Two to Four Days Around Rotterdam
How long to stay in Rotterdam depends on whether you want the city alone or the towns around it. Here are three lengths, each built only from places with published hours and prices. Amounts are in euros.
Two days: the city core
Day 1. Begin at the Markthal, then walk under the Cube Houses above Blaak. The Kijk-Kubus at Overblaak 70 is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. After lunch, cross the Erasmusbrug on foot and look at De Rotterdam and Hotel New York on Wilhelminapier, and finish with the 75 minute Spido tour.
Day 2. Spend the morning at Museumpark, where the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen needs an online time slot and the Kunsthal opens at 10:00. Go up the Euromast in the afternoon and, if the light is good, stay for the evening. The tower is open until 22:00.
Three days: add one excursion
Keep days 1 and 2, then pick one for day 3:
- Kinderdijk, with a €21 adult ticket and a WaterShuttle ride of under 30 minutes from the Erasmusbrug.
- Delft and The Hague, a pair of short train rides, with the Mauritshuis at €20 for adults.
- Katendrecht, with the SS Rotterdam tours between 10:00 and 17:00, the Fenix Museum of Migration and the Fenix Food Factory.
Four days: slow down
Use day 4 for Gouda on a Thursday morning in season, or for Dordrecht by Waterbus line 20. Alternatively, ride metro line B to Hoek van Holland Strand for a North Sea beach afternoon. Delfshaven, the old harbour district that was not bombed in 1940, fits in the gap between museums.
Practicalities
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Airport link | Intercity Direct from Schiphol to Rotterdam Centraal in about 25 to 30 minutes, with a small supplement |
| Other arrivals | Eurostar from London, or the small Rotterdam The Hague Airport |
| City transport | RET metro, tram and bus, paid by contactless card or phone and tapped out on leaving |
| Closed Mondays | Depot, Kunsthal and the Fenix museum |
| Weather | Changeable all year, so pack a rain jacket |
Where to sleep
The SS Rotterdam on Katendrecht doubles as a hotel. Hotel New York is in the former Holland America Line headquarters at Koninginnenhoofd 1. Stays near Centraal, Blaak or Kop van Zuid keep the metro close. Compare rooms on Booking.com .
Tips
- Reserve the Depot and the Euromast abseil before you go.
- The main Boijmans museum is shut for renovation, so the Depot is the place to see the collection.
- Check hours for any day trip before you leave.
Read more: Rotterdam day trips and the 5-day itinerary . Tower tickets are on euromast.nl .