Rotterdam city guide

The Netherlands’ second city, Rotterdam feels unlike anywhere else in the country. It has no medieval core, no rows of canal houses reflected in the water. Most of the city was destroyed in 1940 and instead of recreating the past, Rotterdam built something new. Concrete towers, daring bridges, glassy skyscrapers and experimental housing give it a skyline closer to New York or Tokyo than the Low Countries.

Rotterdam used rebuilding as a chance to rethink itself. A mirrored art depot shaped like a bowl, bridges that double as sculptures and one of Europe’s busiest ports show how far it pushed the idea of what a city can be. You can see that same forward-thinking spirit in the food markets, the museums and the constant stream of new projects that reshape the streets.

Dominik Mecko

On the water

One of the best ways to experience Rotterdam is from the water. The watertaxis are fast, yellow boats that dart between more than 50 points along the river, doubling as a quick tour of the skyline, cranes and working docks. Take one from Hotel New York across to Katendrecht and you’ll pass under the Erasmusbrug, a striking white bridge known as “the Swan”. On foot the bridge is just as impressive, linking the old quays on the north bank with the high-rises of Kop van Zuid.

Daniel Stiel

Erasmusburg.

On the Merwehaven, you’ll find Floating Farm, the world’s first floating dairy. Around 40 cows live on the pontoon and their milk is turned into yoghurt and cheese on site. The project was set up to make food production more resilient after Hurricane Sandy disrupted supply chains in New York, and it ties directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through rainwater collection, solar power and recycled feed. You can book a visit to see the farm in action.

Richard Ciraulo

Cube Houses.

On the streets

Rotterdam is where architects experiment. The post-war years made it a testing ground for modernist ideas, and today it’s still a hub for Dutch and international design, with studios by OMA, MVRDV and Neutelings Riedijk shaping the skyline. The Cube Houses by Piet Blom are the most famous example: tilted 45 degrees, they look like a forest of cubes balanced on points. It’s hard to picture how you could live inside one until you step into the Kijk-Kubus museum, which shows how a home functions when every wall is at an angle.

Getty Images

Euromast.

For views across the whole city, head up the Euromast, a 1960s tower built for the Floriade horticultural exhibition. From the observation deck you can see the port stretching to the North Sea and the glass skyline clustered along the Maas. If you want to go higher, the rotating Euroscoop lift takes you right to the top.

Then, if you’re curious about how industry and design met in Rotterdam’s growth, make time for the Van Nelle Factory on the city’s western edge. Once a tobacco and coffee plant, it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best surviving examples of Dutch modernism, composed of steel and glass designed to bring light and air into the workplace.

Desire Kranenburg

Delfshaven.

Delfshaven is one of the few places that offers a glimpse into the city before the war. There’s a working windmill, narrow canals and traditional boats bobbing in the harbour. De Pelgrim brewery, sits beside the church where the Pilgrim Fathers prayed before sailing to America. The beer is brewed with water from the Delftsevaart canal, using traditional methods in small batches. It’s the only brewery in the district and you can sample its pale ales and porters in the taproom overlooking the water.

Maja Miklic

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen.

In the gallery

Art in Rotterdam is as forward-looking as its architecture. The city’s biggest names sit alongside experimental spaces, and the result is an art scene that feels alive and always evolving. Take Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, for instance. It isn’t a gallery in the usual sense but the world’s first publicly accessible art depot, built to replace the museum’s old, leaky cellars. Inside, you walk through climate-controlled rooms with racks of paintings and cabinets of objects, from Old Masters to modern pieces. A Rembrandt might hang above a Dalí, without the usual explanatory text. The building itself is as visually arresting as the work within: a mirrored bowl reflecting the city back at itself.

Nearby, Het Nieuwe Instituut looks at design and architecture through a critical lens. Its exhibitions include the future of urban living to experiments in digital culture, and you can also explore the Dutch national architecture archive, where models and drawings reveal how Rotterdam and cities like Utrecht, Eindhoven and Amsterdam were shaped.

