Things to do in Rotterdam

Mieke

From Mieke's guidebook

Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden is one of the premier natural history museums in the Netherlands. Just a short drive from Noordwijk, it offers fascinating exhibits on the diversity of life on Earth. Visitors can explore a vast collection of fossils, minerals, and taxidermy, including impressive dinosaur skeletons. With its interactive displays and engaging educational programs, Naturalis provides an enriching experience for all ages, making it a must-visit attraction in the region

Koen & Regine

From Koen & Regine's guidebook

science museum with a perfect "zoo" and a real T-rex

Karen

From Karen's guidebook

Top-tier natural history museum with dinosaurs, rare gems, and interactive exhibitions. A must-see for all ages.

Karen

From Karen's guidebook

A unique and interactive journey through the human body. Visitors walk through a giant model of a body, learning how organs work, how we digest, breathe, and more. Fun and educational for both kids and adults — advanced booking is highly recommended.

Freeke

From Freeke's guidebook

CORPUS lets you experience a spectacular 'journey through the human body' in 55 minutes. This is unique for the Netherlands - and for the whole world too. Nowhere else do you get such a special close-up into how the human body functions. You learn all about the body, how it works and how to keep it healthy. Lots of excercise, a sensible diet and healthy living: that's the CORPUS motto! Guide by an audio tour, available in 8 languages (Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Chinese). CORPUS uses time slots, so book in time!

Anna

From Anna's guidebook

Museum about human body. Good to combine (daytrip Leiden) with Naturalis.

Lars

From Lars's guidebook

A fun museum to visit, that isn’t located in the Museumpark, is the Maritime Museum Rotterdam. This museum is located in one of the largest and oldest museum ports in the Netherlands and here you can learn more about the past and present of the port of Rotterdam. With exhibitions, activities and a collection of historic ships and cranes, you’ll be here for a while.

Guus

From Guus's guidebook

A museum detailing Rotterdam's harbour. There is a great playground where kids can operate cranes and move goods, one of our kids' favourites.

Lance

From Lance's guidebook

Great for families. A nice and interesting place that shows the history to present day of the maritime importance of Rotterdam.

Lars

From Lars's guidebook

If you’re a first-time visitor to Rotterdam, I definitely recommend a visit to the Euromast for a panoramic view of the city. The Euromast, with its 185 meters, is the highest building of the Netherlands. The Euromast is part of the World Federations of Great Towers (WFGT): the 37 most beautiful and highest towers of the world, such as the Burj Khalifa, the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. Not only can you enjoy the beautiful view over Rotterdam, it’s also possible to book a table and have a delicious dinner or just get some drinks. Also with a view of our city, of course!

Remco

From Remco's guidebook

This tower was Build 1960 and is 112 m High. It has a great view over the city and has a restaurant inside.

Esther

From Esther's guidebook

Enjoy the panoramic view of Rotterdam from a hight of 185 meters. The restaurant inside is good too.

Esther

From Esther's guidebook

The Biergarten is a very relaxed place to chill in the afternoon or evening. They have a variety of (specialty) beers and excellent burgers and nacho's. Very 'hip and happening'.

Veronica

From Veronica's guidebook

"Biergarten" is the place to go to find young locals having drinks and snacks after work. The terrace is in the sun until late evening and there's a club right next to it.

Laurenske

From Laurenske's guidebook

Next to the train station, very urban vibes, good music, and beers. Its a place where the locals go for drinks on Friday afternoons.

Remco

From Remco's guidebook

In an old Port Warehouse. Craftmanship, Food and Beer Brewery Kaapse Brouwers are located here. Must Visit!

Patricia

From Patricia's guidebook

Great place to visit. Industrial building with fresh food market of local companies. Big selection of craft beers by the 'Kaapse brouwers', fresh market and restaurants (check the business hours before you go). The view is fantastic as well. Hop on the watertaxi (you need to make a reservation for this) and go to your next stop to visit for example the 'Witte de Withstraat' for more bars and restaurants.

Femke

From Femke's guidebook

This is set up as a sort of food court. Very nice to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. Select the type of food you want to eat, and sit together at the tables in the middle of the area. Simple food, but great atmosphere. Limited outside area, but just enough for having a beer with a view at the river.

⁨M.J.⁩

From ⁨M.J.⁩'s guidebook

Hotel New York, within the former Holland America Line HQ, resonates maritime legacy and immigration tales. Deckchairs, a seafood bar, and historic charm invite, echoing bygone voyages and coastal flavors.

Monique

From Monique's guidebook

A visit to Hotel New York is a must when visiting Rotterdam. Located in the beautiful building of the former Head Office of the Holland America Line, the views over the river are amazing!

