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Rotterdam Marriott Hotel, Rotterdam

Things to do guide

The best things to do in Rotterdam

Updated 7 October 2026 · 19 things to do

Pictured: Rotterdam Marriott Hotel

Rotterdam is the Dutch city that does not look Dutch. Its medieval centre was destroyed by bombing in May 1940, and instead of rebuilding the gables the city chose to start again. Eighty years of architectural experiment later, it has a skyline of towers, a market hall shaped like a horseshoe, houses tipped on their corners and a museum store that looks like a mirrored salad bowl.

It is also Europe's largest port, and the water is never far away. The river Maas cuts the city in two, crossed by bridges and yellow water taxis. Come for the buildings, stay for the food halls, the museums and a nightlife that Amsterdam's visitors rarely find.

Don't miss

  1. 1Markthal
  2. 2Cube Houses
  3. 3Erasmus Bridge
  4. 4Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
  5. 5Kinderdijk

Architecture icons

Rotterdam is an open-air gallery of modern building. Start here.

  1. Markthal

    Market

    The front of the Markthal in Rotterdam
    Photo: Exmpletree, CC BY-SA 3.0

    A giant arch of apartments curves over a covered market, its inner vault lined with a mural of tumbling fruit, flowers and insects so large it has been nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of Rotterdam. Below, stalls sell cheese, stroopwafels, fish, spices and food from all over the world.

    It is a good place for lunch on the hoof. The residents whose windows look down into the hall presumably never need to ask what is for dinner.

  2. Cube Houses

    Landmark

    The yellow Cube Houses of Rotterdam
    Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

    Across the square from the Markthal, a cluster of bright yellow cubes balances on concrete stalks, each tilted on to one corner. Architect Piet Blom designed them in the 1970s as a kind of urban forest, with each house a tree. People really do live in them.

    One is open as a show house, so you can see how furniture copes with walls that slope in every direction. A walkway threads between the cubes and is free to wander.

  3. Erasmus Bridge

    Landmark

    The Erasmus Bridge across the Maas in Rotterdam
    Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The symbol of the modern city is a slender white bridge across the Maas, held by cables from a single angled pylon that earned it the nickname the Swan. Walk or cycle across for the best view of the skyline, with the towers of the Kop van Zuid ahead of you. It is at its most dramatic at night, when the pylon is lit and the river reflects the lot.

  4. Euromast

    Landmark

    Built in 1960, this slim concrete tower beside the park gives the highest public viewpoint in Rotterdam. A lift takes you to the observation deck, and a rotating glass cabin climbs the spire above it. On a clear day you can follow the river all the way out towards the port and the sea.

  5. Rotterdam Centraal

    Landmark

    Rotterdam Centraal station at twilight
    Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0

    Most visitors arrive through one of the city's best buildings: a station whose great pointed roof of steel and wood juts towards the centre like the prow of a ship. Step outside, look back, and you have your first Rotterdam photograph before you have even found your hotel.

Museums and art

  1. Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

    Museum

    The mirrored Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam
    Photo: DaHuzyBru, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A huge mirrored bowl in the Museumpark that reflects the sky, the trees and anyone who walks past. It is the storage facility of the Boijmans Van Beuningen art museum, and the first in the world to open its entire collection store to the public.

    Inside, glass walkways criss-cross an atrium, and you see artworks racked, hung and being restored. The rooftop has a birch grove and a panoramic view over the city.

  2. Kunsthal

    Museum

    The Kunsthal in Rotterdam
    Photo: Wikifrits, Public domain

    At the other end of the Museumpark, the Kunsthal has no collection of its own. Instead it stages a constantly changing run of exhibitions, from old masters to fashion, photography and design, in a building by Rem Koolhaas, Rotterdam's most famous architect. Check what is on; it is rarely dull.

  3. Maritime Museum

    Museum

    Rotterdam owes everything to its harbour, and this museum on the Leuvehaven explains how. There are ship models, hands-on exhibits about the modern port and offshore industry, and outside, a basin of historic vessels and cranes that you can clamber around. One of the best choices in the city for children.

  4. Fenix

    Museum

    The Fenix museum building in Katendrecht, Rotterdam
    Photo: Mitsjol, CC BY 4.0

    In a former harbour warehouse on the Katendrecht peninsula, from where countless emigrants once sailed for America, this museum explores migration through art and personal stories. It is topped by a spiralling, mirror-polished double staircase that twists up through the roof to a viewing platform over the river.

Neighbourhoods and waterfront

  1. Delfshaven

    Neighbourhood

    The old harbour of Delfshaven in Rotterdam
    Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A small harbour to the west of the centre escaped the bombing, and it shows what the old city looked like: canal houses, a windmill, a brewery and bobbing boats. The Pilgrim Fathers prayed in the church here before leaving for England and then America in 1620. It is quiet, pretty and a good place for a beer by the water.

