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Aalsmeer Flower Market

I just saw a video posted by a youtube blogger my son follows stating that the Flower Market has gone completely automated and is no longer worth visiting. Has anyone been there in 2022 to verify or deny this? We will be there in less than a month and trying to decide if it's worth our time. Thank you!

Posted by
1218 posts

I always find the “is it worth it” questions the most difficult to answer. Only you can decide whether or not something is worth your time. It depends on how many days you’re here, what your interests are etc etc.
What was the reason you wanted to visit the flower auction in the first place? To see the flowers? To see the bidding process? Or to see the logistical process? The bidding may now be done electronically, the flowers are still there. So there still is more than enough to see at the auction, but whether it’s worth your time is up to you.

Posted by
7181 posts

We need more information. The flowers have been pulled through the bidding room by hidden traction devices for many years. And the bidders who (used to ???) sit in the sloped auditorium room have had laptop computers for many years. So we need to know if the auditorium is no longer in use.

I will say that the warehouse operation, seen from the visitors' catwalk, was extremely interesting. The (eventual?) loss of the physical auction process will be a disappointment, but it was not close to the largest part of our visit. We went in 2012, in a rental car. We had slept in Den Haag, and probably went to Keukenhof the same morning. We returned the car on arrival in Amsterdam that evening.

A small advantage of the (possible) end of the auction might be a decrease in crowding at the specific hour of the auction. But I would assume that it will remain an early-day event, in the interest of shipping the purchases while still as fresh as possible.

Posted by
5 posts

Yes, my question is whether a visitor still gets the experience of walking above while the carts with thousands of flowers go by, or if that too has diminished or stopped. I don't see any guidebook revisions about this topic yet (I don't know if he or Cameron have updated Netherlands this year). Thank you to anyone who has attended it this year or who lives in the area and knows for sure.

Posted by
2291 posts

I don't see any guidebook revisions about this topic yet (I don't know if he or Cameron have updated Netherlands this year

The new edition will be released in March 2023.

Posted by
9099 posts

Physical activity at the market is slowly disappearing. Most flowers these days are sold at supermarkets, and other big-box retailers. These retailers deal directly with the growers and have no reason to use Aalsmeer.
Every year fewer and fewer products pass through. It will eventually close-up; sooner rather than later.
So my advice is to make the effort and check it out before it becomes a dinosaur.

Posted by
60 posts

I believe the video you are referring to is this by Tom Scott (who I also follow):
https://youtu.be/uAdmzyKagvE
And Tom still thinks it worth going to see if you have time near Amsterdam.