Mika Baumeister

Street art in Rotterdam.

For street art, start with Witte de Withstraat, where you’ll find cafés, galleries and mural-clad buildings, like the enormous 'Whispers in the Woods', a multi-part artwork of a forestscape by Tymon de Laat (who has a studio in the city). Rotterdam also hosts ALL CAPS, a street art festival held in Beverwaard that takes place in September, where international artists create large-scale pieces. You can create a self-guided, citywide street art tour using their free mural map.

Mike van den Bos

Markthal.

At the table

Rotterdam’s food scene reflects the city itself: inventive, international and constantly changing. You’ll find Michelin-starred tasting menus alongside warehouse food halls and weekly markets that draw half the city out to eat. Centuries as a port, and colonial history, have shaped what ends up on the plate, from Indonesian coffee to Surinamese snacks, and the focus now is on sustainable, locally sourced ingredients.

The city’s most photographed food stop is the Markthal - a popular choice for good reason. The arched building is filled with food stalls and overlooked by apartments, its ceiling covered with a mural of oversized produce. Under a single roof, you can pick up a paper cone of patat with mayonnaise or satay sauce from Bram Ladage, Asian spices and dumplings at Wah Nam Hong, and finish with ice cream from De IJssalon.

Fenix Food Factory on Katendrecht feels more intimate. It’s inside a converted warehouse and brings together traders like Jordy’s Bakery, where sourdough loaves are baked daily, and Kaapse Brouwers, one of Rotterdam’s best craft brewers. You can pick up cheese, cider or Syrian flatbreads and sit outside on the quay with views back across the river.

PSD/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Dutch herring sandwich.

On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Binnenrotte market fills the square beside Laurenskerk with fishmongers, flower sellers and food stalls. This is the place to try Hollandse Nieuwe, the new-season herring eaten raw with chopped onions. The tradition dates back centuries to when the port was central to the herring trade, and it’s still considered a seasonal delicacy. If that feels too bold, go for a warm stroopwafel instead, pressed fresh on the griddle so the caramel runs.

Heroine is one of the city’s most talked-about fine-dining restaurants. The set menu changes constantly with a focus on seasonal vegetables in creative combinations, served in a stripped-back modernist space. For something more casual, Kopi Soesoe in Katendrecht serves strong Indonesian coffee and hosts regular live music. And if you’re after a traditional Dutch treat, Dudok is the place to try appeltaart, a deep layered apple pie served with whipped cream.

Julia Taubitz

Hotel New York.

Where to stay

Rotterdam has plenty of hotels, but a few capture the city’s character better than others. Hotel New York is the standout. The former headquarters of the Holland America Line looks across the Maas from where ships once sailed to New York. Rooms have art deco details and the grand café is a gorgeous destination in itself, serving oysters and seafood platters.

For a contemporary stay, Nhow Hotel sits on Wilhelmina Pier in the ‘De Rotterdam’ building designed by Rem Koolhaas. Rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the skyline and overlook the river, and the rooftop bar is one of the best spots in the city for a nightcap with a view.

Nanda Sluijsmans/CC BY-SA 2.0

Rotterdam Centraal.

Where next

Rotterdam Centraal is a striking piece of design in its own right, and connects easily with the rest of the Netherlands and beyond.. Antwerp is just over an hour away, with its fashion quarter, diamond district and the MAS museum on the river. Den Haag (The Hague) is even closer, twenty minutes by train, home to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring in the Mauritshuis and the Dutch parliament. Delft is less than fifteen minutes away, a smaller city with canals, Delftware workshops and the Vermeer Centre tracing the painter’s life.

Take the Eurostar on a short break to Rotterdam, or check out our other slow travel trips to the Netherlands by train.

Read our other city guides: Zürich, and Girona. Or check out our blog about six of the best scenic train journeys in Europe.

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