If you are planning to visit Amsterdam, then buying perfect foodie gifts must be on your lists.

Things to Buy in Amsterdam

1. Dutch Birthday calendar

There are all sorts of themed birthday calendars in almost every tourist shop and mostly in gift, paper and card shops where you will find anything from children’s book characters to paintings. At least one timeless birthday calendar is part of every Dutch home – which they use for recording birthdays and they have only numbered dates (without the accompanying day).  We know most of you might think that you don’t need it because you already have social networking sites to remind you the birthdays of your friends but we can surely say that if you come across these birthday calendars with all the birthdays of friends and family filled in, you will end up buying them. They come with full of pages listing each month and blank spaces to write on. We will suggest you to put the date of your trip somewhere on your birthday calendar so that you can book another trip to celebrate on the same date!

2. Dutch Cheese

There are plentiful of Cheese shops because Cheese is a way of life in Amsterdam and there is no cheese like Dutch cheese. The world’s most popular varieties of Cheese like Edam and Gouda are from here. Gouda is a great choice to gift your friends or family because chances are that they are already familiar with the taste and should be able to compare, contrast and tell how much different the fresh variety from Amsterdam tastes when it hits their taste buds. Then there are Boerenkaas (Farmer’s Cheese), Goat’s cheese, sheep’s cheese, cow’s cheese and plenty more cheese to choose from.

3. Clogs & Wooden shoes

It’s a typical tourist thing to buy a pair of uncomfortable wooden shoes or clogs and put it in their closets for years after returning home. But if you seriously want to buy them, then visit Otten & Zn in De Pijp. The Dutch wooden clogs or wooden shoes are great for walking in muddy fields and are considered as symbols of the Netherlands for most people. An adorable alternative for those people who really want to wear them is a pair of wooden-shoe slippers, which hang outside almost every souvenir shop. The best place to head to is Ratterman Wooden Shoes and Gifts.

4. Delftware

You won’t find the factory in Delft exactly close to Amsterdam, but you will find Delfts Blauw which are sold everywhere in Amsterdam. We love tourist shops with the little cute statues and particularly the Christmas ornaments at Jorrit Heinen and Rinascimento.

5. Diary of Anne Frank

May be you won’t want to read about the past atrocities on a holiday, but you may read it because it is the same place where it all happened. You can find her diary written in numerous translations at the Anne Frank Museum.

6. Drop or Liquorice

Liquorice or ‘drop’ is incredibly popular in the Netherlands with their several different varieties (sweet, salty, soft and hard) and flavors (like honey or blueberry). These are available in every supermarket and pharmacy, but the best place to get is in the Jordaan. You must try these black sweets yourself at any supermarket or at HEMA, before someone tries to shove some down your throat.

7. HEMA stuff

HEMA looks like a very cheap Harrods, but is one of the strongest and most famous Dutch chains with its other home branded products like gold paint, stationery, bike pumps, merchandise, photograph service and, brand less cheap clothes.

8. Stroopwafels

Stroopwafels are cheap and one of the most exported products, available at every supermarket and most of the Amsterdam souvenir shops. It looks like a simple small biscuit but is really very tasty and delicious. Stroopwafel is one of the best Dutch snacks because it’s a freshly made sticky caramel waffle available in supermarkets, tourist shops, and on markets and the best one is on the Albert Cuyp market.

9. Dutch Food and Drink Gifts

The delicious cheese, chocolate, beer and cookies are the most loved food and drink of foreigners who visit Amsterdam.

10. Dutch Flowering Bulbs

Netherlands is not only famous for its gorgeous tulips and their bulbs, but also other varieties of blooming bulbs to give as gifts such as Dutch daffodils and hyacinths, lilies, amaryllis, alliums and crocuses.

11. Genever

There are the traditional varieties of the Dutch Genever which comes in many different forms with even flavored versions for those with a sweeter tooth and the best place to taste the Genever is the House of Bols.

12. Hagelslag

Hagelslag or sprinkles come in various forms (chocolate, pink, or blue) and are eaten by sprinkling on a thin biscuit or bread at breakfast or lunch time and can be found in any supermarket.

13. Ajax Attire

Ajax was a famous local football club among Europe’s elite teams with loads of merchandise being produced and continues to be produced. Ajax souvenirs can be found at any shop but best place to get is at the World of Ajax Tour in Zuidoost. Many people in Amsterdam live and die for Ajax, and a football jersey of red and white color is a great gift to yourself to take back home.

We are sure there are more amazing things you can buy there. Please add to this list by commenting below.