When people think of a holiday to the Netherlands, they naturally sway towards Amsterdam, but I can promise you this country is absolutely stunning and has so much to offer outside the capital city. We spent a week in Rotterdam trying out absolutely everything we could and exploring all the popular sights, so we could list the best activities in order to help you plan out your trip. If you’re looking for things to do in Rotterdam then hopefully I will be able to help. Also, have a cheeky watch of our video below on some of the best spots (it is quite old so don’t judge the video quality too harshly, I was learning).
1) The Cube Houses
Probably the most famous image of Rotterdam, the Cube Houses are designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom. An old man lives in one of the houses and offers a viewing to the public (it costs 3.50 euros for entry per person, cheaper for students or children).
A little random story I was told while on a tour was that they were building something else, but still had budget left over, therefore they ended up building the Cube Houses. They were never originally planned to be built, so that was lucky!
It’s all meant to collectively look like an urban forest, with each building being a tree. I can imagine it would be bizarre to live here, as you would need custom furniture to match the sloping walls.
2) Markthal Rotterdam
This isn’t any old marketplace. The reason people love it so much is because of the stunning ceiling, designed by Arno Coenen, who shows a beautiful mix of colours in the shape of fruit, flowers and insects. This is also a decent place to pick up some food for lunch.
Probably less well known (a little item we got from the city tour) was that there are some old artifacts in the basement if you go down to the car park level. They show the items dug up when building this magnificent piece of architecture.
3) Erasmus Bridge
Some say it looks like a swan, others said like a harp, whatever you see, it is quite a sight! Crossing the river Rhine, the bridge stretches 802 metres, making it around 5-6 minutes walk. We were actually staying at N-How, which is right next to the bridge, offering a great view if you get the right room and a high floor (we were on floor 20). You can also take a boat which sails underneath the bridge.
The bridge actually received a negative reaction at home when it was finished in 1996, but it’s now certainly one of the images of Rotterdam. You may also recognise it from the Red Bull Air Race, as it’s the backdrop.
4) Walking Tour
I went on two tours and both were amazing (but they did go on very similar routes so you definitely only need one). I have to include this as it taught me so much about this bizarre town, how it was completely wiped out in World War II, the rapid evolution in its image and architecture and the future plans for the city. It’s hard to imagine that the New York area is virtually all new.
The tours should show you all the main highlights on this list, including the Cube Houses, Markthal and most commonly starting at the central station.
5) Euromast
I will be honest, this is the only thing I never got round to doing, as we didn’t have time to head up, but I spoke to a lot of people who said it offered the best view of the city and made for some great photos.
Built around 1959, it has a reputation for being the biggest building in Rotterdam, however I feel like I shouldn’t be writing this as it could be outdated by the time it is read as many taller buildings are being planned and constructed as we speak. You CAN, if you don’t have a fear of heights, abseil down the Euromast.
You can actually stay here as they do have a hotel with luxury suites, with a private balcony looking out over the city, but they don’t come cheap.
6) Have A Drink At New York
Hotel New York is placed perfectly on the edge of the river, offering unbelievable views, while there is also a water taxi that can take you straight there. It is now recognised as a National Heritage Site, since 2000.
The outside seating area was ideal for the summer weather, while you will also find a cafe, restaurant, bars and a 4-star hotel. For those that don’t fancy an alcoholic beverage then they may enjoy a seafood platter at the restaurant or a coffee at the cafe.
7) Take A Water Taxi
These are incredibly fun to take and actually go pretty fast. Make sure to head straight to the back and get a seat on the outside, so you get the full experience. There are many spots around town which you can get them from, but it does get a bit confusing, as you are meant to call up to book them, however it’s a machine which talks in Dutch, therefore a bit of a headache as a tourist.
Fortunately, nowadays there is an app, which you should download before visiting or on arrival if you want to easily book your water taxi. It mainly works on zones, while there are also ‘short hop rides’ which are slightly cheaper and ideal if you just want to tick it off as a tourist.
