3. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Why Rotterdam, Netherlands
This city was bombed by the Germans in World War II, but its been completely rebuilt, so its worth seeing. The architecture is amazing and somewhat interesting on this seaside town with one of the largest ports in Europe. Most people head to Amsterdam which has its charm, but next time head to Rotterdam.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Rotterdam Architecture
Where
Rotterdam is located just about an hour’s drive southwest of Amsterdam just southeast of The Hague.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Cube Houses
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Delfshaven
How To Get Here
You can get here by car of course, train and airplane.
Train
You can take a train from Amsterdam as well as several other European cities. Here are some train services to use:
- Eurostar
- Intercity Direct – Local Netherlands train; its only 30 minutes from Amsterdam and 26 minutes from Amsterdam Schipol International Airport
- RailEurope
- SNCB Europe
The trains will take you right into the center of the city; from there you can walk or take a tram to where you are staying.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Rotterdam Centraal Station
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Trams
Plane
The main airport is Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM). At one point in the past, it used to be served by The Netherlands national airline KLM. They actually flew Fokker 50s into there, but no longer . Now, it is one of the operation hubs of Dutch carrier Transavia with flights all over Europe. You still cannot fly to/from Amsterdam though.
If you wish to fly into this airport, you have to do so from other European destinations.
Here is a list of the places from which you can fly into Rotterdam and on which airlines:
Where To Stay
You can find many different hotels with differing standards. Here are some of the hotels in the area:
- CitizenM Rotterdam
- Hilton Rotterdam
- Holiday Inn Express Rotterdam Central Station
- Hotel Bazaar
- Maritime Hotel
- Marriott Hotel Rotterdam
- NH Atlanta Rotterdam
- Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Bathtub at the Hotel Bazaar
You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.
Where To Eat
There are many restaurants all around Rotterdam, just follow your nose. In addition, there are weekend markets to check out as well.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Restaurants
Check out DePelgrim Rotterdam; they make really good craft beer and is also a restaurant. It is easily accessible by train from Rotterdam Central.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – DePelgrim
Also the Izkaya Restaurant and Bar.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Iskaya Restaurant
What To Do
There is no shortage of things to do in Rotterdam. You won’t be able to see them all I’m sure, but then it means you can return at a later date, right?
- There is the flower show in April/May at the Keukenhoff Gardens
- The Erasmus bridge
- The Dutch Coastline Tour By Plane
- The Harbor City Tour By Plane
- Rotterdam Zoo
- The SS Rotterdam which is actually a hotel
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Erasmus Bridge
You may also check Viator for additional things to do.
Art/Museums
Rotterdam has a number of museums and art pieces around the city. They are varied and interesting:
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Museum
Additional Information
Language: Dutch. English is widely spoken.
Currency: Euros (EUR)
I have such fond memories of Rotterdam. People always mention Amsterdam and sometimes The Hague but rarely Utrecht, Delft, Maastricht or Rotterdam. All are very neat cities to visit in the Netherlands. I did most of my discovery of these places by bike when i was 20 with 3 other crazy friends of mine!! Some of my best memories. Thanks for helping me revisit them.
Tawanna,
You are welcome and Thanks.
There’s even Eindhoven which is cool as well.
Kerwin