Flowers are not treats, but essentials in Amsterdam. Ever since 1860, this famous flower market has been located at the spot where nurserymen and women, having sailed up the Amstel from their smallholdings, would moor their barges to sell their wares directly to customers. No longer floating (it's now perched on piles), the market has plenty of high-kitsch miniature clogs, fridge magnets and wooden tulips; it's also a good place to buy (real) tulips in season and bulbs year-round.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Torture Museum

0.03 MILES

It's dilapidated and so dimly lit inside that you can barely read the placards, but fans of kitsch and oddball lore will enjoy learning about devices such…

2. Heiligeweg

0.05 MILES

The Heiligeweg (Holy Way) was once part of a route that pilgrims took to the spot where the 1345 Miracle of Amsterdam occurred. Halfway along, and…

3. Rasphuis Gate

0.06 MILES

Directly opposite Voetboogstraat on Heiligeweg is the Rasphuis Gate, which led to a correctional institute in medieval times. The pedestal bears the…

4. University Library

0.08 MILES

Today's library is a concrete hulk, not nearly the beautiful building you'd expect at such a historical site, but its background is fascinating. Citizen…

5. Golden Bend

0.09 MILES

The Golden Bend is Amsterdam's swankiest stretch of property. Its handsome mansions are a monument to the Golden Age, when precious goods swelled the…

6. Kattenkabinet

0.09 MILES

When kitties go to the great sofa in the sky, most doting owners comfort themselves with a photo on the mantel; wealthy financier Bob Meijer founded an…

7. Krijtberg

0.13 MILES

The spiky spires of this neo-Gothic church are an unmissable landmark amid rows of handsome Singel homes. Officially known as the St Franciscus…

8. Spui

0.14 MILES

Inviting cafés (pubs) and high-brow bookshops ring the Spui, a favoured haunt of academics, students and journalists. On Friday (weather permitting) a…