The Best Souvenirs to Buy in the Netherlands by a Dutch Resident

If you’re looking for the best souvenirs to buy in the Netherlands, we got you covered. Jacob and I have lived in the Netherlands for several years now and we’ve sent a lot of gifts from the Netherlands to family members!  We include lots of tips for buying great gift ideas as well as souvenirs from the Netherlands for yourself!

These are Dutch gifts that Jacob and I have actually sent our families with tips for finding these gifts in the Netherlands without having them shipped within the US.  Many of these things are a lot cheaper to buy in the Netherlands although it’s possible to buy them online after the fact.

Clogs from Zaanse Schans

These clogs (klompen in Dutch) from the Zaanse Schans (windmills that you can visit on a day trip from Amsterdam) are a bit pricey, however they’re hand-made in the workshop at Zaanse Schans.  The cool part is that you can enjoy the windmills as well as watch clogs get made.

My husband gifted his parents a little pair of clogs that were unadorned that are known as wedding clogs.  They’re made of unpainted wood, fit for the size of a child’s foot, and adorable.  These gift cogs are also affordable (under 100 euros) if you’re looking for a special handcrafted gift from the Netherlands.  Either way, clogs are a super beautiful and adorable gift to buy from the Netherlands.  Of course, you can get the cheap touristy ones, but there is something special about hand-made souvenirs.   

If you’re looking for clogs for yourself, Dutch hardware stores outside of Amsterdam (in smaller cities) often carry clogs (klompen) for about twenty euros for most adult sizes.  

A hat from Barts

One of my favorite gifts from the Netherlands and personal items is my hat from Barts. This authentic Amsterdam brand began by a Dutchman began abroad on the beaches on Saint Tropez, however it’s one of my favorite places to buy a stylish hat, hat, or pair of gloves for a cold day. Their hats tend to be well priced at approximately ~20-30 euros.

My Barts items have lasted years and always bring me fond memories of Amsterdam. If you’re visiting in summer, don’t worry: they also sell summer hats and stylish scarves. You can look for Barts at de Bijkenkorf, one of the major Dutch department stores, or the Barts shops around Amsterdam.

Tulips from the Netherlands

You can ask my mother how much she loves her tulips from the Netherlands. If you’re considering buying Dutch tulips, check that your tulips are allowed into your country of origin at the shop.  It’s also possible to buy tulip bulbs at Schiphol Airport if you forget!

Americans: Many of the rare tulips are not allowed to be brought home to the United States without a special permit, so ask the vendors at the Bloemenmarkt which tulips can be brought back to the US legally.

Be sure to instruct your giftee that your Dutch tulips need to be planted about 2 months before a hard frost and once the soil is below 60 F.  Check specific instructions for where you’re located as different climates require different temperatures for planting.

The tulip bulbs are best purchased as close to the ideal period as possible and I recommend purchasing your tulip bulbs in fall if possible. 

Dutch alcohol

Well, Dutch alcohol is a great souvenir.  There’s so many tasty Dutch liquors, so consider bringing some of your favorites back with you.  I strongly recommend putting your alcohol into your laundry bag to ensure that it’s packed tightly with little movement, however this is still not a guarantee that your bottle will survive the trip.  

If you’re into bringing new alcohol types home as a souvenir, consider buying a bottle protector to ensure that the bottle doesn’t open up in your suitcase. As someone who’s transported eight wine bottles back from Italy and Hungary, I swear by the laundry bag method, but buying packing materials for your alcohol bottles is a safer bet if you’re concerned about a bottle breaking open in your suitcase.

You can stop off at Gall & Gall (a liquor store chain) for Dutch liquors.  For a more unique experience, I recommend going to Wynand Fockink for the authentic experience.  This old Dutch jenever bar and distillery that dates back to 1679 will transport you back in time.  Samples are free.  I recommend the herbal bitter (Singelburger).

Click to read about unique Dutch liquors and spirits.

Dutch Cheese

This is such a cheesy suggestion, but buying Dutch cheese as a gift is a great souvenir from the Netherlands.  If your cheese is vacuum sealed, it means that your cheese can last a few weeks without refrigeration.  A wax ball works too!

​Which Dutch cheese to buy as a gift or a souvenir? That is a very tough decision.  Although Gouda cheese is the most famous, Edam cheese is a classic although my personal favorite is the affordable young Boerenkaas.   I recommend avoiding shops close to Dam Square as they often lack the variety that neighborhood Dutch cheese shops have.  

