Rotterdam

Understand

History 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. The heart of the city was almost completely destroyed by the German Luftwaffe, and 800 people were killed, while about 80,000 others were made homeless. During the war, Rotterdam was bombed several times during allied raids that were aimed at the harbour area but sometimes also hit the city. The City Hall survived the bombing. Unlike most other European cities however, the City Council did not aim at rebuilding what was lost, but on taking the opportunity to create a 'new' and better city. Damaged but not destroyed old buildings were torn down in the process. From the 1950s through the 1970s, the city was rebuilt. It remained quite windy and open until the city councils from the 1980s on began developing an active architectural policy. Daring and new styles of apartments, office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more 'livable' city center with a new skyline. In the 1990s, the Kop van Zuid was built on the south bank of the river as a new business center.

Demographics In the Netherlands, Rotterdam has the highest percentage of foreigners from non-industrialise

Getting there

By plane 1 Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM IATA). It is the 3rd largest airport in the country. It is 6 km north of the city centre. There are direct flights from cities in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Commercial airlines that operate to the airport include Transavia, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Turkish Airlines. (updated Jun 2016)

Services VVV Rotterdam-The Hague Airport information point, Rotterdam Airportplein 60 (at the arrivals hall). 07:30-23:45. Come here if you have questions about Rotterdam. The place to hear history. The gift shop is open 09:30-18:00. (updated Oct 2021)

How to reach 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.

By bus/metro Bus 33. Connects the airport with Meijersplein/Airport metro station, from where you can take metro line E to Slinge (for Rotterdam Centraal and Rotterdam city center).See for more information the By Metro section under Get Around. Bus 33 also connects to Rotterdam Centraal station via the Overschie district. (updated Jun 2024) Bus 300. 15 July - 20 September: F-M only. Direct service to Rotterdam Centraal. No stops in between. (updated Jun 2024) By taxi See #Get around.

Other close airports Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS IATA) is 58 km north of Rotterdam and has much more flights than the Rotterdam airport. NS (Dutch Railways) operates Intercity Direct high-speed rail service, every 30 minutes to Rotterdam. The journey takes 27 minutes. You have to pay an addition for the journey from Schiphol to Rotterdam, so regular intercities in direction Rotterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Blaak are cheaper (but slower) (these intercities also call at Schiphol). Eindhoven Airport (EIN IATA) is 106 km southeast of Rotterdam. Ryanair and Wizzair operate flights to this airport. Take a bus to Eindhoven Centraal (approximately 20 minutes, the intercity train to Rotterdam Centraal takes about 63 minutes. Brussels Airport (BRU IATA) is 140 km south of Rotterdam. Many international carriers operate flights to this airport. The train from Brussels takes about 120 minutes and costs €35. Buses are also available, although less frequent.

By train

International connections 2 Rotterdam Centraal. The station is served by high-speed trains from Belgium, France and the United

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.

Tickets 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. For using buses and trams, checking in and out has to be done in the vehicle, while for train and metro use the gates or card-reader poles at the entrance of the stations. Alternatively one of the city's transport travel cards could be used:

RET travel cards. To travel by bus, tram and metro with RET. Can be purchased via the RET Barcode app, at ticket machines in metro stations and at RET Sales and Information points. For children under 12 and age 65 and up there is a reduced price. The 1-day ticket is not a 24-hour ticket: it is only valid on the day of the first check-in, until 04:00 of the early morning the next day. Tickets are not sold on bus and tram anymore; use your bank card to check in instead. 2 hours - €5.00; 1 (calendar) day - €11.00. (updated Jan 2025) Tourist Day Ticket: Rotterdam & The Hague region. Unlimited travel on local transport (bus, tram, metro and waterbus. Note: trains excluded) in the Rotterdam and the Hague region. Available from ticket machines and service counters of RET and at tourist information. Ticket is valid for travel with RET, HTM, HTMbuzz, Arriva, Connexxion, EBS, QBuzz and Waterbus in South Holland. €17.00 for one day. (updated Jan 2025) Rotterdam Welcome Card also allows for unlimited use of public transport with RET in the city and region. Note that tickets must be purchased in advance, there is no ticket sale on board of bus, tram and metro.

By metro

There are 5 metro lines in the city. Unlike many metro systems, however, these function more like metro systems in the city and light rail lines on the outskirts. Lines A , B and C , share tracks between Schiedam Centrum and Capelsebrug and offer an east-west connection. Lines D and E share tracks between Rotterdam Cent

See

Landmarks

Rotterdam has national notoriety for its architecture, and the city therefore is dotted with landmarks of all sorts. Most of them you will find in the city centre, but Feijenoord is also quite dense with them. Rotterdam is known for some bridges, not in the last place the Erasmusbrug, spanning the Nieuwe Maas between the city centre and Feijenoord. Also of historical importance is the former railway lifting bridge De Hef, slightly upstream from the Erasmusbrug. Historical landmarks are somewhat rare to come across in Rotterdam's city centre, but the city itself isn't completely devoid of them. In the city centre, the 1920 City hall and the Great or Saint-Laurence church, both survivors of the 1940 bombardment. Rotterdam is also home to the country's oldest known bronze statue, depicting Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and dating from 1622. It is found opposite the Saint-Laurence church. De Verwoeste Stad (Destroyed City) is a cubist statue depicting a man in agony who just lost his heart (symbol of the bombed city centre). Feijenoord, despite being home to many modern redevelopments, houses some historical landmarks such as the former headquarters of the Holland-Amerikalijn (Holland America Line). Also worth visiting are the Oude Haven (Old Harbour) and the nearby Witte Huis (White House) and Schielandshuis. Industrial landmarks are plenty in a city that mostly thrives off of harbour activities. Besides the many industrial sites found in the Port of Rotterdam, the Van Nellefabriek in the north of the city is a listed UNESCO site.

