Shopping Guide to Rotterdam

The hub of Rotterdam's shopping is found in the pedestrianised area around Lijnbaan and Beursplein, where the Beurstraverse shopping mall runs below street level, lending it the local nickname De Koopgoot (The Shopping Gutter). This is where you'll find international fashion chains and department stores.

East of the busy Coolsingel, the Meent district offers more unusual fashion and design concept stores, while Nieuwemarkt and Pannekoekstraat deliver a bohemian, artsy feel.

De Groene Passage (Mariniersweg), running down to Blaak, is a collection of sustainable shops including the large grocery store Gimsel, a restaurant, bookstore and butchery. Located southwest of Lijnbaan, the trendy Witte de Withstraat street is all about avant-garde fashion boutiques. For charming antique shops and unusual boutiques, head for Delfshaven.

Most shops in Rotterdam are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm (to 9pm on Thursday) and from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, with most large stores open on Sundays too (12 - 6pm).

Smaller specialist shops typically open and close later (11am - 6pm).

Each Tuesday and Saturday a sprawling general market takes over the Binnenrotte area, with a slightly smaller version (still over 200 stalls) also opening on Sunday afternoons from May to December.

A popular antiques and bric-a-brac market takes place on Sundays by the Leuvehaven harbour (open mid-May to mid-September Sundays from 11am to 5pm).

As with many Dutch cities, Rotterdam is home to a Bijenkorf (Coolsingel 105) department store with its trademark beehive design, which stocks everything from clothing and cosmetics to furniture and household goods.

The department store chain V&D (Hoogstraat 185), founded in 1887 and the largest in the Netherlands, sells clothing, electronics, homewares etc.

1. The local's favourite Nultien Kleding (literally 010 clothing, reflecting the Rotterdam dialling code) (Kleiweg 192B) sells t-shirts, hoodies and phone covers with prints of the Erasmus Bridge, Feyenoord stadium and the strapline "010 isn't just a code".

2. Youngsters in particular love the miniature Euromast statues and scale models of the ship SS Rotterdam, which can be purchased at either venue and in the tourist office gift shops.

3. Coffee and the rituals around it are integral to Dutch society. Part of it is that the coffee must always be served with a biscuit, making a traditional coffee set and biscuit tin (koektrommel) a great souvenir. Find wide selections of both at the V&D and Bijenkorf department stores.

4. Candles are another integral part of Dutch life - during Christmas the Dutch burn nearly 3.5kg of candles per person, more than any other nation. The designer homeware store Dille & Kamille (Korte Hoogstraat 22-24) offers an extensive candle collection, including those from Gouda Candles, first established in 1858.

5. Football fans can buy memorabilia from Rotterdam's popular Feyenoord soccer team at the Feyenoord Fanshop (Coolsingel 195-197) or at the gift shop located next to the Feyenoord Stadium.

1. Donner Rotterdam (Coolsingel 119) is one of the largest bookstores in the Netherlands with over 250,000 titles, including some unusual Rotterdam guidebooks and old history books on the city.

2. Housed in a converted bank, Marlies Dekkers (Witte de Withstraat 2) is famous for its sexy designer lingerie and beachwear.

3. Run by a passionate traveller, who gathers unusual bits & bobs from around the world, Voorlopig (Nieuwe Binnenweg 165) is the place for quirky items from painted plates to educational toys.

4. Recall Rotterdam's nautical heritage with a piece from Egge Maritiem (Schiedamsedijk (70-71), the Netherlands' largest nautical décor specialist shop. Housed in a vast warehouse, it sells everything from antique barometers, ship models and furniture to globes, maritime prints and traditional oil lamps, handmade by Den Haan in Rotterdam since 1922.

5. If you're after a new pair of glasses, visit Blick Brillen (Pannekoekstraat 41A), where the young owner, Mike, has handpicked a selection of unusual designer frames and will take a Polaroid photo of you to get your friends' opinions on your prospective purchase.