8) Rotterdam Zoo
Both an aquarium and a zoo, this one is a bit further outside of town, but nothing an Uber can’t handle. It took around 16 minutes in the car to get there, but totally worth the journey. I’ve been to many zoo’s, however there were a couple of animals I’m not used to seeing, such as the red panda’s and the polar bears. The aquarium is arguably my favourite part, as you walk through the tunnel with all the sharks and sealife swimming around you.
I won’t lie, you will struggle to get around the whole zoo in a day. We thought we were near the end after two hours, but 3 more hours later and we were trying to find the exit, as we were completely lost!
9) SS Rotterdam Escape Rooms
Oh you heard me right, this is an escape rooms on a ship! This giant ocean liner no longer leaves the port, so they have converted it into more of a bar and restaurant. However down below deck, next to the old swimming pool, they have converted one of the rooms into an escape rooms. I won’t lie, we didn’t get out in time, but another group I chatted to got out with a minute to go, therefore it’s not the easiest.
The minimum age is 16, while you can have up to 6 people in the escape room (there are two rooms so you can have 12 people in your group split up). The time to beat is 28 minutes, good luck!
10) The Bikes Below The Station
This might sound like an odd one, but as an English person this was amazing. When they built the new station, they were worried about people dumping bikes out the front and it being congested and difficult to pass, so they made sure to build a giant car park for bikes below. There are seriously hundreds of thousands of bikes below the station, something I have never seen before.
There is 5,190 bike spaces available to the public, with security monitoring 1,430 of these. There is a lift to get down here, while they actually have a bike lift, so plenty of room for you and your set of wheels. Considering half the arrivals at the station come via a bike, it makes sense to build this facility in.
11) Explore Oude Haven
The old port, or Oude Haven, is a great area to explore, plus it’s free. You can walk along the riverside looking at all the boats, while there are some decent bars you can pop into. This is a great option if it’s sunny outside.
You can tick this off when heading to either the Cube Houses or Markthal, as they’re both nearby.
12) Luchtsingel
The yellow bridge was actually built as part of a kickstarter project to connect the lively centre of Rotterdam to the forgotten North end. This worked amazingly well, as it brought a lot more traffic to the North, allowing a number of bars and venues to open up in this formerly quiet area. You can also see the names of the donators written on the yellow wooden panels.
Stretching around 400 metres, the wooden walkway is the first local resident paid infrastructure recognised in the world, where for each donation the bridge got longer. I love the idea of that.
13) Street Art Tour
There is a vast amount of street art spread throughout the city. It’s almost impossible to tick it all off, but you can see a fair amount in a single day, especially if you go on a paid tour. There is even a 3D painting of John Travolta…You’ll have to see it to believe it!
The city had a strong punk influence from the 70’s and 80’s, which is a pivotal factor in the murals and street art. If you don’t fancy going on a tour and want to see it yourself, some of the best areas are Witte de Withstraat, near the central station, as well as the Keileweg and Ferro Dome area.
14) Central Station
This building has a very interesting history and is beautifully designed. However it was meant to be designed by a British architect, who has been in a long serving court case suing the city for ‘wasting his time’ as they didn’t opt for his very modern designs. You can also quickly travel to Amsterdam from this station, being one of the main stations of the Netherlands.
15) Maritime Museum
Centrally located, the Maritime Museum has a great range of cartography, paintings and memorabilia. It is located alongside the river and many people I met highlighted it as their favourite part of the city.
16) Museumpark
This is a great park which proves very popular during the summer months, while it also offers plenty of options for museums, hence its name. Within the grounds or on the surrounding roads you will find 6 museums!
17) Kinderdijk’s Windmills
How can you go to the Netherlands and not check out a windmill? OK, technically this one is just outside of Rotterdam, but it’s a must for anyone visiting and is in all the guidebooks. There are also tours that take you there from Rotterdam.
There were so many things I could list, it felt hard to stop at 17, but these are they key ones I feel you have to tick off on a week long holiday. But over time I might add to this list.