Jaunted

· Gerda’s
The Dutch love their flowers, and they often buy those flowers at Gerda’s. This florist goes beyond tulips, selling garden and house plants as well as bulbs and seeds (but getting them through customs is your own problem). If you’re looking for something a little more detailed (perhaps a host gift?), Gerda’s puts together arrangements that would shame even Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess.

· La Savonnerie
If regular soap from a regular store isn’t quite enough for you, La Savonnerie will be the answer to your prayers. Stand around sniffing the gorgeously curated selection already in the shop or make your own custom soap with some assistance from the helpful staff. You can even get soaps personalized with names or dates on them. One note: the soaps take about 24 hours to complete, so don’t go here on your last day in town.

· Ready to Fish
Some of Holland’s hottest up and coming designers are featured here, in this smartly curated boutique. Almost everything is for sale, from the minimalist men’s and women’s clothes to the chic furniture. If you can’t make up your mind about what to buy, there’s an in-store bar where you can have a beer and deliberate about your purchases. Hello, drunk shopping.

· Alfons de Letter
This shop makes signs. That’s all. And they will be the coolest, most instructive signs you ever see in your life.

· English Bookshop
This is technically cheating, as the English Bookshop is on nearby Lauriergracht, known to locals as the “tenth street.” But for a selection of English-language books that would even impress a college Literature major, it’s worth a visit.

Pro tip: To find the 9 Streets on a map, look for these streets: Reestraat, Hartenstraat, Gasthuis Molensteeg, Oude Spiegelstraat,, Wolvenstraat, Berenstraat, Runstraat, Huidenstraat and Wijde Heisteeg.

[Photos: Jaunted]