Patricia

From Patricia's guidebook

Classic Hotel New York with good restaurant and bar. Especially in the summer the terrace is very nice with great view. They even have beach chairs at the waterside, no service here but the good thing is that you can bring your own drinks.

Remco

From Remco's guidebook

Want to go outside? You can go to the Kralingse plas! This is a big lake with a small beach where a lot of family’s and students go and BBQ in the summer. You can also take your own food and drinks with you, at the open fields around the lake alcohol is allowed. Great to lay down on a hot summer day with a good glass of wine. Its about a 10-15 minute walk from the apparment. Adres: Langepad, 3062 CJ Rotterdam

Hans

From Hans's guidebook

Want to escape the city center and find some peace and quiet? Spend some time walking or cycling around the beautiful "Kralingse" lake.

Kim

From Kim's guidebook

Beautifull and the biggest park/ forest of Rotterdam, nice area to walk your dog or without ;), big playground for children, (city)beach at a lake where you can swim, with area specially for small children, to sit/ play/ swim with your dog(s), barbecuing is allowed and there is even a nudist area!

Lars

From Lars's guidebook

The Vroesenpark is one of the most famous hotspots in Rotterdam Noord. Come here on a beautiful summer day and the large lawn is packed with groups of people. It sometimes seems like a festival, there is such a bustling atmosphere. Everyone brings a barbecue, or has pizzas delivered to their blanket. Don’t want to be in the busy part? On the sides you have enough places where you can quietly read a book. The Vroesenpark is also a popular spot for all kinds of athletes. From yoga to running, you see it all. If you don’t feel like carrying around a picnic blanket, the Vroesenpaviljoen is a good spot. You will find many hip mums with kids here, but it is also a good place to have a drink or lunch. I especially think it’s a nice place to have breakfast; What could be better than waking up with a cup of coffee in nature?

Martijn

From Martijn's guidebook

Our go to park, a 10 minute stroll through the charming 1930's Blijdorp area. Partly open, partly wooded. Playground and sand pit for young kids, workout area for older ones and adults, big lawn for picnics and bbq, and the Vroesenpaviljoen for hot chocolate, cold bear and good lunch.

Esther

From Esther's guidebook

The Vroesenpark is a great place to chill on sunny days. It's all about relaxing, BBQ, and meeting great people. This is the park where young "Rotterdammers" gather to enjoy a sunny day.

Francisco

From Francisco's guidebook

Discover Rembrandt´s city of birth, Leiden. Only 30 mins from the ARK. by car. During spring you could also combine it and visit Lisse on your way to Leiden. ( see NOTE below ) Leiden is well known for it´s courtyards and has no fewer than 35 of them. Get a courtyard walking tour map at the VVV ( tourist office ) and discover the tranquility and beauty of this courtyards. If you are not in the mood for walking, hire a boat or book a canal tour and sail away on its 28 kms of canals where you can see many green spaces, the buildings and as many as 88 bridges only in the city center! Oh,mind your head... :D (NOTE) Lisse is known for its Tulip fields and the Keukenhof garden - which is open from Mid March to Mid May, and during the summer the Keukenhof Castle, it´s gardens are filled with 150 different types of Dahlias ( feel free to count them ;D ) at the end of August this is celebrated with the Keukenhof Dahlia Days, where all kind of activities can be experienced.

Jean

From Jean's guidebook

It is Rembrandt's birthplace. De Valk windmill is the famous landmark in Leiden. Hortus Botanicus has cultivated the first ever tulips. The canals with picturesque waterways. The market on every Wednesday and Saturday around 200 stalls appear along the canal in Leiden's city center. Museum de Lakenhal is the visual arts, history and crafts museum.

Ylan

From Ylan's guidebook

Leiden is like a small Amsterdam. A beautiful old city with grachten. You could have a guided tour with a canal boat!

Sara

From Sara's guidebook

Kinderdijk has nineteen original windmills that the Water Boards use to drain the polder. Overwaard's wooden mills and Nederwaard's brick mills use wind power to move water from the polders to the basins. Spanning up to thirty metres, these groundsailers barely miss the ground as their sails turn.

Ellen

From Ellen's guidebook

If you would like to see the famous Dutch Windmills: Go to Kinderdijk, UNESCO World Heritage https://www.kinderdijk.com/plan-your-trip/ A nice way to get there is with The Waterbus. Get on at Erasmusbrug, line 21. Travel time is 34 minutes. https://www.waterbus.nl. Onboard there's a ticket machine.

