Rotterdam Travel Guide: 17 must do’s
Rotterdam is the largest port city in Europe and a super fun city to wander around for a day or a weekend! You can do it all here by strolling through the streets, having a drink on a terrace at the Oude Haven, climbing the Euromast, or spotting street art! Read on quickly for all my tips for a day or weekend in Rotterdam (Netherlands)!
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1) Erasmusbrug (Erasmus Bridge)
The icon of Rotterdam is of course the Erasmus Bridge! It was built in 1996 and is known as “the Swan”.
2) Kop van Zuid
When you cross the Erasmus Bridge you will arrive at the “Kop van Zuid”. You will feel like you are in New York with many tall and impressive buildings. The mix of historical buildings and modern skyscrapers is great!
Fun Fact: Rotterdam is also sometimes called the New York of Europe with its towering skyscrapers and historic buildings.
Hotel New York / Holland Amerika Lijn
At the end of the Kop van Zuid lies Hotel New York. It is a hotel and restaurant and it is located in the old head office of the Holland-America Cruise Line. Between 1873 and 1971 hundreds of thousands of people left the Netherlands and Eastern Europe to go to America to build a better life there.
SS Rotterdam
The ss Rotterdam (1959) is the former flagship cruise liner of the Holland-America Line. Since 2008 the ship has been docked in Rotterdam, re-purposed as a permanent hotel and events venue. You can wander on-board for free to explore.
3) Euromast
When you are in Rotterdam, you can’t miss the Euromast. This tower is 185 meters high and offers a 360-degree view of the city, very cool! There is also a hotel in the tower, and you can eat delicious food in the restaurant.
4) Delfsthaven
Felfsthaven is one of the few parts of Rotterdam city that survived the World War 2 bombings. The area came was a rich harbor town in the 16th century, then it was a famous departure point for the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed to America.
5) Witte de Withstraat
A lovely street in Rotterdam is the Witte de Withstraat in the Witte de Withkwartier. Here you will find art, boutique shops, restaurants, and cozy bars (with terraces if the weather is nice).
6) Boijmans van Beuningen Museum
The exterior of Boijmans van Beuningen Museum is super cool to see! Walk around the beautiful park next to it where you can chill by the water. The Chabot Museum, the Kunsthal, and the Natural History Museum are also quite close.
7) Laurens Church
The Laurens Church is a church from the Middle Ages that survived the WW2 bombings.
8) Central Library
The central library of Rotterdam is a post-modernist building with some resemblance to the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Fun Fact: Every saturday there is a market on this square where you can buy clothes, cheese, fish, flowers, etc!
9) Kubuswoningen
A real eye-catcher is the yellow cube houses in Blaak. These were designed by Piet Blom and built in the 80s. One of the cube houses is a Kijk-kubus (Watch-Cube), so you can see how you people live in it. It is a unique piece of construction! Also in Blaak is the Blaaktoren (Het Potlood), another special building. For my friends and I, it resembled a witch’s hat.
10) Markthal (market hall)
The Markthal is also worth a visit as it’s shaped in a giant inverted U-shaped design. The walls and ceiling inside are decorated with a beautiful work of art where it seems like you’re an insect in the tall grass! In the Markthal you will find more than a hundred stalls with fresh products such as cheese, sausage, nuts, chocolates, fish, and more. There are also restaurants where you can enjoy a small bite. I chose a Dutch snack: the meat croquette!
11) Oude Haven
Not far from the Cube Houses and the Markthal lies the Oude Haven. Enjoy a drink on a terrace with a view of the pleasant harbor. The first jetty of the Oude Haven is said to have been constructed in 1350, making it the oldest harbor in Rotterdam. You will also find the Witte Huis (White house) here, the first skyscraper in Europe.
12) Nieuwe Delfste Poort
The building, which looks like a three-dimensional graphic drawing, is based on the neoclassical pre-war gate that was demolished during the war. It symbolizes a Rotterdam that is still under construction.
13) Luchtsingel
This cute yellow pedestrian bridge is also worth a visit! It connects the north of Rotterdam to the city center. You could donate a board in exchange for a name you could give it (your board). Unfortunately, the bridge was closed off to us.
14) Dakakker
The DakAkker is a rooftop farm in Rotterdam, the first in the world and the largest one of The Netherlands. Vegetables, edible flowers, and fruit are grown there and bees and chicken are kept. There is also a public bistro on the roof, where you can also pick edible flowers in the native garden during the summer (by reservation).
15) Streetart
Walk around Rotterdam and try to find many cool works of art.
16) Discover Rotterdam by boat
A fun way to discover Rotterdam: by water! Take the water taxi to the other side instead of the metro or bridge (€5).
17) Kinderdijk
The 19 windmills of Kinderdijk have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. If you’re in Rotterdam, why not pass by the area? The (typical Dutch) windmill complex has created a very special system that ensures that this region remains dry. It is nice to take a walk or cycle a bit here.
Where to stay in Rotterdam
The best thing of course is to stay here during your visit to Rotterdam! You can choose for a hotel (HotelM Citizen) or AirBnB but why not sleep on a houseboat? Quite the experience!
How to get there
Do you want to come by car? Then keep in mind that parking is quite expensive in many places. It is a good idea to park your car at a P+R (e.g. Kralingse Zoom or APCOA parking) or in a suburb and then take the bus to the center. Sometimes there is also the possibility to park the car at your hotel for a good price.
You can also come to Rotterdam by train. Very easy, because you get off in the center. From here you can, for example, take a public bike to discover Rotterdam, or you can go on foot!
Going out with a hop-on-hop-off bus is also fun! This way you can explore Rotterdam at your own pace. Book your ticket for a sightseeing tour with the hop-on-hop-off bus here!
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