Five Reasons To Visit Rotterdam

As I came out of the ferry terminal at Rotterdam Europoort there were several coaches waiting to whisk people off to Amsterdam. And just one minibus going to the centre of Rotterdam. Yet the Netherlands’ second largest city has a rich history and a lively arts and social scene. So why is it overlooked as a tourist destination?

Here is my list of five reasons to visit Rotterdam…

1. The Art… And The Architecture

You are surrounded by art in Rotterdam. There is street art on every corner: often provocative and colourful, and occasionally interactive. There is sculpture too, with a specially created trail alongside the Westersingel Canal.

Then there is the architecture. The relative lack of older buildings is made up for by bold contemporary design. The Cube Houses near Blaak Station are perhaps the best known, but the city centre is full of stylish modern buildings. (Read more about Rotterdam’s art and architecture.)

2. World Class Museums

Unfortunately I ran out of time and didn’t manage to visit any of the museums on this trip. This was a pity because Rotterdam has several excellent museums. Top of my list would have been the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, an impressive collection of classic Dutch and modern artworks, and the Nieuwe Instituut, an exploration of architecture. There is also the Maritime Museum (which looks as if it would be good for families, with children’s activities and an interactive Offshore Experience), the Natural History Museum, and many more.

Most of the museums have an entry charge. However if you want to learn a bit about the history of the city for free, head to the Market Hall and take the escalators down to the car park. Beside the escalators is a timeline showing the development of Rotterdam and the surrounding area. There are also a few display cases with historic artefacts (you need to go through the doors to the car park to see them properly).

3. The Rotterdam Waterfront

Rotterdam has a long maritime history, but bombing during the Second World War destroyed much of the waterfront and harbour area. However there has been a gradual programme of redevelopment and now it is part of an amenity area stretching from the Museum Quarter to the Cube Houses and the modern buildings of central Rotterdam.

Today the water is full of leisure craft. And the harbourside is packed with bars and restaurants: this is very much a place where the locals come. As a tourist you could take a Harbour Sightseeing Cruise, or just stop for a drink and join in with the social buzz.

4. Eating And Drinking In Rotterdam

You can get some great food in Rotterdam, and you can try just about any cuisine. Walk down Witte de Withstraat – where every other building seems to be a bar or a restaurant – and you’ll see everything from traditional Dutch to Indian, burgers and kebabs. You would expect Indonesian in The Netherlands, but in the small Chinatown area around Westersingel and West Kruiskade you will also find Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese. There are several “Surinamese” eateries: confusingly, these seem to serve south east Asian food!

Of course there is fine dining in Rotterdam too. I was treated to a sneak preview of the Millen Restaurant in the Marriott Hotel (due to open mid-July) where the Michelin starred chef was serving up imaginative and beautifully presented food such as freshly caught red mullet with samphire and fennel.

If you are looking for a drink, there are trendy bars everywhere. Or, if you prefer, there are traditional wooden panelled pubs. I enjoyed a drink and a snack in the Art Deco style interior of the Sijf on Oude Binnenweg. (Oude Binnenweg is now a modern shopping street, but it is one of the oldest roads in Rotterdam and has retained a few of the older buildings.)

5. Rotterdam As A Base

Rotterdam is easy to get to, and much less crowded than Amsterdam, making it an ideal base for a stay in the Netherlands. From here you can take day trips by train to several Dutch cities including Amsterdam, The Hague, Leiden, or Delft. Or you can travel by waterbus to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with nineteen windmills.

Have you been to Rotterdam? Let me know what you enjoyed most about the city in the comments below.

Planning Your Trip To Rotterdam

• Rotterdam The Hague Airport is 4.3 km away, but you may have more choice of flights to Amsterdam Schiphol (47 km). Buses run to the city from Rotterdam Airport, and there is a train connection from Schiphol to Rotterdam Central Station.
• Rotterdam is accessible by train from just about anywhere in mainland Europe, and it is possible to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras. For visitors from the UK, there are also regular overnight ferry services from Hull.
• For accommodation in Rotterdam have a look at the recommendations on booking.com.
• You might like to get your bearings by taking a guided city tour. Possibilities include a City Highlights Bike Tour or a Highlights & Hidden Gems Walking Tour with a Local.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.

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