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Rotterdam is a municipality and city in the Dutch province of South-Holland, situated in the west of The Netherlands and part of the Randstad. The municipality is the second largest in the country (behind Amsterdam).
The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe. From 1962 to 2004, it was the world's busiest port; then it was superseded by Shanghai. Now Rotterdam is the fourth biggest port in the world.
Rotterdam is known as a city of architecture. A few square kilometers of the city center offers a complete overview of what the twentieth century has produced in terms of modern architecture.
Rotterdam is a municipality and city in the Dutch province of South-Holland, situated in the west of The Netherlands and part of the Randstad. The municipality is the second largest in the country (behind Amsterdam).
The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe. From 1962 to 2004, it was the world's busiest port; then it was superseded by Shanghai. Now Rotterdam is the fourth biggest port in the world.
Rotterdam is known as a city of architecture. A few square kilometers of the city center offers a complete overview of what the twentieth century has produced in terms of modern architecture.
Please remember that possessing large quantities of hasheesh or cannabis is a crime in The Netherlands, and please do not take stuff with you when leaving The Netherlands (you can be punished severely in neighboring countries). It's also unwise to buy for someone else, especially if it's a foreigner as you can be punished in his or her country of origin (it has happened).
A noteworthy fact is that smoking tobacco is currently banned inside food and drink establishments — even coffee shops! That being said, tobacco smoking appears to be tolerated in coffee shops, and their pre-rolled joints are often mixed with tobacco.
Like any city in The Netherlands, Rotterdam is very, very bicycle-friendly. Getting around by bike is probably the fastest way of travel within the city. There are separate bike lanes on most major streets and there are separate traffic lights for bicyclists. Avoid getting your tire in the tram rails. Always cross tram rails at an angle. Always lock your bike securely when leaving it, preferably chained to a fixed object.
Renting a bike. Handy places near Central Station to rent a bike are: The official NS rental office is situated in a new underground bicycle parking. You will find the entrance at the square before the main entrance of the station Alternatively, try Use-it, which rents out nice Kronan bikes (Vijverhofstraat 47, leave Central Station on the backside, turn right onto Provenierstraat, and you will find it after a 5 min walk on the right (after a former railway).
RET operates the buses, trams, and metro within the city. You can find a journey planner here. Transport generally arrives every 10 minutes during the day. As in the rest of the Netherlands, unless you plan on only taking a couple of trips using public transport, it makes sense to purchase an anonymous OV Chipkaart, a debit card used to pay for public transport.
Rotterdam Welcome Card allows for unlimited use of all RET public transport for 1 day, 2 days, or 3 days, and offers 25%+ discounts on 50+ attractions, museums, and restaurants.
There are five metro lines operated by RET. Lines A (green), B (yellow) and C (red), share tracks between Schiedam Centrum and Capelsebrug and offer an east-west connection. Lines D (light blue) and E (blue, also known as RandstadRail) share tracks between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge and offer a north-south connection. The interchange between all lines is possible on Beurs station in the city center.
Lines A, B, and C operate each every 10 minutes which allows 3-4 minute intervals on the main section between Schiedam Centrum and Capelsebrug. Lines D and E operate every 10 minutes, which give shorter intervals between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge. There is a more frequent service during rush hours. The Rotterdam Metro operates from 06.00 until midnight. See also the Map of the metro system
Remember to check in and out on metro stations without gates.
RET operates 10 tram lines. Al tram lines except line 2 will stop at Rotterdam Centraal. Tram stops provide a detailed map of the public transport system. All lines operate every 10 minutes with more frequent service during rush hours on some lines. Each tram has a conductor.
Multiple companies operate buses in Rotterdam, RET, ARRIVA, and Connexxion. These companies share some of the bus stops, but the route numbers are not interchangeable. RET is the larger operator in the metropolitan area itself, while ARRIVA and Connexxion service areas outside the metropolitan area. Use the front door when boarding a bus.
RET operates a night bus service (BOB-bus) on Friday and Saturday nights.
WaterBus provides boat connections between Rotterdam and the Drechtsteden (Dordrecht and surrounding cities). The Waterbus is also used to reach the windmills of Kinderdijk. Therefore you change at the stop 'Ridderkerk' to another ferry called ' Driehoeksveer'.
Once started as a fast ferry connection between Heijplaat on the south bank and the city center, the Aqualiner now also offers fast connections to Katendrecht and Lloydkwartier. Single tickets are sold on board (cash only).
