Sights in Rotterdam you must see

Erasmusbrug

This bridge, which is also known as the “Swan” by the Rotterdammers, was built in 1996 and has since become vital to the city. It connects the “Kop van Zuid” with the city center. From the Erasmus Bridge you can enjoy the view over the Nieuwe Maas, where water taxis and ships come and go. To the right you can see the largest port of Europe and the spectacular Rotterdam skyline. Once you cross the bridge you are in Kop van Zuid.

Kop van Zuid

Kop van Zuid In a place where in earlier times dockworkers labored and emigrants bode farewell to their country, there is now a place for mundane living, going out and enjoying life. The Kop van Zuid, located on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas, has been developed in the former harbor areas around the Binnenhaven, Entrepothaven, Rijnhaven, Spoorweghaven and Wilhelminapier.

Together with the Nieuwe Maas, these ports created a large physical distance between the city center just north of the Maas and Rotterdam South. By transforming this area into urban areas, the North and South were united.

Delfshaven

Delfshaven Historic Delfshaven is a beautiful historic area in the western part of Rotterdam. Since 1972, the historic part of Delfshaven was deemed a ‘protected cityscape’.In 1389 a canal known as the Delfshavense Schie was dug from Delft to the Maas river. The ships could thus find their way to the Nieuwe Maas. Around the lock, the Delfshaven town was formed as part of the city of Delft, which wanted to create a private seaport.

After a rowdy history, Delfshaven declared itself an independent municipality in 1795 and in 1886 Delfshaven was united with Rotterdam.

Laurenskerk (Laurens church)

This Gothic church is the only medieval relic in the city center of Rotterdam. The church was built between 1449 and 1525 and is thus the oldest building in Rotterdam. Originally, Laurenskerk was Roman Catholic but during the Protestant Reformation in 1572 the church was transformed into a Protestant church. In the church you can see tombs of Dutch naval heroes. It is one of the few buildings that survived the bombing of Rotterdam during World War II. Address: Grotekerkplein 27, www.laurenskerk.nl, open and prices: see the website of the Laurenskerk.

Markthal

In 2014 Rotterdam become an icon richer with the opening of the fi rst covered fresh market in the Netherlands. The market located in the hall has about 100 stalls, food shops and various restaurants including a supermarket and four levels of parking. Wandering between the market stalls, you can look up and see the artwork “Horn of plenty” of Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam. The horseshoe-shaped arch above the huge market fl oor contains rented and owned apartments.

Oude Haven (Old Harbor)

The Oude Haven – as the name suggests – is the oldest harbor in Rotterdam, dating back to the 14th century. Many historic ships of the Maritiem Museum (Maritime Museum) Rotterdam are moored in the Oude Haven. The harbor is surrounded by many historic buildings, but these are interspersed among modern architecture. Thus on one side of the harbor you have the historic merchant houses and on the other you see the modern cube houses (kubuswoningen).

One of the architectural highlights in the Oude Haven of Rotterdam is the beautiful Witte Huis (White House), the fi rst skyscraper in Europe. This 43-meter-high building was built in 1898 and for a long time it was the highest offi ce building in Europe.

ss Rotterdam 

As the former fl agship of the Holland-Amerika Lijn, the ss Rotterdam has sailed many of the world’s seas. Discover all the stories of “La Grande Dame” and experience the authentic atmosphere while you come to eat and drink, spend the night, party, get married, have a meeting or work.

Take a tour to fi nd out all about the ship, from the soaring upper decks to the engine room deep in the ship. Or you can try to unravel the secrets of the captain in the exciting escape room. The ss Rotterdam is permanently docked in Rotterdam and is easily accessible. Since 2013, the ship has been part of WestCord Hotels.

Diergaarde Blijdorp

Rotterdam Zoo is one of Europe’s most beautiful zoos, where you’ll have special encounters with fascinating animals that feel perfectly at home in specially imitated natural landscapes.

Discover the amazing butterflies in Amazonica and come face to snout with the polar bears in the Ice Cave. Walk across the bottom of the ocean in the fully covered Oceanium and let yourself be surrounded and amazed by sharks, turtles and the renewed Great Barrier Reef.

Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a small village 15 km east of Rotterdam with the largest concentration of old windmills in the world! It is located at the point where the Lek and the Noord rivers come together. The current windmills were built around 1738 with the aim of improving the drainage of the Alblasserwaard. Since 1997, the Kinderdijk polder area with its dikes and windmills has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Hotel New York

Located in the former headquarters of the Holland America Line. This is the place where long ago thousands of emigrants, full of hope of a better life, left for North America. The iconic building has been glittering on the Kop van Zuid since 1901. It’s a building with a very important history.

Museum Boijmans van Beuningen

Bosch, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Dalí and Dutch Design – a visit to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is a journey through the history of art. Dutch and international masterpieces present an overview from the early Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Works by artists such as Monet, Mondrian and Magritte illustrate the birth of Impressionism and Modernism.

The museum has one of the largest collections of Surrealist works in the world and an unusual Pop Art collection with pieces by Warhol, Lichtenstein and many others.

Laurenskerk

Laurenskerk (Laurens church) This Gothic church is the only medieval relic in the city center of Rotterdam. The church was built between 1449 and 1525 and is thus the oldest building in Rotterdam. Originally, Laurenskerk was Roman Catholic but during the Protestant Reformation in 1572 the church was transformed into a Protestant church. In the church you can see tombs of Dutch naval heroes. It is one of the few buildings that survived the bombing of Rotterdam during World War II.

Van Nelle Factory

The Van Nelle Factory is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded around 1925 as a factory for coffee, tea and tobacco, this building has had a significant impact on the evolution of modern architecture in Europe.

Architect Leendert van der Vlugt designed a structure in which light, air and space are the key elements. The result is the magnificent Van Nelle Factory, located in Rotterdam’s Spaanse Polder.

Witte de Withstraat

Witte de Withstraat, or rather: the Witte de With Quarter, as it is now being called by entrepreneurs, has become one of the most vibrant entertainment areas in the city. To be precise, Witte de With runs west to east between Schiedam Vest and Eendrachtsweg.  

In addition, Witte de With Quarter is the beating heart of Rotterdam’s art scene. Because Witte de Withstraat connects Museumpark and the Maritiem Museum, and offers itself a variety of cultural institutions, it is called the Art Axis of Rotterdam.