21 Amazing Dutch Souvenirs

Heading to the Netherlands, and looking for special Dutch souvenirs? Look no further.

We spent three days in the Netherlands, and there were so many unique souvenirs that I was excited to bring home.

We were limited on space during a 2-month Europe family trip, so we had to be very selective on which Dutch souvenirs we bought – and it was tough, because there are a lot of amazing ones.

So, let’s dive in to the many unique Dutch souvenirs that you can bring home.

Best Dutch Souvenirs

1. Wooden Clogs

Wooden clogs are iconic of the Netherlands, and called klomps in Dutch.

They’re not just decorations – depending on the kind you get, they are excellent footwear as well.

Clogs are made of breathable wood, so they’re fairly comfortable on feet and they’re also water resistant, so you can wear them outside (they’re designed for farm work.)

Plus, being made of wood makes them 100% eco-friendly too.

Pro Tip: Rather than bringing back actual footwear, you can also find small souvenirs of clogs, such as magnets, keychains, etc.

2. Van Gogh Souvenirs

There are lots of Van Gogh souvenirs you can get in the Netherlands, as Van Gogh was Dutch (originally from Zundert, but spent time living in Amsterdam.)

My daughter and I actually spent quite a bit of time browsing online all the Van Gogh souvenirs you can get, as we like his work.

Where to Find Van Gogh Souvenirs

• The Van Gogh Museum has its own gift shop inside the museum
• If you don’t go to the museum, there’s also a small Museum Shop where you can buy the same souvenirs that you would find in the Van Gogh Museum. It’s located at Paulus Potterstraat 1, Amsterdam.

3. Delft blue items

The delft blue design comes from the Dutch city of Delft, which was known for its beautiful ceramics with blue and white designs.

So, delft blue ceramics and other items with the design are a very iconic souvenir to bring back from the Netherlands. You’ll see them everywhere.

You can find Delt blue:

• Christmas ornaments
• keychains
• pottery
• porcelaine figurines

And they all come in countless sizes, shapes, and themes. After being in a few different souvenir stores, you’ll be able to choose something that you like best in delft blue.

4. Heineken souvenirs

Heineken is a pale-ale Dutch beer, which you’ve almost certainly heard of. You can visit the brewery in Amsterdam, which is the second-largest beer brewer in the world!

We didn’t visit the Heineken brewery on this trip, as we were visiting Amsterdam with kids.

However, my husband had been to Amsterdam prior and done the Heineken experience tour there.

There are also other Dutch beer brands to try, mostly consisting of pale lager.

5. Candy

Many people complain about Dutch cuisine, saying it’s not very exciting. But one thing the Dutch undoubtedly do well is candies and sweets!

Types of candy you can get in the Netherlands (and where to find it)

• The Netherlands is especially known for their black licorice can be found in souvenir shops, and grocery stores
• Chocolate, of course (see my tip below about Tony’s chocolate) also in souvenir stores and supermarkets

6. Stroopwafels

Stroopwafels translate to ‘syrup waffle’ in English. They are a thin, round, waffle-shaped Dutch cookie that have notes of cinnamon and syrup in the taste.

You’ll see many souvenir tins and gift boxes of them in souvenir stores, but you can probably find them for cheaper in grocery stores.

They’re really, really good. We definitely bought a bag of them to enjoy on our travels.

7. Hagelslag sprinkles

You may have heard of the Dutch tradition of having toast with butter and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast. Hagelslag means sprinkles.

The sprinkles look pretty similar to chocolate sprinkles you can find elsewhere, but they are longer than the ones we have back home.

Also, many of them are actually free of dairy (not that you’d be able to tell – they’re still delicious!)

If you enjoy hagelslag, or know someone who would – you can buy the De Ruijter sprinkles (the most popular brand that makes them)

Where to find hagelslag sprinkes

The best place to find them is grocery stores. We saw huge selections of them, even many different kinds of flavours.

Pro Tip: If you decide to buy these sprinkles, I highly recommend keeping them in some sort of plastic bag. Our box ended up breaking slightly in the suitcase, and sprinkles spilled out and went everywhere. You can find them on Amazon too if you want to avoid having to pack them at all. We actually really liked the sprinkles, so I ordered more from Amazon after we got home!

8. Speculaas

Speeculaas is basically a Dutch gingerbread cookie, flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

One thing I really like about them is the little shapes and pictures in the cookies. They make a nice gift for someone.

9. Chocolate from Tony’s

Tony’s Chocolonely is a Dutch chocolate company. You can visit the Tony’s Chocolate Factory in Amsterdam to see how chocolate is made, and buy some of their chocolate on-site.

The good thing about Tony’s is that they make every effort to be eco-friendly and fair-trade, so you’re supporting a good cause too.

Where to Find Tony’s Chocolate

• The chocolate factory in Amsterdam is the most obvious place to get the chocolate, but I saw Tony’s Chocolate in almost grocery store in Amsterdam that I went to!

10. Sam en Julia books or toys

Sam en Julia are Dutch books that were published in 2011. They’re about two adorable mice that have adventures together.

If you’re in the Netherlands with kids, or know a child back home you want to get something for – this is the perfect Dutch gift for someone small.

11. Anne Frank-based gifts and momentos

There is a small gift shop at the Anne Frank House where you can find various books about Anne Frank: her diary, and also children’s books and several versions of stories about her, tote bags, magnets with her quotes

There’s also some blank notebooks and journals.

I saw Anne Frank-based souvenirs in other gift shops as well. She was such an inspirational young woman and I think these make great meaningful gifts related to her cause, and young people who have read her book/admire her.