If you can find a good cheese shop, they will be happy to help you preserve your cheese for a later date by sealing it. If you’re in Amsterdam, I recommend Kaasland.

Click to read about visiting the Dutch cheese markets!

Books about Amsterdam

I’m a literature geek and my favorite souvenir from anywhere is a good book about the destination.  I consider buying a good book about the history or inspired by a city to be one of my favorite souvenirs.  

This is why I strongly encourage you to consider buying a book about Amsterdam as a souvenir from Amsterdam.   The American Book Center is a great place to browse for gifts in Amsterdam and souvenirs from the Netherlands. Another English-oriented bookstore is called My Bookstore although it’s a bit further out.

Some of my favorite books about the Netherlands:

• Tulipmania. A nonfiction book about tulips.
• The Dinner. A fictional book that you love it or hate it.
• The Coffee Trader. A fun fiction book about the Golden Age.
• The Hiding Place . The courageous story of a Dutch family who hid Jews during World War II. If you enjoyed reading the diary of Anne Frank, this one will be interesting to read.
• Amsterdam Pub Cats. A book of cats that live in various pubs around Amsterdam

Click for my complete list of books about Amsterdam

Postcards

A postcard is a great souvenir from the Netherlands.  These adorable Dutch postcards with Dutch symbols can be purchased ahead of your trip and sent out while you’re in the Netherlands. 

They were designed, drawn, and printed in Haarlem, the Netherlands.  In order to buy a stamp, head to a Primera or another location that sells PostNL (the Dutch post) products (including stamps) to purchase international stamps.

Delft Pottery

A lot of people, myself included, are obsessed with Delft pottery. Delft pottery makes a fantastic gift from the Netherlands, however it’s fragile.  You can head to Delft directly for the most beautiful Delftware.

When looking for Dutch gifts for my in-laws, we agonized over whether we’d manage to ship our Delft pottery from the Netherlands without it arriving in pieces.  In the end, we decided to buy Delft Pottery already in the United States from experienced professionals and my mother in law loved her Christmas gift that arrived from Michigan.

I’ve heard of a lot of people bringing back pottery from the Netherlands as a gift.  My own experiences with the Dutch mail have not been overwhelmingly positive.   If you can hand-carry your pottery back in your carry-on, it might be better. 

Ensure that your pottery is carefully wrapped prior to bringing it home in your suitcase to ensure that it comes home in one piece—or simply, buy it at home online.  I include some tips for buying authentic Delftware in Delft here.

Dutch Food & Dutch Candy

Dutch chocolate

CANDY. I have a massive sweet tooth and well, I absolutely love Dutch candy. For those who also love candy, it’s the perfect gift. If you’re looking for some delicious candy, consider bringing home a couple large bars of Tony’s Chocolonely, one of my favorite Dutch chocolates. (Definitely pick up the orange Caramel Sea Salt flavor, which I’m addicted to.)   You can visit Tony’s flagship store in Westergasfabriek to buy these delicious Dutch souvenirs or stop off at Primera or Albert Heijn. 

Dutch licorice

Consider buying a couple bags of drop (Dutch licorice), and salmiak lollie if you’re looking for something funky to surprise family/friends. I consider receiving Dutch chocolate one of my favorite gifts from the Netherlands to date.  You can find these at HEMA.

Olliebollen mix

There are so many other Dutch foods that are delicious and perfect for souvenirs.  If it’s the holiday season, consider purchasing a box of oliebollen mix for someone who’s creative with cooking. Oliebollen are a fried Dutch treat typically eaten around New Year’s Eve. You can easily find boxes to help you make them at home at the supermarket around December.  These boxes are available at Albert Heijn.

Pepernoten

Similarly, pepernoten is a speciality that you’ll find all around the Netherlands shortly before Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands (early December). They’re cinnamon-y although some varieties are even coated in chocolate. I prefer the basic type from HEMA although you can get any variety of pepernoten as a souvenir from the Netherlands.  For pepernoten, I recommend van Delft, which has shops all around the Netherlands.

Hagelslag

For those with a sweet tooth…. Before you leave, go to your nearest Albert Heijn to pick up a box of hagelslag (adult chocolate sprinkles perfect for adulting).  If you have a freind who is pregnant, you can pick up hagelslag (or all sorts) at Albert Heijn.

Muisjes

These sweet sugar treats made with aniseed are consumed when a baby is born. Depending on the gender of the child, you can buy pink or blue muisjes. It’s traditional to eat muisjes on top of rusk (a dry hard biscuit) although many have it with bread.

