Are you interested in Rotterdam and its attractions? Do you want to learn about this city as much as possible useful information necessary for a tourist trip?
Rotterdam is located in the province of South Holland, in the west of the Netherlands. It covers an area of 320 km² and its population is more than 600,000 people. People of different nationalities live in this city: 55% are Dutch, another 25% are Turks and Moroccans, and the rest come from different countries.
The Nieuwe-Maas River flows through Rotterdam, and a few kilometers from the city it flows into the River Scheher, which, in turn, flows into the North Sea. Although Rotterdam is located at a distance of 33 km from the North Sea, this city of the Netherlands is recognized as the largest port in Europe.
The most interesting sights of Rotterdam
Anyone interested in seeing what the metropolitan areas of Europe will be like in 30-50 years is sure to visit Rotterdam. The fact is that the locals, restoring Rotterdam after the end of World War II, decided to make their city unique, vibrant, memorable. The most creative projects were approved, and a lot of buildings appeared in the city that became landmarks: a swan bridge, a cubic house, an Euromast, buildings in the form of a mushroom and an iceberg.
Undoubtedly, there is something to see in this city. But it’s better to first get acquainted with the sights of Rotterdam with a photo with a description, find out their exact address and, if possible, see the location on a map of the city.
And to see the maximum of attractions and save on their inspection, it is advisable to purchase a Rotterdam Welcome Card. It allows you to visit and see almost all the popular places in Rotterdam at a discount of 25-50% of the cost, and also gives the right to travel freely on any public transport in the city. The card can be bought for 1 day for 11 €, for 2 days for 16 €, for 3 days – for 20 €.
Erasmus Bridge is thrown across the Nieuwe Maas River, it connects the northern and southern parts of Rotterdam with each other.
Erasmus Bridge is a real world landmark. Reaching 802 m in length, it is considered the largest and heaviest drawbridge in Western Europe. However, this is one of the thinnest bridges – its thickness is less than 2 m.
This huge, asymmetric, as if floating in the air bridge, has an unusual elegant and stately construction. For its unique appearance, it was called the “Swan Bridge” and became one of the symbols of the city and one of its most important attractions.
Erasmus Bridge is a must-see walk! It offers views of many famous architectural masterpieces of Rotterdam, and the photos are wonderful. And in the evenings, on the extravagant support of the bridge, the backlight turns on, and in the dark an unusual asphalt surface flickers.
How to get to Erasmus Bridge:
- by metro (lines D, E) to Wilhelminaplein station;
- trams 12, 20, 23, 25 to the stop Wilhelminaplein;
- Tram 7 to the Willemskade stop;
- by water bus number 18, 20 or 201 to the pier Erasmusbrug.
In the center of Rotterdam is a recognized architectural landmark: Markethol Market. Official address: Dominee Jan Scharpstraat 298, 3011 GZ Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The arched structure is recognized as a true masterpiece – it simultaneously serves as a covered food market and residential building. 96 grocery stalls and 20 cafes are located on the lower 2 floors of the building, and 228 apartments are equipped on the next 9 floors, including the curved part of the arch. The apartments have large windows or a glass floor, made in such a way that you can see the market clutter. At the two ends of Markthal, giant glass walls are installed that transmit light, while serving as reliable protection against cold and atmospheric precipitation.
The unique building, which has become a world famous landmark, has another striking feature: the internal ceiling (almost 11,000 m²) is covered with colorful Cornucopia murals.
The futuristic market works according to this schedule:
- Monday – Thursday and Saturday – from 10:00 to 20:00;
- Friday – from 10:00 to 21:00;
- Sunday – from 12:00 to 18:00.
Getting to Markthal is convenient:
- by metro to the railway station and Blaak metro station (lines A, B, C);
- by tram number 21 or 24 to the Blaak Station stop;
- take bus 32 or 47 to the Station Blaak stop.
The list of “Rotterdam – the most interesting sights in one day” includes 40 cubic buildings located at Overblaak 70, 3011 MH Rotterdam, Netherlands.
All houses are residential, one of them has a hostel (21 € per night for one bed). Only one cubod is open for visits, you can watch it on any day of the week from 11:00 to 17:00.
The tour will cost the following amount:
- for adults 3 €;
- for pensioners and students 2 €;
- for children under 12 years – 1.5 €.
For more information on cubic houses, see this page .
You will not be bored during a walk around the Delfshaven quarter, because it is part of the old city of Rotterdam, where there are many interesting and noteworthy attractions. It is very pleasant to stroll slowly through the quiet streets, sit in one of the local cafes.
On the territory of Deshavn is located the oldest in Rotterdam bar Cafe de Ooievaar and a windmill built in 1727. Here you can see the monument to the national hero of the Netherlands, Pete Hain, who won one of the battles in the West India Company. A copy of the famous Dutch ship “Delft”, which took part in the naval campaigns of the eighteenth century, is installed at the old harbor of Rotterdam.
Delfshaven has a tourist information center, its address is Voorstraat 13 – 15. It works all days of the week, except Mondays, from 10:00 to 17:00.
