Rotterdam
Discover Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a city in the province of South Holland in the west of the Netherlands. The city is the second largest in the country with a population of approximately 650,000 inhabitants in the municipality (2020) and about 2.2 million inhabitants in the shared metropolitan area of the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region (MRDH). Rotterdam is a vibrant, multicultural city; it is known for its university (Erasmus University Rotterdam), cutting-edge architecture, lively cultural life, industrial riverside setting, its maritime heritage and colourful summer events. The municipality stretches all the way to the North Sea with gigantic areas like Europoort and Maasvlakte 1&2. All belong to the Port of Rotterdam. Starting as a dam constructed in 1270 on the Rotte River, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre. The port of Rotterdam is Europe's busiest port by cargo tonnage, and was the world's busiest from 1962 until it was surpassed by Shanghai in 2004. Rotterdam's commercial and strategic importance is based on its location near the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse), a channel in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse on the North Sea. These rivers lead directly into the centre of Europe, including the industrial Ruhr region, which is why Rotterdam is often called the "Gateway to Europe".
What to Experience in Rotterdam
Taste of Rotterdam...
The area around metrostation Blaak, called Oude haven (Old Harbour), is not only worth seeing but has also a lot of pubs and restaurants. The Rotterdam dining scene is developing very fast with new restaurants opening very often. While most of the attention focusses on new Michelin-star aspiring places, there is very much a trend towards high quality mid-range restaurants offering French/Dutch cuisine. Centrum has a wide variety of bars, coffee shops and music venues. The Kaapse Brouwers brewery has four locations around the city. Each location has a whole wall of taps to choose from. They are popular place so waiting lines can be long. See district articles for listings for camping, hostels and hotels. The telephone country code for the Netherlands is 31, and Rotterdam's city code is 010. In case of an Emergency, dial 1-1-2 (free of charge). When staying for a longer time, buy a prepaid sim card for your mobile phone. You should take normal precautions against pickpockets and baggage theft, especially in the main shopping streets, at markets, in trams and trains, at stations, and anywhere where tourists congregate. It is not wise to hang around Stadhuisplein when nightlife ends. Fights often occur in this area after midnight. Rotterdam also has a reputation of mass venues getting out of hand, though you shouldn't worry too much about it.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Rotterdam into what it is today.
Settlement at the lower end of the fen stream Rotte dates from at least 900. Around 1150, large floods in the area ended development, leading to the construction of protective dikes and dams. A dam on the Rotte or 'Rotterdam' was built in the 1260s and was at the present-day Hoogstraat ('High Street'). Although Rotterdam did well after the Middle Ages and in the 'Golden Century' - roughly between 1650 and 1750 - it was not before the second part of the nineteenth century that the city started to develop itself rapidly. Helped by the digging of a new seaway (the Nieuwe Waterweg) Rotterdam was rid of access problems caused by the silting of the river and started receiving ever bigger ships with cargo for/from the booming Ruhrgebiet in Germany. Port related trade and industry skyrocketed, and the city started to draw lots of migrants from the then poor Brabant province, for whom the southern part of the city was constructed. At the turn of the twentieth century Rotterdam was well under way to become the largest economic centre in the Netherlands. It was between then and the second world war that large prestigious construction works were undertaken, in part to show off the new found economic pride. The German army invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. Germany had planned to conquer the country in one day, but after meeting unexpectedly fierce resistance, it finally forced the Dutch army to capitulate on 14 May 1940 by bombing Rotterdam and threatening to bomb other cities....
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Rotterdam.
Rotterdam plays host to a lot of events, a lot of them yearly ones. Besides these there are a lot smaller ones that can be very nice, so ask around and check the VVV website. A few of these yearly events to name: For full listings of events check Rotterdam.info and Use-it. Several tours can be found in Centrum, including the tourist tram line 10 through the city centre and historic parts of Rotterdam on classic trams; the Spido harbour trip through the first 8 km of the harbour; and De pannenkoekenboot, on which you can eat as many pancakes as you want while you cruise the harbour. There are two huge megacinemas in Rotterdam. The one in the city centre is called Pathé Schouwburgplein (at the Schouwburgplein), the other one is on the southside of the city. It's called Pathé De Kuip (next to the Feyenoord stadium De Kuip). In these cinemas you can see Hollywood movies and occasionally an arthouse movie. To get to De Kuip, take tram to stop Stadion Feijenoord.