If you do need a taxi you will have to find yourself a taxi rank or call a taxi company like the Rotterdamse Taxi Centrale RTC N.V. at +31 10 462 60 60 or the Coöperatieve Taxi Onderneming St. Job at +31 10 425 70 00. You could book your taxi also online or use a free smartphone app. If you need an Airport transfer from Schiphol to Rotterdam you can use Tinker at +31 (20) 290 0050.
If you want to travel from shore to shore in a special way, the nicest way to go is to take the Water Taxi. This speedboat will escort you over the Maas. They have more than 250 landing stages. Call Watertaxi Rotterdam at +31 (10) 403 03 03 or check their website.
The ferry service between Hotel New York and Leuvehaven, and Hotel New York to Veerhaven sails back and forth on a scheduled timetable.
Rotterdam has only seven windmills left. Of these, only De Ster and De Lelie are open to visitors on a regular basis. Other windmills are open to visitors when the mill is turning (easy enough to see), but there are some exceptions to this rule of thumb. A blue flag also indicates that the mill is open to visitors.
Please note that in The Netherlands churches are generally closed to visitors on Sundays.
There are two huge mega cinemas in Rotterdam. The one in the city center is called Pathé Schouwburgplein (located at the Schouwburgplein), the other one is on the south side of the city. It's called Pathé De Kuip (located next to the Feyenoord stadium De Kuip). In these cinemas, you can see Hollywood movies and occasionally an arthouse movie.
If you're more into alternative cinema go to Lantaren/Venster Cinema (Otto Reuchlinweg 996 (Wilhelminapier),). Here you'll get European, Asian and Latin American cinema in a nice atmosphere. It has a nice bar too. The other option is Cinerama (Westblaak 18) which shows a combination of art/house films and commercial Hollywood flicks. During the IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam), which usually takes place at the end of January, art-house movies are shown at much more locations throughout the city.
In August, an open-air cinema at theWhen you want to combine a unique experience with a great view over the city of Rotterdam, you can make a (tandem) skydive at Skydive Rotterdam. At Skydive Rotterdam (also called The Flying Dutchman) you can book a tandem skydive or do a complete skydiving course and jump from a height of 3 or 4 kilometers. It's the only skydiving school in the "Randstad" area and the only place in the Netherlands where you can jump over a major city like Rotterdam. When the weather's good you will have a spectacular view over the Rotterdam skyline and other parts of the Randstad area, all the way to the coastline.
An airplane can be rented at reasonable rates at Rotterdam Aiport at Happy Wing. Nice tours above the city, its ports or the coastline are on offer.
On summer Sundays, it is possible to lower yourself down from the Euromast. On last Sundays of summer months you can glide down in 15 seconds on a wire (tokkelen). Both: Not for the faint of heart!
The closest good beach is a short train ride (32 min) away at Hook of Holland. Trains leave Rotterdam Centraal station every half hour. Wait for the last station, Hoek van Holland Strand (strand = beach). Here you will find a very fine sand beach with good swimming and enough entertainment. Leave the town of Hoek van Holland proper aside, there is nothing there.
For a more urban-party beach experience head to Scheveningen where you can find everything beach-party addicts dream about; Endless rows of beachside bars, restaurants, and discotheques and a boulevard along a splendid fine-sand beach. It can get very crowded here. Take the train to Den Haag HS station and from there Tram 1, or take the train to Den Haag Centraal Station and Tram 9 subsequently.
Being a major harbor and having lots of waterways and lakes, Rotterdam has a lot to offer for water-enthusiasts. Boating: There are four major lakes in Rotterdam. The Kralingse Plas, The double Bergse Plas, the Rottemeren and the Zevenhuizer Plas. All of them have active yachting communities and sometimes sailing races can be seen. The Zevenhuizer plas is mainly populated by Windsurf enthusiasts. Sailing boats can be rented at the Kralingse Plas at the Van Gent sailing school 70, Plaszoom, a 10-minute walk from Metro Voorschoterlaan (walk through the Julianalaan until you reach Plaszoom). Rowing- and sailing boats can be rented at the windmill at the very end of the eastern Rottekade at Van Vliet's 71(Rottemeren, go by car or bike, a very nice ride). Yachting: When visiting Rotterdam with your own yacht you will find that most yachting harbors are on the inland waterways, where there are a lot of them. On the river Maas you will only find the City Marina 72, behind a bascule bridge on the southern bank, and the Veerhaven 73, right in the city center on the northern bank. Unless you need the better shelter of the characterless City Marina, go for the admittedly a little choppy Veerhaven marina, very central and scenic.