Cees & Mariëtte

From Cees & Mariëtte's guidebook

Kinderdijk. Distance 102 km. The village of Kinderdijk is located in the province South Holland and is known worldwide for the Kinderdijkse Mills. These 19 windmills have been on the World Heritage List of UNESCO since 1997 and form an important tourist attraction in the Netherlands. The place is of international value, not only because of the windmills, but because all water management technology from the Middle Ages can be seen close together here. There are dikes, storage reservoirs, modern pumping stations and administrative buildings.

Esther

From Esther's guidebook

The Witte de With districs has much to offer: art galleries, great shops, restaurants and bars. Some examples: Van Eijk Gallery for artistic inspiration, de Witte Aap for a drink, Bazar for an elaborate breakfast, Worm for your dosis of clubbing, NRC for lunch, Sweet Rebels for the most fashionable vintage closing, Hopper for coffee, proeflokaal Reijngoud for specialty beers, Betsy Palmer for heavenly shoes, and so much more..

Ingrid

From Ingrid's guidebook

This is the absolute hip place to go to in Rotterdam. Choose from over 15 bars and cafes, also great for early dinner, regular dinner, drinks, snacks in the sun, late night snack.

Gerdie

From Gerdie's guidebook

The Witte de Withstraat is a whole street with lots of cafees, restaurants and bars. Very nice to go out both daytime and evening/night. When you like special beers, there are several bars that wil surprise you!

Tatiana En Robert

From Tatiana En Robert's guidebook

By train the cities Amsterdam, Den Haag, Gouda, Delft, Rotterdam en Dordrecht are close by.

Jager

From Jager's guidebook

http://www.ns.nl/en/stations/leiden-centraal.html It is a central station from train and buses, you can also rent bicycles and they also have a bike repair shop, drug store, shops and restaurants and taxi.

Dennis En Lucijana

From Dennis En Lucijana's guidebook

Leiden Central Station. Direct trains to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft and many other intrested places. Also direct busses to Keukenhof, the Beach and all other places.

Lars

From Lars's guidebook

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Rotterdam is definitely the iconic Markthal. This unique architectural structure serves as both an office building, housing and a marketplace. With over 40 food vendors that sell all sorts of international food and drinks, it’s definitely one of the highlights for most tourists. There are several tours that will introduce you to typical Dutch food. For instance, this 2-hour walking tour with multiple snack breaks. TIP: During the construction of the Markthal, many historical items were found in the ground of the site during the excavation. It’s possible to admire those items at the escalators in the middle of the Markthal, and it’s called De Tijdtrap – which means the time stairs.

Kerrie

From Kerrie's guidebook

The Blaak area is one of Rotterdam’s most connected hubs and a gateway to the city’s iconic sights. Explore the famous Cube Houses, taste global flavours at Markthal, or even surf at RiF010. Visit Laurenskerk for events, then end your day with drinks at the nearby Oudehaven.

Lieke

From Lieke's guidebook

Rotterdam is such a cool city with load of cool museums and place to eat. Visit the Markthal to hunt for herbs and spices, or visit Depot Boijmans for its awesome design and cool art collection.

Francisco

From Francisco's guidebook

Discover Rembrandt´s city of birth, Leiden. Only 30 mins from the ARK. by car. During spring you could also combine it and visit Lisse on your way to Leiden. ( see NOTE below ) Leiden is well known for it´s courtyards and has no fewer than 35 of them. Get a courtyard walking tour map at the VVV ( tourist office ) and discover the tranquility and beauty of this courtyards. If you are not in the mood for walking, hire a boat or book a canal tour and sail away on its 28 kms of canals where you can see many green spaces, the buildings and as many as 88 bridges only in the city center! Oh,mind your head... :D (NOTE) Lisse is known for its Tulip fields and the Keukenhof garden - which is open from Mid March to Mid May, and during the summer the Keukenhof Castle, it´s gardens are filled with 150 different types of Dahlias ( feel free to count them ;D ) at the end of August this is celebrated with the Keukenhof Dahlia Days, where all kind of activities can be experienced.

Jean

From Jean's guidebook

It is Rembrandt's birthplace. De Valk windmill is the famous landmark in Leiden. Hortus Botanicus has cultivated the first ever tulips. The canals with picturesque waterways. The market on every Wednesday and Saturday around 200 stalls appear along the canal in Leiden's city center. Museum de Lakenhal is the visual arts, history and crafts museum.

Jelle

From Jelle's guidebook

Leiden is like Amsterdam in the pictures only a bit greener and more peaceful. Great shopping in the Haarlemmerstraat