Bloemenmarkt

A market on the water

The Bloemenmarkt runs along the Singel, between Muntplein and Koningsplein. It is billed as the world's only floating flower market. Walk along the canal side and you will see a row of narrow, greenhouse-like stalls sitting right on the water, with buckets of tulips and bulbs at the front.

It is worth the walk for the setting more than the shopping. The Singel is one of the prettiest stretches of the southern canal belt, and the market gives it colour whatever the weather. Ten minutes here, with the water on one side and the stalls on the other, tells you a lot about how Amsterdam trades and how it has changed.

From boats to greenhouses

The market moved here in 1862. Before that it stood from 1620, the oldest mention, at the Sint-Luciënwal, along the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. If you want a trace of that older Amsterdam, the wall of gable stones on Sint Luciënsteeg is a reminder of that part of town.

In those days it was a market for trees and plants, not cut flowers. Hardly any cut flowers were sold until the 1960s. Growers from nurseries outside the city sent their goods in by boat every day, and the plants were sold straight from the boats lying in the canal.

The boats are gone. Towards the end of the twentieth century they were replaced by concrete bases carrying greenhouse-like structures. From the water they form a closed front. So the floating market is now a floating row of shops, but the position on the canal is the same.

What you are really buying

Be honest with yourself about what is on offer. Of the 15 stalls and shops, only a few still sell fresh flowers. The rest sell souvenirs, gifts, tulip bulbs and tulip-themed odds and ends. The city once tried to cap the amount of souvenirs on sale, and the traders, afraid for their living, pushed back. In 2022 an advisory report said the market should change its character or be closed, because it no longer serves Amsterdammers.

The bulbs deserve a warning. A 2019 survey found that bulbs bought here rarely, if ever, flowered. If you want a bunch of fresh flowers or a pot plant for your table, locals go to the markets at the Amstelveld and the Noordermarkt instead.

What to look for

Stand on the pavement and look at the stalls from the street, then walk to the canal edge and look at how they sit on the water. The concrete bases and glass fronts tell the story of the switch from boats to permanent stands.

Look for the few stalls with real cut flowers and potted plants out front, and the colours of tulips in season. At the Muntplein end, the Munttoren is the tower you will see rising above the corner. A couple of doors along the Singel you will pass the Torture Museum, which sits right beside the market. Keep an eye on the cyclists behind you as you stop to take photos, since the pavement is narrow.