Flower-market typology
Tourist daily markets (Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt — bulbs and souvenirs), social Sunday street markets (Columbia Road), Provençal regional markets (Nice), wholesale auction halls (Aalsmeer for trade buyers). Each different experience.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt — floating market on Singel canal, daily 9am–5:30pm. Tulip bulbs (vacuum-packed for international travel) the souvenir, but also fresh cut flowers. Touristy now; for serious tulip-blooming-fields, day-trip to Keukenhof (March–May only).
London — Columbia Road
London Columbia Road Flower Market — Sundays only, 8am–3pm. East London (Hackney) ish. Closing-time bargains 2:30pm onward. Cockney market-call atmosphere ("£10 a bunch! Three for £20!"). Surrounding boutique shops open Sunday.
Nice — Cours Saleya
Daily Tuesday–Saturday 6am–5:30pm, Sunday 6am–1:30pm. Provençal flowers + produce + spices in narrow Old Nice street. Smaller than Amsterdam but the Mediterranean color and light unmatched. Mondays the market space hosts antiques instead of flowers.
Paris
Paris Marché aux Fleurs at Île de la Cité (closed Mondays for the bird market). Smaller than the past — Paris flower-market scene declined post-COVID — but iconic. Carries forced lily-of-the-valley in May (muguet, French May 1 tradition).
Aalsmeer (Netherlands wholesale)
Royal FloraHolland Aalsmeer — world's largest flower auction. Trade buyers only for purchases, but visitor gallery 7am–11am Mon-Fri (€7) shows flowers cycling through Dutch-clock auction system. 30 minutes from Amsterdam.
Florence
Florence Piazza della Repubblica weekend flower stalls; Mercato Centrale flower vendors. Small-scale but charming.
Strategy
Flowers fresh local — buy day-of-travel only. Bulbs and dried arrangements the international souvenirs. Tulip bulb season October–November (planting); Keukenhof tulip-field viewing March–May only.