  2. Witte de Withstraat

    Nightlife

    The liveliest street in the city runs between the Museumpark and the Maritime Museum, lined with bars, galleries, late-night restaurants and terraces that are full from the first hint of sun. By day it is about art and coffee; by night it is where Rotterdam goes out. Start here and see where the evening takes you.

  3. Kop van Zuid and Hotel New York

    Neighbourhood

    Hotel New York, the former Holland America Line head office in Rotterdam
    Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Across the Erasmus Bridge, the old docklands have become a district of bold towers. At the tip of the Wilhelminapier stands the former head office of the Holland America Line, a handsome building with twin green-copper towers that is now Hotel New York, with a vast café-restaurant on the quay. Arrive, as you should, by water taxi.

  4. Katendrecht and the SS Rotterdam

    Neighbourhood

    Once the sailors' quarter, Katendrecht has turned into one of the best places to eat in the city, with a food hall of local producers in an old warehouse on the waterfront and restaurants around the Deliplein square. Moored at the far end is the SS Rotterdam, a grand 1950s ocean liner you can tour.

  5. Harbour tour and water taxis

    Activity

    A water taxi speeding past the Erasmus Bridge
    Photo: Sneeuwvlakte, CC BY-SA 4.0

    To grasp the scale of the port you need to get on the water. Tour boats leave from beside the Erasmus Bridge and cruise past shipyards, docks and stacks of containers, with a commentary on what you are seeing.

    For a shorter thrill, hop in one of the small black and yellow water taxis that bounce across the Maas between dozens of jetties. Children love them.

Eat and drink

  1. Kapsalon

    Food

    Rotterdam's gift to late-night eating was invented here in the 2000s, reputedly to the order of a local hairdresser; the name means barber shop. It is a foil tray of chips topped with shawarma or kebab meat, melted Gouda, salad and garlic sauce. Not subtle, and not meant to be.

  2. Food halls and world kitchens

    Food

    This is one of the most multicultural cities in the Netherlands, and it eats accordingly. Surinamese rotis and sandwiches, Indonesian rijsttafel, Cape Verdean and Turkish cooking all have a home here, along with Dutch standards such as raw herring, bitterballen and fresh stroopwafels. The Markthal and the Katendrecht waterfront are easy places to start.

Day trips

  1. Kinderdijk

    Day trip

    The windmills of Kinderdijk
    Photo: Tarod, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

    East of the city, nineteen 18th-century windmills stand in rows along the canals of a low green polder, built to pump water out of land that lies below sea level. It is the largest group of old windmills in the Netherlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    The classic way to arrive is by waterbus from Rotterdam. Walk or cycle the paths between the mills, a couple of which are open to visit.

    Tip: Go early or late in the day for the best light and the fewest coach parties.

  2. Delft

    Day trip

    The Markt in Delft with the Nieuwe Kerk
    Photo: Jan Geerling, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A few minutes away by train, Delft is everything Rotterdam is not: a small, perfectly kept old town of tree-lined canals, humpbacked bridges and a huge market square between the town hall and the New Church. It was the home of the painter Vermeer and of Delft Blue pottery, which is still made here.

  3. Schiedam

    Day trip

    Almost a suburb of Rotterdam and a short metro ride from the centre, Schiedam grew rich on jenever, Dutch gin. Its legacy is a pretty canal-laced old town and a set of the tallest traditional windmills in the world, built high to catch the wind above the distillery warehouses. A jenever museum tells the story, with a tasting.

Where to stay in Rotterdam

Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in Rotterdam →

Getting around

Rotterdam is spread out but simple to navigate. The metro and trams cover the whole city, the centre is flat and made for cycling, and water taxis and waterbuses turn the river into a shortcut. Fast, frequent trains link Rotterdam Centraal with Delft, The Hague and Amsterdam.

When to go

Late spring and summer are the best months, with long evenings, busy terraces and a string of festivals. The weather is changeable at any time of year, and it is often breezy by the river, so bring a waterproof layer. The museums and food halls make it a good city break in winter too.

Questions about visiting Rotterdam

What is Rotterdam best known for?
Bold modern architecture such as the Cube Houses, the Markthal and the Erasmus Bridge, and for being Europe's largest port. It is also known for its museums, food scene and nightlife.
Is Rotterdam worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you like architecture, art and good food. It is very different from Amsterdam, more modern and less crowded, and only a short train ride away.
How many days do you need in Rotterdam?
Two days covers the main sights and a museum or two. Add a third for Kinderdijk, Delft or Schiedam.
What is there to do in Rotterdam with kids?
Water taxi rides, the Maritime Museum with its historic ships, the Euromast, the tilted show home at the Cube Houses and the windmills of Kinderdijk are all good with children.

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