12. Dutch mustard

Dutch mustard is served on cheese (perfect if you’re bringing back a wheel of ghoda) and also on sausages and bread.

Dutch mustard has a savoury, tangy flavour. It’s often used to dip cheese in but could also be good on hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. It’s delicious.

We weren’t so sure at first about dipping cheese in musturd, but its actually quite good! We saw many different favours of mustard too.

You can find these mustards in cheese shops, or the grocery store (it’s cheaper in the grocery store.)

13. Honig Soup Mix

Honig is a Dutch food company that started in the 1800s. They have several flavours of dry soup mix that you can find in grocery stores.

It rains quite often in the Netherlands, and soup is perfect for rainy or cold days; perhaps that’s why this brand brand became so popular.

14. Dutch cheese

The Dutch are known for their cheese (called kaas), which they’ve been producing since 80 BC.

Some cheeses that you know are even named after the Dutch city they were invented in, such as gouda.

They say that the best cheese you can find is in cheese stands at local weekly markets (such as the Noordermarkt in Amsterdam.)

This is a helpful link about Dutch cheese; storing it, . (It’s in Dutch, but you can have Google translate it to your language.)

Bringing back dairy is usually allowed if you declare it, but you probably run a small risk. I don’t bring dairy back from my trips anymore, but if you plan to – look up the rules for your country in advance to see how much you can bring and how to declare it.

15. A windmill-themed souvenir

Windmills are another strongly associated symbol of the Netherlands, because they’ve been used there for many years for farming and power generation.

As a result, you can now find windmills on all kids of Dutch gifts and souvenirs: Delf blue ceramics, keychains, magnets, etc.

16. Tulip bulbs

One very popular Dutch souvenir to bring home is tulip bulbs. Being a low-lying country, the Netherlands has been the perfect place to grow tulips and they’ve been grown there since the Middle Ages.

Dutch tulip bulbs are considered the best in the world (they’re certainly larger than most tulips you’ll find at home), but most tulip bulbs around the world also originate from the Netherlands.

I’m not sure if there’s any negative impact on the soil of bringing back plants from another part of the world – you’d have to check that!

There are often rules about bringing back plants and seeds from other countries. For Canda for example, you generally can bring Dutch tulip bulps back, but you need to declare them. Some places require that the bulbs must be in an inspected bag with a seal. So just check the rules for wherever you’re going next!

17. Wooden or artificial tulips

If you don’t want to bring back real tulip bulps, then artificial tulips are very common to find as souvenirs in the Netherlands too!

The wooden ones look classier and are more sustainable than plastic flowers.

Plus, as tulips are a symbol of the Netherlands, you can also find souvenirs decorated with tulips, such as keychains, ornaments, magnets, art, and such.

18. Cannabis, or cannabis products

Cannabis has been decriminalized in the Netherlands since the 1970s, so you can find not only the product but also products based on the product.

I was pretty shocked to see brownies, lollipops, and many other flavoured items. Obviously, check your country’s rules before bringing this back. It may be a souvenir that’s best enjoyed while still in the Netherlands.

19. Racy souvenirs

The other major thing the Netherlands and Amsterdam has been known for for a long time is their adult atmosphere.

In Amsterdam, you can find many shops with adult toys, outfits and items as such. This might be something fun for couples to bring home, as a joke for someone or a gift for a partner.

20. Amsterdam-theme clothes

Can’t leave out clothing – hats, T-shirts, hoodies, socks, and other items – that say Amsterdam, or Netherlands on them.

Here are a few tips:

• Sometimes you’ll see “Holland” printed on them instead of Netherlands, but be aware that Holland is a province in the Netherlands, not the name of the country
• Sometimes you’ll see clothing (or other souvenirs) with three Xs on them. This is the flag of Amsterdam
• Blue, red and white are the colours of the Dutch flag, but of course clothing can come in many colours

21. Bike-themed souvenirs

Don’t forget the beloved bikes as an important souvenir of the Netherlands. There are more bikes than people in the Netherlands, and in Amsterdam you’ll see many people getting around on bike.

Many of the souvenirs featured bikes – clothing, key chains, magnets, bookmarks, etc.

Where to find the Best Dutch souvenirs

• Supermarkets. Supermarkets are where you can find Dutch ingredients like the chocolate sprinkles, and get good deals on cheeses, cookies and other products
• The Noordermarkt is an open-air market held in downtown Amsterdam on Saturdays and Mondays. You can find second-hand clothing, and a lot of unique souvenirs from vendors
• Museums, like the Anne Frank House, or Van Gogh Museum, have unique literature and art-based souvenirs
• The Museum shop at Paulus Potterstraat 1 in Amsterdam. If you’re not visiting a museum, then head to the Museum Shop – it has all the same souvenirs that you can find in the museum gift shops in Amsterdam (lots of Van Gogh stuff)
• The Heineken brewery has lots of Heineken-based souvenirs, perfect for you if you enjoy beer or the beer aficionado in your life
• The airport Amsterdam airport has tons of iconic souvenirs. You’ll pay more for them and it won’t have as great of a selection but there are some good finds
• Amazon if you want to save room in your suitcase, you can also get several of the things mentioned in this article on Amazon, such as the Dutch chocolate sprinkles,

Final Thoughts on Souvenirs from the Netherlands

I hope that you are now filled with ideas of all the great things there are to find in the Netherlands, as I was when I started looking into Dutch souvenirs. It’s a small, but unique country that has had such an impact in art, cuisine, literature and many other things.

Many of the Dutch souvenirs remind me of Swedish souvenirs that I grew up with as a half-Swede (which makes sense as the countries are close by and have similarities.) The love of the outdoors, cheese, and black licorice are very common in both countries.