces brimming with cars that cost more than my apartment. The shops didn’t seem especially busy—either the rich have gone elsewhere to splurge, or they send their assistants instead.
Not many tourists, either. Which I suppose is the point. This isn’t your average Amsterdam street for stroopwafels and souvenir clogs. No, here the air itself smells like haute couture and exclusivity—just inhaling feels like a minor luxury purchase.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely, but only if your credit card limit is in the stratosphere—or if you, like me, enjoy the sport of people-watching while silently wondering how many zeros are sitting in everyone else’s bank account.
Hajer AlRomaithi
Google
Nice scenery around it and most of the brand’s shops are in one street- recommended for luxury shopping.
Erik Covert
Google
Nice street to walk. We only stopped in a couple shops because most of these brands are unaffordable to us but it was a nice street to tour.
Alyahya Ebrahim
Google
The main shopping street where you find all brands
ramzi agha
Google
A beautiful street for shopping with international brands
Hamda
Google
Nice street with most of the brands, the staff of most of the shops were nice and helpful
Mirek
Google
Nice neighborhood to stay Walking distance to the very centre
Seokjin Ham
Google
Named in 1876 after the 17th-century Dutch poet and historian Pieter Cornelisz Hooft, this is Amsterdam’s premier luxury shopping street. Originally planned as a residential boulevard connecting the affluent neighborhoods to Vondelpark, it evolved into a major commercial axis. By 1883, it hosted horse-drawn trams, and by 1903, it became part of the city’s electric tram network, cementing its role as a key transit corridor. Today, it is lined with high-end boutiques such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co., earning it the nickname "Amsterdam’s mini Fifth Avenue."