Amsterdam is a great city to go explore amazing architecture, visiting all types of modern and old museums, try new international cuisine and, all in all, live new experiences. Moreover, Amsterdam is a key city to go shopping and find some of the coolest pieces and most famous retailers in Europe. Check out this article for some affordable clothing stores in amsterdam.
Some of the most affordable yet great Clothing Stores in Amsterdam:
- Primark
- HEMA
- HM
- Pull and bear
- C&A
- Episode
- Monki
- and more…
The best store to buy affordable clothing in Amsterdam really depends on your age, style, sometimes gender and mostly taste. It also depends a lot on your budget, which is why these are key recommendations. Whatever style it is that you have or want to get, Amsterdam has it, and not only in a cheap version but also in a more affordable version. I personally love most of these stores, so if you want to know more about it keep reading and discover the best ones.
Best Affordable Clothing Stores: Amsterdam Edition
Visiting Amsterdam means planning a whole load of different activities: people plan their museum visits, tours, tasting, daily trips and more. Why not also planning your shopping?
In Amsterdam you can find three different types of clothing stores:
- Expensive: International Designer items, big luxury retailers and local designers. It is a great city to find many international design brands as well as many unique pieces that you will only get here. but we won’t be talking about it.
- Medium-High Prices: This is most of the stores in the city. I would not necessarily consider them affordable because in some countries and other places there are even cheaper items. However, most people can afford them. Some of the stores falling into this category would be Topshop and Topman (with huge stores in Amsterdam), Zara (with 4 different stores in the city!), Massimo Dutti, Mango, Arket, many Vintage stores and more. However, since there are many more affordable stores than these, I will not focus on them.
- Affordable clothes: When my friends and family come visit me and they ask for affordable stores where they can get a whole new wardrobe for very little money, these are the stores I think: Primark, HM, HEMA, Pullandbear, Monki, Episode, and C&A. These are not only popular in Amsterdam but in many European countries and most Dutch cities.
Not so long ago I made an article about the most popular shopping areas and also one with some of my tips to do shopping in Amsterdam. To know more about these affordable stores, keep reading because I will add some useful information and my personal experience.
Primark
This is the king of the kings of affordable stores, at least in Amsterdam. Primark is one of the most famous stores in Europe for affordable and trendy clothes. This Irish store is very good at catching up with the latest trends as well as offering basic pieces that everybody needs on their wardrobe.
The store in Amsterdam is a couple of years old. It is located ideally close to Dam Square and it is a 6 floors building. The views are amazing but the building is also new and has a lot of everything.
Positive Points:
- Clothes for everybody! Literally, anyone can find anything there. There are sections for all ages, for all types of occasions, outwear, loungewear, maternity, underwear and even makeup and homeware stuff.
- Always a discount: In Amsterdam’s Primark there is always a lot of items with the typical orange tag and a lot of discount on many products.
- Location: due to its great location there is no excuse not to go there to grab whatever you want, even if it is only a pair of their popular and amazing socks. It is not one of these huge stores that are located so far away from the city centre that it is almost impossible to think about going there.
- Luggage: it is one of the best places in the city centre to get some extra luggage if you are planning on buying some (or a lot) of new things. The good part of buying it there is that you can ask them to put all your clothes inside the luggage on the counter when you are done shopping.
- Super affordable: I would go as far as to say that it is probably the most affordable big store in Amsterdam. Some specific pieces may be cheaper somewhere else but Primark is always a good choice.
- Opening times: it is open from Monday to Sunday until 10 pm, super ideal.
Negative points:
- The women’s section is 4 floors whereas the male section is 1 floor. It is not only Primark but most stores that do this but all the men in my family have complained about it.
- Sales: even though 9/10 stores in Amsterdam do sales at least twice a year like the rest of Europe, Primark doesn’t follow this rule so as I was saying, you will be able to find discounted items sporadically but nothing will go on sale in general.
- What can I find? Clothing pieces for literally anyone and all styles
- Location: 2 steps from Dam Square!
- Opening time: from 9 am until 10 pm, every day of the week
HM
HM is a broadly known Swedish retailer that does a lot of trendy and basic affordable pieces. Besides getting pieces for myself, now that I am becoming an aunt I have discovered it to be really good for baby and children’s clothes.
There are three different stores in Amsterdam: on Dam Square, on Leidseplein and on Nieuwendijk, all of them very centric and ideal for tourists on the hunt for a bargain.
Moreover, HM may not be as affordable as Primark is but it also has some higher pieces, more design and a different type of product. One of my favourite parts of the Nieuwendijk’s HM is their huge HM Home section that they have, great for those of us who like design and always getting new pieces for our homes.
What
- What can I find? literally anything, homeware, nightwear, fashion pieces for men, women, babies, kids and more.
- Location: on Dam Square, on Leidseplein and on Nieuwendijk
- Opening time: from 10 am until 7 pm, opening a little later on the weekends and opening until 9 pm some days of the week, depending on the store.
Pull and Bear
Pull and Bear is one of the biggest brands of the famous INDITEX company, a Spanish worldwide known fashion retailer. Most of you may know, but this is their more juvenile and youthful store of them all. Pull and Bear is mostly oriented to following cool trends and comfy clothes for young adults or anyone who wants to wear it.
The Pull and Bear in Amsterdam is a huge store that it is always full and constantly changing its products. It is located in Kalverstraat but super close to Dam Square and the best about them is that they do amazing sales at least twice a year (for the January general sale and for the June sales) and some times in-between season. A must if you are into cool trendy pieces.
- What can I find? Younger adults clothing, footwear, accessories, perfume and more.
- Location: Kalverstraat, close to Dam Square.
- Opening time: from 10 am until 8 pm every day of the weeks, opening from 11 am until 7 pm on Mondays.
Monki
Monki is a young fashion store also belonging to the same retailers at HM, so another Swedish affordable option. I have known it for years as an online store but they have a physical store in Amsterdam.
It is the type of store that like Pull and Bear focuses more on affordable and cool pieces for younger people (or once again, anyone who can wear it). It is mostly, outwears pieces of clothes and footwear but they are big in the accessory department.
In Amsterdam, you can find two big stores in the centre, once again, closer to Dam Square and another one closer to de Pijp.
- What can I find? affordable clothes for younger adults and a world of accessories.
- Location: Kalverstraat and Gerard Douplein, in de Pijp.
- Opening time: from 10 am to 6:30 pm most days, besides Thursdays, until 8 pm.
Episode
Episode is my favourite vintage store in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch vintage store that has relatively affordable vintage pieces, from T-shirts to military hats and boots to Burberry trenchcoats to many many accessories.
If you are into vintage this is probably one of the most affordable stores you will be able to find in Amsterdam. You can find three big stores in Amsterdam, one in each neighbourhood. I must add that it is not always the cheapest option but you can definitely find cool pieces so it is worth taking a look!
- What can I find? T-shirts, trousers, military hats and boots to Burberry trenchcoats to many many accessories. Both for men and women.
- Location: Waterlooplein, Spuistraat and Berenstraat.
- Opening time: from 10 am until 7 pm (sometimes at 11, depending on the store), from Monday to Sunday.