The skyline of Rotterdam can, of course, be observed from one of the many skyscrapers in the city - though you should probably book a hotel located in a skyscraper or find one with a publicly accessible roof, as trespass isn't welcomed. Another great site for views over the city though, is the Euromast on the border between the city centre and Delfshaven, twice in its history the highest building of the Netherlands. For a relatively small entry fee, you can climb the tower or for a larger sum, you can dine inside of it. For those less comfortable with great heights though, a birds-eye overview of the city can also be obtained at Miniworld Rotterdam, near the central station. The city is also well-known for its experimental and out-of-the-ordinary architecture, often being a testing ground for new concepts. A prime example of this are the Kubuswoningen (Cube Houses) at Blaak; one has been set aside as a museum, offering a view of the unique perspective and custom furniture that comes with living in one of the house

Do

Upcoming events and performances are listed on the VVV and Use-it websites. The larger events are well documented on the VVV site, for smaller venues check Use-it (under Calendar) for a very attractive and well updated listing of music, expositions, movies and parties that need checking out. The Uitburo office inside the Central Library provides information on theatre and music performances. It also sells tickets and offers an overview of performances that can be visited for free (gratis).

Events

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:

Six Days of Rotterdam. A cycling competition in early December. (updated Dec 2024) IFFR. The International Film Festival Rotterdam, which mainly features independent films from all over the world in February. Art Rotterdam. In February, you can see (and buy) masterpieces of modern art. World tennis Tournament. In February. On the Rotterdam Museum Night in March, nearly all Rotterdam museums and galleries open their doors in the evening with special events. Motel Mozaique. Music, art & performance. Plus a sleeping project that enables sleeping in art or on special locations in Rotterdam (April) Rotterdam Marathon, internationally reputed as a very fast marathon, is held in April in Centrum. Poetry International. Festival in June. Metropolis Festival (music) on the first Sunday in July. The sublime North Sea Jazz festival in July with loads of worldfamous artists. Summer Carnival. A huge Caribbean-oriented parade and party in the city centre. Heerlijk Rotterdam. Three day event where you can sample dishes from Michelin-star restaurants for a reduced price (dates vary, summer edition usually late August) The World Port Days a weekend full of activities centred around the large harbour of Rotterdam (early September) The classical music Gergjev festival in September, led by master-conductor Valery Gergjev. The Rotterdam Harvest Festival in September. Bazar Curieux (music) in December For full listings of events check Rotterdam.info and Use-it.

Tours 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.

Cinema There are two huge megacinemas in Rotterdam. The one in the city cen

Buy

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).

Eat

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.

Drink & nightlife

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.

Sleep

See district articles for listings for camping, hostels and hotels.

Go next

If you do not have a car, the hub for leaving the city will probably be Rotterdam Centraal, from where trains leave in all directions at short intervals (you can generally drop in and catch the next train to your destination). Most regional and longer distance buses leave here too, with the exception of most buses to southerly destinations and the province of Zeeland that leave from metro station Zuidplein. In contrast with the trains, bus departure times should be checked in advance as they can be far and between. For trains to the North and the South travellers can also choose to depart from Rotterdam Blaak. The Hague can also be reached easily and rather quickly by metro line E. Nearby destinations like Schiedam or even Delft can also be reached by bike if you fancy a somewhat longer ride. Bike routes and directions are well marked and available in abundance. A good idea for a sunny day! Schiedam can be reached by train or by metro (in 15 minutes) too. MRDH is the area of the region Rotterdam-Schiedam-Delft-The Hague, see this page for more information on travel and cycling.

Nearby Kinderdijk — a UNESCO World Heritage site. 19 old windmills are still helping to control the water level there. Windmill #2 is open to the public, allowing you to see its inner workings. In season there is a direct waterbus service from an embankment at the Erasmus bridge (travel time ~1/2 hour). Alternatively, Arriva bus 90 from bus and metro station Zuidplein will get you there in 50 minutes. Schiedam — visit the historic centre of this small town at the edge of Rotterdam, including the world's six tallest windmills. Also you can find there the Stedelijk Museum, an attractive museum with some nice modern art exhibitions. Easily reached by bicycle, a train (from Rotterdam Centraal to Schiedam Centrum), metro A, B or C line to Schiedam Centrum station, or tram lines 1 or 11 (Broersvest or Koemarkt stop).

Day trips Delft — this famous town is a 15-minute train ride from Rotterdam Centraal. Very historic and scenic, but also very touristy. Dordrecht — a magnificent historic town with little tourism and an excellent old art museum (Dordrechts Museum). It is a 15-min train ride, or even better, take a waterbus. Gouda — visit this small picturesque postcard-like town and see the magnificent stained glass windows in the Sint Janskerk. Also 20 min by train. Delta Works — a series of construction projects protecting the Southwest of the Netherlands from the sea. The Oosterschelde storm surge barrier is the most impressive, and next to it is Neeltje Jans, a water theme park d