Climate
Rotterdam gains a lot of charm when the sun is shining. Visiting in spring or summer may be more enjoyable than during the dark rainy winter. The summer months see temperatures averaging around 22 °C (72 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night; though temperatures near or above 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and 16 °C (61 °F) at night are not unheard of during heat waves. Daylight runs from 05:30 until 22:00 in the summer, and only between 08:45 and 16:30 in the winter. To plan a trip (for all public transport in the Netherlands) see 9292.nl Depending on the amount of travel with public transit in The Netherlands it is possible to buy a so called OV-Chipkaart or it may be more convemient to pay with a contactless credit or debit card by touching in & touching out on each trip. see for more information under Get Around. The Dutch railway company NS runs high-speed Intercity Direct trains between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Breda.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTo plan a trip (for all public transport in the Netherlands) see 9292.nl Depending on the amount of travel with public transit in The Netherlands it is possible to buy a so called OV-Chipkaart or it may be more convemient to pay with a contactless credit or debit card by touching in & touching out on each trip. see for more information under Get Around. The Dutch railway company NS runs high-speed Intercity Direct trains between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Breda. The train stops only at those four stations and shaves 25-30 minutes in journey time between Amsterdam and Schiphol and Rotterdam versus the regular Intercity and Sprinter trains that stop in between. Beware that you have to pay a supplement (€2.60 during peak hours, €1.56 outside peak hours) to use the Intercity direct line to travel to Rotterdam if your journey involves Schiphol, (i.e. Amsterdam-Rotterdam journeys are subject to this supplement)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
RET operates the buses, trams, and metro within the city. You could find a journey planner and some network maps there. Alternatively you'd use the pan-Netherlands journey planner – 9292.nl. Transport generally arrives every 10 minutes during the day. Free Wi-Fi is available in some trams, buses and metro lines, and on the busier metro stations, you just need to accept the terms of use. You can use your contactless bank card to pay for any public transport that also accepts the OV-chipkaart. This system is called OV-Pay and is the most convenient way to travel. Debit and credit cards from Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard and Visa are supported. As anywhere else in the country OV-chipkaart can still be used to pay all kinds of public transport. The card costs €8.50 and you'd need to keep a positive balance there for at least €4.
Where to Stay
See district articles for listings for camping, hostels and hotels. The telephone country code for the Netherlands is 31, and Rotterdam's city code is 010. In case of an Emergency, dial 1-1-2 (free of charge). When staying for a longer time, buy a prepaid sim card for your mobile phone. You should take normal precautions against pickpockets and baggage theft, especially in the main shopping streets, at markets, in trams and trains, at stations, and anywhere where tourists congregate. It is not wise to hang around Stadhuisplein when nightlife ends. Fights often occur in this area after midnight. Rotterdam also has a reputation of mass venues getting out of hand, though you shouldn't worry too much about it. If violence breaks out at football festivities (not so unlikely) or at the end of sun soaked festive days, like Kings Day (even less unlikely, especially at the Stadhuisplein), just get out of the way and you're unlikely to be affected.
Money & Budget
The main shopping areas are in Centrum. Afrikaanderplein Markt in Feijenoord is a market of about 300 stalls geared towards Rotterdam's inhabitants of Antillian, South American or African descent (a lot of whom happen to live nearby). Dutch cheese is very famous, you can get some at grocery stores or wider variety at the marketplace. Other typical Dutch things are stroopwafels, hagelslag and drop (liquorice). The area around metrostation Blaak, called Oude haven (Old Harbour), is not only worth seeing but has also a lot of pubs and restaurants. The Rotterdam dining scene is developing very fast with new restaurants opening very often.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
You should take normal precautions against pickpockets and baggage theft, especially in the main shopping streets, at markets, in trams and trains, at stations, and anywhere where tourists congregate. It is not wise to hang around Stadhuisplein when nightlife ends. Fights often occur in this area after midnight. Rotterdam also has a reputation of mass venues getting out of hand, though you shouldn't worry too much about it. If violence breaks out at football festivities (not so unlikely) or at the end of sun soaked festive days, like Kings Day (even less unlikely, especially at the Stadhuisplein), just get out of the way and you're unlikely to be affected. It's advisable not to wear a football jersey of Ajax Amsterdam or any other stuff promoting Ajax or Amsterdam. In terms of general safety, at daylight most areas in the city are safe. But at night, some areas such as Spangen, Charlois and Hillesluis are wise to avoid.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Rotterdam
Erasmus Bridge - Rotterdam
city skyline under blue sky during night time
market hall Rotterdam with restaurants inside
Rotterdam by Night
Rotterdam Erasmusbrug (Erasmus Bridge)
yellow concrete building
aerial photography of people walking on park near city buildings
The bridges of Rotterdam
Blue hour in Rotterdam.
Symmetric Cube House, Rotterdam 🟨
Erasmus Bridge - Rotterdam
city skyline under blue sky during night time
market hall Rotterdam with restaurants inside