From spring until early autumn, the Netherlands comes alive with a series of flea markets, offering antique enthusiasts and casual browsers a chance to discover pre-owned treasures. In this guide to the best summer antique markets in the Netherlands we take you Delft, Gouda, Haarlem, and The Hague for some of the best weekly brocantes the country has to offer.
1. Delft
Delft offers perhaps the most picturesque setting for a flea market in the Netherlands. Every Saturday from April to October, the streets along Delft’s canals host over 100 stalls featuring beautiful old Dutch and international antiques and curiosities. This market is particularly known for its selection of old Dutch tiles and Delft blue china. The Saturday market morning usually gets really busy during the day, especially in sunny weather.
📍 Location: Around the Oude Kerk and the following streets: Voldersgracht, Wijnhaven, Vrouwjuttenland and Hippolytusbuurt
🧸 Market day: Saturday
🗓️ 2024 Dates: 6 April 6 – 28 September
⏰ Opening times: 10am – 4pm
🧭 How to get there:
- Take the train to Delft Station. Walk 10-15 minutes to the Old Church (Oude Kerk).
- Take tram 1 and 19 to the Prinsenhof stop. Walk 5 minutes to the Old Church (Oude Kerk)
- Parking within the historical centre of Delft is very limited. We recommend you park at the Phoenix Parking Garage or Prinsenhofgarage and walk 10-15 minutes to the Old Church (Oude Kerk)
If you are already in Delft…
- Saturday mornings are also time for the regular weekly market in Delft. It’s your chance to sample traditional Dutch market snacks such as herring, stroopwafels, fried fish (kibbeling) or pick up some boerenkaas, delicious Dutch cheese made with raw milk, from the cheese stall. At the fish stall you can get raw oysters, have them opened and eat them straight away, Paris-style.
The brocante along the canals of Delft
2. Gouda
Every Wednesday throughout the summer, Gouda’s historic Market Square transforms into “Gouds Montmartre,” an antique market reminiscent of Parisian brocantes. Set against the backdrop of the centuries-old Town Hall, this event attracts around 4,000 visitors each week. With 140 stalls offering everything from antique furniture to vintage clothing, visitors can find old books, prints, records, and a lot more.
📍 Location: Markt
🧸 Market day: Wednesday
🗓️ 2024 Dates: 5 June – 28 August
⏰ Opening times: 9am – 4:30pm
🧭 How to get there:
- Take the train to Gouda Station. Walk 10-15 minutes to the market square called Markt
- Park at Q-Park New Market and walk 5 minutes to the market square
If you are already in Gouda…
- Restaurant LIZZ* at Relais & Châteaux Weeshuis Gouda has a beautiful little garden with tables under tall trees in a 16th-century courtyard setting. You can enjoy drinks, bites, and lunch in the outdoor dining area, and on days with good weather, even dinner. They have a Michelin star but also offer a more casual dining arrangement.
Gouda’s Montmartre
3. Haarlem
Twice a month on Saturdays from May to September, Haarlem’s historical Dreef promenade hosts a delightful brocante market. Around 90 stalls line this tree-shaded avenue, making it one of the longest (bi-)weekly antique markets in the Netherlands. Visitors can find paintings, small furniture, interior decorations, tableware, Dutch and Portuguese tiles, linens, and children’s toys among the many treasures available.
📍 Location: Dreef
🧸 Market day: Saturday (twice a month)
🗓️ 2024 Dates: 18 May – 21 September (click here for exact dates)
⏰ Opening times: 9am – 4:30pm
🧭 How to get there:
- Take the train to Haarlem Station. Walk 30 minutes to the Dreef or take a bus to the stop “Haarlem, Centrum/Houtplein”
- Park at the Parkeergarage Houtplein or Parkeergarage De Dreef
If you are already in Haarlem…
- I had the best coffee in Haarlem at Vascobelo V-bar
- There’s a teeny-tiny patat (French fries) shop near the train station called FrietHoes! It’s insanely good!
- You can tap your own wine at the HARLEM SOCIAL CLUB, and you have over 90 wines by the glass to choose from including orange wine and biodynamic wines. They also serve oysters!
One of the antique markets in the Netherlands, in Haarlem
4. The Hague
The Lange Voorhout in The Hague becomes a bibliophile’s dream every Thursday and Sunday from early May to late September. This antique and book market features around 50 stalls filled with curiosities, old prints, multilingual books, paintings, and various bric-a-brac. The market’s setting, an L-shaped street in the old city centre surrounded by linden trees and notable buildings, adds to its charm. Food trucks with seating areas provide a perfect spot for visitors to take a break and enjoy their finds.
📍 Location: Lange Voorhout
🧸 Market day: Thursday and Sunday
🗓️ 2024 Dates: 2 May – 22 September
⏰ Opening times: 10am – 6pm
🧭 How to get there:
- Take the train to The Hague Central Station. Walk 15 minutes to the Lange Voorhout or take tram 15 to the stop Korte Voorhout and walk 5 minutes or take bus 24/22/28 to the stop ‘s-Gravenhage, Kneuterdijk and walk 3 minutes
- Park at the parking garage “Interparking Museumkwartier“
If you are already in The Hague…
- Café Bartine is a few minutes walk away from the Lange Voorhout and offers super delicious seasonal dishes, good coffee, innovative pastries from their own bakery and organic wines. The Turkish eggs served on labneh and topped with pumpkin is probably the most perfect brunch dish in the world.
The antique and book market on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague
