Rotterdam Travelers Recommend

A 2-day trip to Rotterdam offers the chance to fully explore the sights of this innovative Dutch city, from its contemporary architecture to its port. With just two days, you’ll want to see as much as possible. Here’s how to do it. 

Day 1: Explore the City

**Morning:**Spend your first hours in Rotterdam getting your bearings. Guided walking tours can take you to architectural landmarks such as Piet Blom’s Cube Houses and provide insight into the city’s history. Another option is to zip around the city by bike, seeing the top sights in less time.

**Afternoon:**Continue exploring at your own pace on a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour. Stay aboard as the bus makes its loop around the city or hop on and off as you like to visit attractions such as Erasmus Bridge and Museumpark. Tickets typically are valid for 24 or 48 hours, meaning you can board the bus anytime you like within that time frame.

**Night:**Take a private food-themed walking tour that visits neighborhoods such as Kruiskade and Chinatown. Tours provide insight into Rotterdam’s best restaurants, street food, and culinary scene, and include samples of local delicacies such as herring, Stroopwafel, and krokets.

Day 2: Dive into the Harbor

**Morning:**Begin your second day with a laid-back walking and boat tour of Rotterdam’s coolest neighborhood—the hip Katendrecht district on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas, once the city’s Chinatown and largely populated by sailors. Small-group tours typically include a boat ride and visit to the former cruise ship Rotterdam.

**Afternoon:**Explore Rotterdam’s port with a ferry or bus tour of FutureLand Massvlakte. Learn what the port means for shipping and commerce in Europe and take in views of the container areas and massive cranes. Alternatively, take a glass elevator rider up the Euromast observation tower, and, if you’re hungry, visit one of the on-site eateries.

**Night:**Armed with the insider’s tips you sourced on yesterday’s food tour, spend your final evening in one of the city’s best restaurants. With people from more than 170 different countries calling Rotterdam home, the city boasts a wide array of restaurants serving a diverse food and flavors.

Despite being nearly destroyed by World War II bombing, Rotterdam has since been reborn, transforming itself into a futuristic architectural wonderland replete with innovative contemporary constructions. Here are a few of the Dutch city’s must-see structures, which showcase the exuberance and ingenuity of its architecture.

Cube Houses

Designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom in the 1970s, this series of cubic houses was one of the inventive postwar development projects that helped put Rotterdam on the architectural map. The tilted cube-shaped residences sit atop a pedestrian bridge, which spans a busy traffic thoroughfare. Their eye-catching appearance makes them a must on Rotterdam walking and sightseeing tours. Go inside the Kijk-Kubus (Show-Cube) to see what it’s like to live in one. 

Markthal (Market Hall)

Though it only opened in 2014, Markthal has quickly established itself as one of Rotterdam’s architectural highlights. While this inverted U-shaped building is filled with apartments and offices, the space underneath the curve serves as a food market.

Central Station

Another relatively recent addition to the Rotterdam cityscape, the remodeled Central Station opened in 2014. Every day, thousands of passengers rush through here to catch trains, metros, or trams, but it’s worth lingering a while to admire its design, particularly the angular metal-clad entrance at the south side of the station. 

Erasmus Bridge

Connecting the northern and southern halves of the city, this 2,631-foot-long (802-meter-long) cable-stay bridge has been christened the Swan. Erected in 1996, it is now a symbol of the city and is best viewed from the water’s edge or during cruises along the Nieuwe Maas river.

De Rotterdam

Designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, this series of stacked towers is one of the biggest developments in the Netherlands. With the towers cut in two at the midway point, and the top halves precariously and unevenly stacked, De Rotterdam is somewhat reminiscent of a kid’s building-block tower.

Home to some of Europe’s most innovative architecture, the port city of Rotterdam has plenty of appeal. Over three days, you can sail on Europe’s largest harbor, admire cutting-edge urban design, and discover the history of Rotterdam’s post-World War II reinvention. Here’s how to spend 72 hours in the Netherlands’ second city.

Day 1: On the Waterfront

Start your exploration of Rotterdam by jumping on a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus. Tickets are typically valid for 24 or 48 hours, and let you disembark and board the bus as often as you like; traveling this way gives you the flexibility to create your own itinerary. Routes typically cover the swan-shaped pylons of the Erasmus Bridge and the cultural zone of Museumpark, plus much more. 

Afterward, take the glass elevator to the Euromast observation deck, which at 314 feet (96 meters) promises excellent views of the city’s ever-changing skyline. While there, have lunch or dinner at one of the on-site eateries. The harbor area has plenty of other eating and drinking options to choose from, such the Art Nouveau Hotel New York, located in the former headquarters of the Holland America Line.

Day 2: Old and New Rotterdam

Spend your second morning on a walking tour of Rotterdam, which tend to cover its modern architecture and reveal pre- and post-WWII history that you’re unlikely to find in the guidebook. Explore Piet Blom’s bizarre Cube Houses and get transported back several centuries in tiny Delfshaven, a classic Dutch district crammed with gabled houses and warehouses that escaped the bombing raids of World War II. Make sure you save time to pop into the 15th-century Oude Kerk (Old Church).

Afterward, discover the delights of Dutch cuisine on a private culinary tour, which can be tailored to your dietary requirements and preferences. Food-themed tours typically visit the Kruiskade and Chinatown neighborhoods, as well as the Market Hall (Markthal). Staple samples tend to include pickled herring,Stroopwafel, and krokets. 

Day 3: Boats and Bulbs

Take a ferry across the River Maas from Willemsplein to the steamship SS Rotterdam, which was once the glamorous flagship of the Holland America Line. It’s been thoroughly dusted down and is now open for tours of the engine room, bow, and bridge.

If you’re visiting in spring, take a full-day tour to see the spring bulb fields around Lisse and Keukenhof, one of the world’s biggest flower gardens. Tours typically include free time to admire the vast carpets of flowers, explore themed gardens, and absorb the color and fragrance of millions of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. If you’re visiting out of season, see another icon of the Dutch landscape by taking the Waterbus to the UNESCO-listed windmills and polders of Kinderdijk. Back in Rotterdam, head to the buzzing warehouses of Westelijk Handelsterrein for dinner and late-night clubbing.

Rotterdam may be the Netherlands’ “second city,” but it exudes the confidence of a capital. Home to the world’s largest port, some of the best architecture in Europe, and first-rate art and food scenes, it is well worth making the quick trip from Amsterdam. Here’s how to spend one day in Rotterdam.

Morning: Take in the Sights by Foot or by Bike

Rotterdam is a pleasantly walkable city, so get a feel for the local atmosphere by taking a walking tour. You’ll find many different private and group tours from which to choose, from architecture-themed tours that take you to see Piet Blom’s Cube Houses, among other highlights; to history- and culture-focused tours that provide insight into Rotterdam’s post-World War II recovery and how the city center was rebuilt after being flattened by bombing. Another option is to zip around the city by bike. You’ll also see the top sights but cover more ground in less time.

Afternoon: Choose Your Own Adventure

Indulge your interests a little deeper by embarking on a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour. Sitting on the upper deck of a double-decker bus offers views of the cityscape, and you can either stay aboard as the bus makes its full loop around the city or hop on and off when you wish. Tours typically include stops at attractions such as Erasmus Bridge and Museumpark and, for the duration of their tickets’ validity, passengers are permitted to get off the bus to explore, then get back on and continue to another attraction.

Night: Discover Dutch Delights

Round out your day in Rotterdam by discovering the delights of Dutch cuisine on a private walking tour tailor-made for foodies. Food-themed tours typically visit the Kruiskade and Chinatown neighborhoods, taking in the sights and atmosphere, and provide insight into Rotterdam’s restaurants, street food, and culinary scene. Sample a variety of local delicacies such as herring, Stroopwafel, and krokets before ending the night at Market Hall to browse the many stalls and where, if you are still hungry, you can sit down for dinner and a drink.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk is home to the Netherlands’ largest collection of 18th-century windmills. The 19 windmills are some of the most famous Dutch landmarks and lie a 30-minute drive from Rotterdam, making Kinderdijk a popular choice for a day trip. Here are your options for Kinderdijk windmills tours from Rotterdam.

Highlights

• Explore inside the De Ster and De Leliesave windmills, and learn more about the Netherlands’ elaborate network of canals, dikes, mills, and reservoirs.

• Take an electric boat ride along the canal and admire the windmills from the water.

• Walk or cycle along the waterfront on a self-guided tour, stopping to take photos of the striking windmills.

• Visit in springtime when the tulip fields around Kinderdijk are in bloom, or enjoy a nighttime visit during the spectacular Illumination Festival in September.

• Enjoy discounts on entrance fees and activities at Kinderdijk with a Rotterdam Welcome Card.

• Combine a half-day tour of Kinderdijk with a sightseeing city tour of Rotterdam.

• Choose a guided, private tour for a personalized experience.