The Deshavn Quarter Attractions are conveniently accessible from the Erasmus Bridge: water bus ride to St. Jobshaven will cost 1 €. From any other point of the city you can get by metro: next to the Deshavn quarter is the Coolhaven metro station (lines A, B, C).
In the old harbor of Rotterdam you can visit the port church Delfshaven, which is located at : Rotterdam, Aelbrechtskolk, 20, De Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk.
Especially for tourists who want to see a very beautiful old building, time is allocated on Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 16:00. Although they can let people in at other times, if the service does not go (on Sunday it is in the morning and evening, and on weekdays only in the morning).
Near the old harbor there is a wonderful park, which is nice to walk around and see the picturesque vegetation. And although the park is good in itself, you can get even more impressions if you visit the Euromast. Address: Parkhaven 20, 3016 GM Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Euromast Tower is a tower with a height of 185 m, with a diameter of 9 m.
At a height of 96 m there is a viewing platform “Crow’s Nest”, from which you can see panoramic views of Rotterdam. The cost of visiting the site is as follows: for adults under 65 years old – 10.25 €, for pensioners – 9.25 €, for children from 4 to 11 years old – 6.75 €. Payment is possible only by credit card, cash is not accepted.
From the “Crow’s Nest” you can rise even higher, to the very top of the Euromast. The elevator that goes up there has glass walls and glass hatches in the floor, in addition, it constantly rotates around its axis. The views are amazing, and the photos of Rotterdam from such a height are incredibly beautiful! Such an extreme pleasure costs 55 €. If someone does not have enough drive, a rope can be run down from the tower.
The De Rottiserie restaurant is located on the upper platform, and there is a cafe below the level – the restaurant is very expensive, although the cafe is considered cheaper, the prices are still high.
On the upper tier of the tower, in the middle of the observation deck, there are 2 hotel double rooms, the cost of each is 385 € per day. The rooms are comfortable, but they have transparent walls, and tourists can see everything that is happening in them. But from 22:00 to 10:00, when access to the tower is closed, the observation deck is at the complete disposal of the hotel guest.
You can visit the Euromast and see the city of Rotterdam from a bird’s flight on any day of the week from 10:00 to 22:00.
At Museum Park 18-20, 3015 CX Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the completely unique Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is located.
In the museum you can see a very extensive collection of works of art: from the masterpieces of classical painting to samples of modern art. But the uniqueness of the museum is not even in the scale of the collection, but in the way the exhibits of two diametrically opposite directions, having different target audiences, coexist in this building. Museum staff abandoned the boring tradition of separating thematic eras, so classic paintings, paintings by impressionists, works in the spirit of abstract expressionism, and modern installations are safely placed nearby in the exhibition halls.
Such famous artists as Dali, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Degas, Rubens are represented by one or two canvases, but their value does not diminish from this at all. The works of postmodernists and completely new artists are impressively selected. For example, the collection includes Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Donald Judd, Bruce Nauman. In the museum you can also see some paintings by Rothko, who successfully sells his works for record amounts. Presented here is the now ultra-popular author Maurizio Cattelan – visitors can see his wonderful sculpture “Gawkers”. The museum also has exhibition halls with changing expositions.
You can buy tickets and also see all the interesting information about the Rotterdam Museum on the official website www.boijmans.nl/en. The cost of online tickets is as follows:
- for adults – 17.5 €;
- for students – 8.75 €;
- for children under 18 years old – free of charge;
- Boijmans Audio Guide – 3 €.
You can visit the museum and see the works of art presented in its halls on any day of the week, except Mondays from 11:00 to 17:00.
It is convenient to get from the Rotterdam Central Station to the Boymans Van Böningen Museum by tram number 7 or 20.
The Rotterdam Zoo is located in the Blijdorp quarter, with the exact address : Blijdorplaan 8, 3041 JG Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
You can see the inhabitants of the zoo every day from 9:00 to 17:00. Tickets are sold at the box office or special machines, but it is better to buy them in advance on the zoo website (www.diergaardeblijdorp.nl/en/) – this can save a lot of money. Below are the prices at which tickets are offered at the box office and at which they can be purchased online:
- for adults – 23 € and 21.5 €;
- for children from 3 to 12 years old – 18.5 € and 17 €.
The territory of the zoo is divided into thematic blocks representing all the world continents – all of them are equipped in accordance with the features of the environment, close to the natural habitat. There is a spacious pavilion with butterflies, an excellent aquarium. To make it easier for visitors to navigate, they are given a map at the entrance.
There is something to see in the Rotterdam Zoo, because there is a huge variety of representatives of the animal world. All animals are well-groomed, excellent living conditions are created for them. Aviaries are so vast that animals have the ability to move freely and can even hide from visitors! Of course, one can find a certain minus in this: it may not be possible to look at some animals.
Restaurants are very conveniently located throughout the zoological park, and the prices there are quite reasonable, and orders are brought quickly. There are several well-equipped indoor play areas for children.