This sweet is often brought to work/school by those related to the newborn (siblings or parents). If you know someone who recently had a child, they might enjoy these Dutch sweets! The most popular brand is De Ruijter, which can be found at most Dutch supermarkets close to the bread/hagelslag.

Stroopwafels

My favorite souvenirs from Amsterdam are cans of stroopwafels. The caramel stroopwafels are delicious although be sure not to get them in a bag.  Although it’s cheaper to buy stroopwafels in a bagel, you’ll find your stroopwafel in pieces afterward… The Albert Heijn in the airport sells these in a cute can although you can also buy them online.

Click for twenty five Dutch food to try in the Netherlands! 

Dutch jigsaw puzzles

This is a bit of a strange souvenir from the Netherlands, but artist Jan van Haasteren is famous for his Where’s Waldo-like puzzles. We got one of these puzzles for my father-in-law, a puzzle aficionado, who found it delightful. Similar to Where’s Waldo, there’s a familiar cast of characters to look for in every puzzle and they’re pretty hilarious.

You can find these puzzles at most game stores in the Netherlands as well as on Amazon if you’re considering buying one of these Dutch puzzles as a gift from the Netherlands (but want to check first what you find while traveling!)

You can ahead and look for these puzzles at various Dutch toy stores, including Intertoys, which reliably stocks these puzzles.   Similarly, some board game stores stock puzzles in addition to board games.  You can try The Gamekeeper.

Dutch art inspired gifts

For my art lovers, there’s so many lovely Dutch souvenirs that you can pick up at the Rijksmuseum, Mauritshuis, or the Van Gogh museum. However, you’ll save a lot if you buy them online. I ended up buying my mom a beautiful Van Gogh-inspired eyeglass case as a gift.  It reminds her of me whenever she puts her eyeglasses away.

Similarly, I also bought her a luggage tag with Girl With the Pearl Earring on it to help her identify her luggage easily at the airport.  There are numerous possibilities for souvenirs from the Netherlands although I particularly love a Van Gogh inspired umbrella, which is incredibly useful.

A Dutch bike and/or bike related accessories

Everyone knows the Dutch love bikes, however bike lovers might want to consider buying a cycling related souvenir from Amsterdam.  Dutch bikes are very well made (I recommend Batavia or Pashley as a brand).  Most bike shops will be able to help you ship your bike home if you purchase one above a certain price (300 euros+).

The souvenir that I recommend is a bike lock.   If you’re looking for a solid lock, I recommend buying a bike lock from a brand called VIRO.  It’s an Italian brand that makes a fantastic bike lock that stands up well to the bike thieves. Expect to pay at least 40 euros for your lock at a bike shop, but the security difference compared to a U-lock is immense.   

Dutch cookie molds

I recently got a little windmill speculaasplank.  Speculaas is a popular Dutch cookie made around the holiday season.  If you make this cookie with the adorable mold (only 7 euros!), be sure to chill the dough after it has been removed from the mold to ensure that the shape remains! Click for the recipe.

You can find these cute windmill molds along with various wooden cooking items at Dille & Kamille, a cozy Dutch home goods store filled with great household gifts.  

Cheese slicer

One of the quintessential Dutch souvenirs that I recommend purchasing is a cheese slicer.  It’s so basic, however there’s something so lovely about a perfectly sliced cut of cheese to help your cheese bought in Amsterdam last a little longer… 

You can purchase a cheese slicer at most cheese stores in the Netherlands as well at Dille & Kamille.  Similarly, household stores like Xenos and Blokker often stock cheese slicers.  Just pack it in your luggage, just in case.

Surprise yourself at the flea market (IJhallen in Amsterdam)

There’s nothing like buying a unique souvenir that nobody else has.  If you’re a vintage lover, I recommend shopping the flea markets in the Netherlands for something unique. We have seen some pretty weird stuff at Amsterdam’s main flea market (IJhallen) although a stuffed grouse was the weirdest thing I’ve seen in awhile.

If you miss the IJhallen monthly flea market, check out De Bazaar, a weekly flea market that is about 40 minutes from Amsterdam by train.

A magnet

I’m a huge magnet collector myself and I always collect magnets from different countries.  I personally prefer one that shows off the uniquely Dutch countryside with a windmill!

Have you been to the Netherlands? What souvenir from the Netherlands was your favorite?