If you’re after a shopping centre, head out to the newly refurbished Gelderlandplein which caters to an upmarket audience with quality stores including a fantastic branch of Marqt, Amsterdam’s WholeFoods-alike.
Alternatively, head a little further to the Winkelcentrum in Amstelveen. Here you’ll find a very large number of shops, a huge square with restaurants and cafes and a bustling Friday food market as well as seasonal events. Don’t miss the vast and wonderful bookstore Venstra and the large branch of HEMA – my favourite place for cheap kids clothes, toys and sundries (this branch has a cafe with a sweet little play area for children). There’s also a flagship branch of ubiquitous supermarket Albert Heijn, a large Zara, several toyshops, a playground and even a kids train that drives a full circuit both inside and outside at weekends. There’s a huge car park if you are coming by car as well as shorter-stay parking in the surrounding streets.