You can get to the zoo in different ways:
- from the Rotterdam Centraal station in 15 minutes you can walk to the entrance from the city – Van Aerssenlaan 49;
- buses 40 and 44 stop near the entrance of the Riviera Hall;
- Oceanium Buses 33 and 40;
- To drive by car, just enter the address of the zoo in the navigator; For parking at a secure parking lot you need to pay 8.5 €.
Of course, in Rotterdam there is something to see, and in 1 day it is difficult to see all the most interesting. But the Arboretum Trompenburg Botanical Garden cannot be missed – it is an ideal place for walking. It is very beautiful and well-groomed, and the abundance of trees, shrubs and flowers is simply amazing. Beautiful compositions are composed of vegetation, a charming rose garden is equipped.
The park is located in Rotterdam, in the Kralingen area, address : Honingerdijk 86, 3062 NX Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
It is available for visits at such times:
- from April to October: on Monday from 12:00 to 17:00, and on other days of the week from 10:00 to 17:00;
- November to March: Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00, and on the rest of the week from 10:00 to 16:00.
Admission to the zoo for adults costs 7.5 €, for students 3.75 €. For children under 12 years old and visitors with a museum card, admission is free.
How much does a vacation in Rotterdam cost
No need to worry that a trip to the Netherlands “will cost a pretty penny”, you just need to go to Rotterdam.
In Rotterdam, as in most cities in the Netherlands, there are enough options for accommodation, and choosing and booking the right accommodation is most convenient on the Booking.com website.
In the summer, a double room in a 3 * hotel can be rented on average for 50-60 € per day, although there are more expensive options. For example, Ibis Rotterdam City Center located in the city center, where a double room costs 59 €, is very popular among tourists. The equally comfortable Days Inn Rotterdam City Center offers rooms for 52 €.
The average price for a double room in 4 * hotels is around 110 €, and there are many similar offers. However, in almost all hotels periodically there are promotions when a room can be rented for 50-80 €. For example, NH Atlanta Rotterdam Hotel, ART Hotel Rotterdam, Bastion Hotel Rotterdam Alexander offer such discounts.
As for the apartments, according to Booking.com, there are not so many of them in Rotterdam, and their prices vary significantly. So, for only 47 €, we offer a double room with one bed in Canalhouse Aan de Gouwe – this hotel is located in Gouda, at a distance of 19 km from Rotterdam. By the way, this hotel is in the top 50 most often booked options for 1 night and is in constant demand among tourists. For comparison: in the Heer & Meester Appartement, which is located in Dordrecht, at a distance of 18 km from Rotterdam, you will have to pay 200 € for a double room.
There are a lot of restaurants and cafes in Rotterdam, but sometimes you have to wait in line 10-15 minutes for an empty table.
A tight meal in Rotterdam can be for about 15 € – for this money they will bring a fairly large portion of food in an inexpensive restaurant. Dinner for two with alcohol will cost about 50 €, and get a combo lunch at McDonald’s for only 7 €.
How to get to Rotterdam
Rotterdam has its own airport, but it is much more convenient and more profitable to fly to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The distance between Amsterdam and Rotterdam is very small (74 km), and you can easily overcome it in just an hour.
Trains from Amsterdam to Rotterdam leave with a frequency of 10 minutes. The first flight is at 5:30, and the last at midnight. Departure takes place from Amsterdam Centraal and Station Amsterdam-Zuid stations, with trains running through Schiphol Airport.
A ticket from Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam in a class II carriage costs 14.5 €, and in a class I carriage it costs 24.7 €. Children 4-11 go for 2.5 €, but 1 adult can only carry 3 children, and for 4 children you can buy an adult ticket with a 40% discount. Children under 4 years old can travel for free.
Most trains travel from Schinpot to Rotterdam in 50 minutes, but the journey can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. The fastest trains owned by Intercity Direct travel this route in 27 minutes. There are also Thalys high-speed trains with special wheelchair seats.
The fares for regular and high-speed trains are no different. From Schinpot Airport to Rotterdam, travel costs 11.6 € in II class and 19.7 € in I class. For children – 2.5 €. There are flights to Rotterdam from the airport every 30 minutes, and NS Nachtnet night trains run.
Tickets can be purchased at special NS machines (they are installed at almost every station) or at NS kiosks, but with a mark-up of 0.5 €. All tickets are valid for a little more than a day: from 00:00 of the date they were purchased, and until 4:00 the next day. In some companies (for example, in Intercity Direct), you can book travel spots in advance.
Prices on the page are for June 2018.
If we talk about how to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam by bus, it should be noted that although it is cheaper, it is not very convenient. The fact is that there are only 3-6 flights per day, depending on the day of the week.
Buses depart from Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station and go to Rotterdam Central Station. The journey takes from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, and the cost of tickets varies from 7 to 10 €. On the site www.flixbus.ru you can study prices in detail and see the schedule.
So, you have already received the maximum of useful information about the second largest city in the Netherlands. You can safely get together on the road, get acquainted with Rotterdam and its attractions.
