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Rotterdam
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Rotterdam

Modern Architecture, Europe's Biggest Port and the Markthal

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹11,180From / night₹2,980Food / day₹2,130Entry

The Netherlands' second city, rebuilt after the 1940 bombing as a showcase of modern architecture: the Markthal's painted arch, the Cube Houses, the Erasmus Bridge, the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen art store with its mirrored bowl, the Euromast tower and harbour tours of Europe's largest port. The Waterbus and buses reach the Kinderdijk windmills in under an hour, Delft is 15 minutes by train, and Eurostar trains for Brussels and Paris stop at Rotterdam Centraal. A multicultural city with plenty of Indian, Surinamese and vegetarian food. Rotterdam The Hague Airport is 6 km north.

Highlights

  • The Markthal's food hall and painted arch
  • Cube Houses
  • Erasmus Bridge
  • Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen's rooftop
  • The view from the Euromast
  • A harbour tour of Europe's biggest port
  • Historic Delfshaven

Things to do

  • Markthal, Cube Houses and the Oude HavenMorning · 2h
  • Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and the MuseumparkAfternoon · 2h
  • Harbour tour from the Erasmus Bridge (Spido)Afternoon · 1h 15m
  • Euromast at sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
  • Delfshaven old harbour walkMorning · 1h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Rotterdamvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Rotterdamvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: April – September

Heads up

North Sea Winter: Wind, Rain and Short Days

From November to February days are short (dark by about 16:30 in December), wet and windy, and North Sea storms occasionally halt trains and close the beaches and the Scheveningen pier. Pack a waterproof jacket and warm layers; the museums are the best of a winter trip.

  • King's Day (Koningsdag) — The national holiday for the King's birthday: the whole country dresses in orange, every street becomes a flea market (the vrijmarkt, from the evening before), and Amsterdam's canals fill with party boats and its centre with up to a million people. Trains into Amsterdam are packed and hotels cost their most; book months ahead, or watch it in a calmer city such as Utrecht, Haarlem or Delft. Museums open, many shops close.
  • Remembrance Day and Liberation Day — On 4 May at 8 pm the whole country stops for two minutes' silence for the war dead, with the national ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam; trams and trains halt. On 5 May free liberation festivals with music fill parks in Haarlem, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam and other cities.
  • Sinterklaas — St Nicholas "arrives by steamboat from Spain" in mid-November (Amsterdam's parade by boat and horse through the centre is the big one) and families exchange presents and poems on 5 December. Expect crowds on the arrival day; the bakeries fill with pepernoten and chocolate letters.
  • North Sea Jazz Festival — One of the world's biggest indoor jazz festivals, three days at Rotterdam's Ahoy in July. Rotterdam's hotels fill for the weekend; book early or stay in Delft or The Hague.
  • Diwali and Phagwa (Holi) in The Hague — The Netherlands' large Surinamese-Hindustani community celebrates Phagwa (Holi) in spring and Diwali in October or November, with the biggest public events and mandir celebrations in The Hague, and others in Rotterdam and Amsterdam-Zuidoost. A welcome taste of home for Indian travellers; check the city's events listings for the year's dates.