Markets

Amsterdammers are traders to the tips of their fingers, as you'll quickly find if you visit a street market, but they won't bargain with you -- they have much less interest in haggling, or margin in their prices, than their counterparts in countries farther south. They're simply too practical to quote a ridiculous price in the expectation that it'll be cut in half or that you'll be fool enough to pay it. No, Dutch street merchants exhibit their enthusiasm for trade in a more stolid way -- simply by being permanent. Many of Amsterdam's open-air salesmen are at the stalls, vans, tents, and barges of the city's markets 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. In all, Amsterdam and its outlying neighborhoods have more than 50 outdoor markets every week; on any given day, except Sunday, you have a choice of several.

Finding a bargain-basement souvenir is easy at the Waterlooplein Flea Market, on Waterlooplein (Tram: 9 or 14). There's all kinds of stuff here, not all of it junk, and a constant press of people with good buys on their mind. This is Amsterdam's classic market: It's often said that in its glory days before World War II, when it was a fixture of the city's Jewish community, you could find amazing antiques amidst -- possibly even a dusty old Rembrandt. Today, however, your luck is more apt to run in the opposite direction.

Most merchants work out of tents, and some sell patates frites met mayonnaise (French fries eaten Dutch style, with mayonnaise) from vans that are a long way from the pushcarts of yesteryear; but among old CDs and leather jackets, you still find cooking pots, mariner's telescopes, coal scuttles, bargain watches, nuts and bolts, and decent prints of Dutch cities. The market is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

At the Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market), Singel (tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25), at Muntplein, awnings stretch to cover some 15 stalls of brightly colored blossoms, bulbs, and potted plants. This row of permanently moored barges is one of Amsterdam's stellar spots, though you might find it overrated, especially since it doesn't look like it's actually floating -- and indeed, most of it isn't. Still, this is probably the most atmospheric place to buy fresh-cut flowers, bright and healthy plants, ready-to-travel packets of tulip bulbs, and any necessary home-gardening accessory. A stroll down that fragrant line is surely one of Amsterdam's most heart-lifting experiences. An added plus is that tulips here cost a few cents less than at the flower stands around town. The market is open daily from 8am to 8pm.

At the colorful, kilometer-long Albert Cuyp Markt, Albert Cuypstraat (tram: 16, 24, or 25), you find just about anything your imagination can conjure: 350 stalls sell different types of foods, clothing, flowers, plants, and textiles. Cheesemongers slice wedges from Frisbee-shaped disks of Edam. The market is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm.

The Friday book market at Spui (tram: 1, 2, or 5) has around 25 booths with secondhand books. You can often find some great deals (even for books in English), and perhaps even a rare book or two. Just about any subject is available, both fiction and nonfiction. The market is open Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Local artists mount outdoor exhibits at the Spui Art Market, April to November, Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

Kunst & Antiekcentrum De Looier, Elandsgracht 109 (tel. 020/624-9038; www.looier.nl; tram: 7, 10, or 17), is a big indoor antiques market spread through several old warehouses in the Jordaan. Individual dealers rent small stalls and corners to showcase their best wares. The old armoires and other heavy pieces of traditional Dutch furniture are likely too large to consider buying, but many dealers offer antique jewelry, prints and engravings, old porcelain table settings, bathroom fixtures, 19th-century tin toys, Delft tiles, furniture, Dutch knickknacks, and much more. De Looier is open Saturday to Thursday from 11am to 5pm.

Local artists come to show off their wares at the Thorbeckeplein Sunday Art Market, Thorbeckeplein (tel. 075/670-3030; tram: 4, 9, or 14). Picking your way through the tables, you'll find sculptures, ceramics, paintings, jewelry, and mixed-media pieces. The market runs from April to October, Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

The Boerenmarkt (Farmer's Market) at Noordermarkt (tram: 3 or 10), also known as the Bio Market, caters to Amsterdam's infatuation with health foods and natural products. It takes place on Saturday from 9am to 5pm. A similar Farmer's Market at Nieuwmarkt (Metro: Nieuwmarkt) operates on the same day and hours.

Other enjoyable street markets include the Westermarkt, which sells textiles and clothes on Westerstraat, at Noordermarkt, Monday from 9am to 1pm; the Lindengracht general market, on the long Jordaan street of the same name, Saturday from 9am to 5pm; the garden market, at Amstelveld, on Prinsengracht near Vijzelstraat, Easter to Christmas, Monday from 3 to 6pm; the stamp market, around Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 276, on Wednesday and Saturday from 1 to 4pm; and the Antiek en Curiosamarkt, Nieuwmarkt, (Metro: Nieuwmarkt), for antiques and curios, May to October, Sunday from 9am to 6pm.