One Week in Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the New York of Europe. It has the largest port on the continent and is the business capital of the Netherlands. Compared to Amsterdam’s cultural charm, Rotterdam has amazing architecture & unique street art due to being bombed so badly in WWII.

Mark and I stayed here for 1 week in April 2024 – I must say I was not expecting much however I was thoroughly impressed. Although I did do a lot of day trips, and it’s a great place to stay due to its location, there was lots to do within this city too!

Rotterdam has a goal of being car free for its city center by 2030, and they are actively building streets below ground. Heaps of people bike, but I would say more people bike around Amsterdam.

Must see things in Rotterdam include the Depot Museum. This isn’t a real museum, it is actually a depot for works of art. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum that is located across the street is going through major renovations, so this Museum was originally just for storage of all the pieces of art. If you want to learn about the back end of how a museum works, this place is for you.

Truly a one of a kind of museum, if you want a tour of a back room with a private guide, just ensure you arrive early to reserve your spot before they book up. This back room tour is not only included in your ticket, but since these storage rooms are the majority of the building, you don’t get the full experience unless you go inside one. Tours are limited to keep the art in the best condition- for example, tours are no more than 4-5 people for 5 minutes to control the temperature and CO2 emissions from us humans! You are required to wear a special suit and even have your shoes cleaned before entering!

A Rotterdam staple, Santa Claus – just go see him.

In terms of food, you must get frites with mayo. You must also get waffles, hot off the press stroopwafel and little pancakes. FoodHaven by Hotel New York is a hipster style food court venue with breweries and live music. You can also go next door to Hotel New York – where all the Holland America Line ships left to go to America!

Another place to get any of the above food is Market Hall. This building is unique as it houses offices and apartments in an inverted U shape with a large mural.

After grabbing a bite to eat at Market Hall, walk over to the Kijk-Kubus Museum-house. These are the cube houses that you can enter for a small fee!

We stayed at The James Hotel, and I loved the second floor office space with small store. It was in a very central location and we had a nice view of the Erasmusbrug bridge.

Rotterdam definitely shouldn’t be overlooked! From great restaurants to follow your art walk around the city, to easy access to other gems in the Netherlands, I would love to go back and suggest it if you have time to: stop here.

Have you been? What was your favorite thing you did?