Gucci de Bijenkorf

So happy to see a big improvement and transformation with Bijenkorf. The products and customer have improved significantly over the years.

It's easy to have a panic attack if shopping here on a busy day (how I miss those busy days now). But take your time and meander through the store and you'll discover dozens of new things.

My highlights are the Secrid wallets on the 4th floor I think. Also the bar on the 2nd - very classy but easy and casual. Not the cheapest place but it is in the heart of Amsterdam.

Great bike parking underneath next door. Don't even think about finding a place for your bike above ground in this area.

When I was here in January I couldn't even move around inside or out. Now it's temporarily closed and a ghost town outside.

I did buy a nice Scotch & Soda coat in the late fall here - before all this mess starter. Good times and great jacket!

Every trip that the wife and I take oversees, without fail the wife always wants to check out the shopping in each and every city since luxury good items are typically cheaper and you get the VAT back. This particular location has most of the major boutiques and the staff here is extremely helpful and polite. If your looking for something in particular I would recommend coming early to see what they have in stock. Even if they don't have it, they can always have it shipped in from another store or at least help you locate it at another store in another city if your traveling around Europe. This place can be quite busy with all the tourist and its centrally located and easy to access by trolley.

De Bijenkorf is a modern, sleek, and all-around pleasant European department store. It's a comfortable place to browse and window shop, and it's an even better place to drop some serious cash if you have a taste for fancy designer goods. I didn't wander in to shop, though. I came in because of a big old rumbly in my tumbly!

On my last day in Amsterdam, I was getting sick of the same old food and was craving a salad. As is the case with most fancy department stores in Europe, this one has a cafeteria on the top floor -- something savvy travelers tend to know. What I didn't expect is that De Bijenkorf has a really great food hall.

The food hall portion of the store is set up like a mini international food court / cafeteria, with Asian specialties, Italian dishes, gourmet sandwiches and salads, and even steaks cooked to order. While the pizza was tempting, I opted for one of the most gorgeous looking vegetable salads I had ever seen (see photos). Hubby got a large portion of Singapore rice noodles with fresh stir fried vegetables (told you we were craving veggies), and we each got a glass of champagne because, well, why the heck not!?!

The food quality was top notch, and prices were reasonable. My salad had pretty artisan greens, large slices of fresh zucchini, plump tomatoes with pepper, and was topped with crunchy pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, and what was in the running for the most delicious fresh cheese ever. We both cleaned our entire plates.

After lunch, we headed downstairs to peruse the designer goods. He was taken with several of the European watch brands and of course I was ga-ga over the limited edition Balenciaga handbag colors that are only available in Europe.

Alas, our empty wallets meant that we left the store with nothing but full bellies.

If you want to buy designer, this is *the* department store in Amsterdam.

Wifi - we had trouble finding the free wifi, not sure if it was by store (at least on the ground level).
Service - everyone was nice. I'm of Asian descent and people tend to be nicer once they know you're looking to buy.
Hours - they are great, if you want to shop and sightsee. Unlike other places (e.g. France), they are open late on Thursday and Friday, and they are open on Sunday. Even over Easter weekend.
VAT refund - they combined all of my receipts for me. I got my refund already, waiting for my forms to get to Global Blue though. It was a well oiled process - some waiting time but there was plenty of seating.
Food hall - lots of options but we didn't eat anywhere. If there were signs we could understand, we may have sat down for a quick bite.

Free wifi and free bathrooms (especially important in Europe!) 6-story shopping mall at Dam tram stop. The top floor has a large cook to order cafeteria with an assortment of food. There are also frozen yogurt and create your own Magnum popsicle section.

They have luxury brands and local European brands. If you are looking for Uggs, they sell them here in the shoes section with some designs made in Italy.

Bring your passport if you want to get your tax refund in cash (with a fee of 3,50€) early. Head up to the 4th floor Global Blue refund lounge, just remember to mail back your stamp at the airport or they will charge your credit card for the early refund.

De Bijenkorf is one of the largest and most famous department stores in Amsterdam, located on Dam, right opposite Dam Square, the large building is an iconic landmark of the city with five floors, the top floor is dedicated to food, with terrific views of Dam Square and free public toilets.

This is the flagship de Bijenkorf store in The Netherlands, it reminded me a lot of the Selfridges stores in the UK, which the company also owns.

The store has a prestigious and premium feel to it, walking through, with lots of high-end and designer brands and smells good. It's fairly easy to follow the layout of the store as the escalators pretty much follow each other, although navigating the floors and getting out is a different story, but no more difficult than any other large department store.

I do think the food section felt more like a high-end cafeteria with a view, it would have been nice for them to include a range of well-known and smaller brands, which you'd find in Selfridges locations back in the UK, such as London Oxford Street and Manchester Trafford.

The staff members were friendly and helpful.

If you're looking to take a break from sightseeing and other activities in Amsterdam, this might be the place for you to go, it is a good department store, although the name on Yelp needs a change, while Gucci does have products here, they don't own or sponsor the store. 4*

For department stores, De Bijenkorf reminds me of a Galeries Lafayette or KaDeWe- you have similar high end brands and a deluxe delicatessen on the top floor.

What I specifically liked about De Bijenkorf was the lacking pressure from sales staff as one might get elsewhere. You are left to peruse and shop at your own pace. When you are ready for help, the staff is very attentive and helpful.

I also liked that they had a "tax free lounge" for out of country shoppers like myself. I could also choose which currency I wanted to pay in at the point of purchase- my home currency or euro.

I bought a pair of Louboutin shoes that are unavailable in my home country for less than they would've cost back home.

They had homeware from my favorite designers, cosmetics, accessories for days, wide clothing variety for men, women and children. Anything you could need or want.

Plenty edible goods on the top floor to buy as gifts for those back home. I left with adorable chocolate for the kids in my life as well as decadent treats for friends.

De Bijenkorf is truly a luxury department store.

Upscale department store with all the designers, and a chic bar on the first floor. We found a very cool Dutch designer blazer for my husband yesterday. Bijenkorf handles the tax-free end of things in-house -- be sure to have at least a photo of your passport on you and you can get your refund on the spot, though you still have to get a customs stamp at the airport when you leave the country.

After having been to the high end department stores of New York and London, it is hard to impress over those. Same thing here. While the store is high end, it reminds me of what Macy's used to be; not quite upscale but on the borderline. Of course, Macy's isn't even that anymore. The store itself is bright an clean but appears to be more of a collective for teens and twenty-somethings with nothing better to do than window shop while chit-chatting with their crew. We walked a bit and saw nothing that would catch your eye or anything to entice you to make a purchase. The store was abuzz with activity, I just don't really know what the activity was. The uppermost floor had several food stalls for those lunching or snacking and this seemed to be the most popular area of the store, other than the free toilets. The store was easy to navigate with clearly defined labels. Overall you can make a stop in here on a long day and take a quick look around pretending you are interested in making a purchase then work you way up to the top floor and slip into the toilet, that way you feel quite as guilty for only using it as a pit stop before heading back into the crowded square.