The Spiegelkwartier, meaning 'mirror quarter', is a joy for art and antiques enthusiasts. The array of shops is focused on the Spiegelgracht (Amsterdam's shortest canal) and its continuation, Nieuwe Spiegelstraat.
From Tuesday to Saturday (shops in the quarter are closed on Sundays and Mondays), visitors include savvy collectors, dilettantes dithering and window shoppers assuming (perhaps correctly) that one has to be rich to shop here.
As you enter the Spiegelkwartier from the direction of the Rijksmuseum, Antiquariaat Hoogkamp (Spiegelgracht 27, tel: 31 20 625 88 52) looms large. Built at the end of the 17th century, this listed building sells reproduction and antique prints from the 16th century onwards. With prices from Euro6 ($56) to Euro8,000, there is something for everyone. Certificates of origin and authenticity are issued with all antique prints and purchases can be framed and bubble-wrapped (from Euro11) sooner than you can say Vincent van Gogh.
For 16 years, Fred van Dreven of Van Dreven (Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 38, tel: 31 20 428 84 42) has been a fixture in the quarter with his wonderful collection of clocks, musical boxes and barometers. His pride and joy (and carrier of a whopping Euro25,000 price tag) is a German Kalliope musical box from 1890. Other unique pieces include French clocks depicting a steam engine, a windmill and a sailing boat.
Leonor Binenbaum (Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 45, tel: 31 20 422 06 48) regularly crosses borders to source items for her shop, which sells Victorian and art-deco jewellery (from Euro100) and silverware such as pill boxes, photo frames and candelabra (Euro60 upwards). If you don't want to spend a fortune or resort to a tacky souvenir shop, the ramshackle Eduard Kramer (Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 64, tel: 31 20 623 08 32) is the place to pick out a memento. This crammed-to-the-rafters establishment sells Delft blue tiles from as far back as 1580 (from Euro11) as well as their less-well-known polychrome counterparts (Euro12). Exquisite tile paintings (Euro8,000 or less) are also on sale.
Towards the Herengracht end of the Spiegelkwartier is Galerie Lieve Hemel (left; Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 3, tel: 31 20 623 00 60). This airy 100-square-metre former bank specialises in paintings by the contemporary Dutch trompe l'oeil school (from Euro5,800). The gallery's everyday items recreated in wood - such as a coat hanging on a door, a tablecloth on an occasional table and a bow tie - by Italian ornamental sculptor Livio De Marchi are guaranteed to elicit a giggle, if not gasps of disbelief. Prices start at Euro9,800.