The area around metro station Blaak, called Oude haven (Old Harbour), is not only worth seeing but has also a lot of pubs and restaurants. The Rotterdam dining scene is developing very fast with new restaurants opening very often. While most of the attention focuses on new Michelin-star aspiring places, there is very much a trend towards high-quality mid-range restaurants offering French/Dutch cuisine.
Nightlife in Rotterdam is extremely varied, every subculture has its own area in the city. The Oude Haven (close to the Kubuswoningen) and the main market square Blaak are the hangout spot for business, economic and law students. The cafés and restaurants in the Oude Haven (Old Harbour) are located around a picturesque little harbor. Scenery of water, city lights, boats, and Het Witte Huis, the first skyscraper of Europe (1897). The atmosphere is really great and it is best to go when the sun sets, very romantic! Great place for a night out.
Close to the Oude Haven area, the streets around the Pannenkoekstraat have recently emerged as a new center for shopping and going out. Amidst small boutiques, selling clothes and interior design by young, upcoming designers, you can find cocktail bars such as Level or Soho, which both attract large crowds. Especially in the summer, this is a great place for a mojito.
The most lively bar area in town is Eendrachtsplein/Nieuwe Binnenweg. Alternative, easy going and full of friendly, open-minded people. The cafés you should be looking for are Stalles, Parket and Rotown. This is the place to be for the more creative orientated people, musicians, designers, and artschool students. Walk down de Nieuwe Binnenweg and arrive at Café Ari (Nieuwe Binnenweg/Mathenesserlaan) and Westerpaviljoen (grand café with the best terrace in the city). This is a good place to start the evening. Walk a little bit (3 minutes) down the Binnenweg again and go left at ‘s-Gravendijkwal (you'll see the flashy neon lights of sexclub OQ). Across the street, you'll find Jazz Cafe Dizzy. A great place for a quality beer and some live jazz music. You can also eat at almost all the places mentioned.
Now walk back the Binnenweg up eastbound. Cross Eendrachtsplein and go to the right towards the Westersingel. Walk 3 minutes and on your left, there is the Witte de Withstraat. Some nice café's like De Witte Aap, Mondriaan, Bar P, and De Schouw are located here, along with some good restaurants as well. This is also the artiest street of Rotterdam. Here you'll find Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, MAMA, a showroom for media and moving art and many more. Drinking in style!
The Hofplein area, just east from Central Station on both sides of the train tracks, recently emerged on the nightlife map after a gentrification project. It attracts a creative crowd, mostly art students. Main attraction is the formerly vacant office building Schieblok, with the Berlin-esque BAR, that hosts underground techno nights. They do good food, too. Behind the building is the Bavarian style Biergarten. To find the Schieblok, look for the massive wooden pedestrian bridge across the road that leads north from Hofplein. Around the corner is also the massive and somewhat tacky club Hollywood, that boasts everything from top 40 to hardstyle to a teenage crowd. North from the train tracks is the Hofbogen, underneath the former Hofplein train station. It houses a bunch of cafés and clubs, including BIRD, that plays jazz and funkie house till late. On the roof, there's an open-air cinema.
If you're into loud music, your best option would be to go to De Baroeg at the "Spinozaweg" in Rotterdam-Lombardijen. Loads of heavy metal acts play here each year. Should you not feel like making your way all the way into sub-urbia, you could also try your luck at the Rhythem on Oude Binnenweg. A popular hang out of alternative types.
The clubscene in Rotterdam is well-renowned. For example, it gave birth to the gabber-housescene in the early 1990's and was home to the Now&Wow, one of the world's trendiest clubs. The Now&Wow is now defunct, but in its last lcoation, an old grain silo near metro station Maashaven, there are still numerous dance parties. Just as with the barscene, there are clubs that cater to different groups of people. Moreover, Rotterdam nightlife is very dynamic: places come and go, move around, change ownership, etc. Currently, it is mostly centered around:
Some listings that can be found around these places:
As everywhere in The Netherlands, the possession (of small quantities) and use of cannabis (hash and weed) is tolerated in Rotterdam. Since Amsterdam draws more coffee-shop tourism prices are lower in Rotterdam. Some renowned places:
The main shopping areas in the center are the Lijnbaan and the Hoogstraat. Both are pedestrianized. The Lijnbaan, which runs straight south from the Weena (close to Rotterdam Centraal) was the first pedestrianized shopping street in the world when it was built in 1953. Now it is more of an average shopping street with average shops. On weekends it's very crowded. Linking the Lijnbaan with the Hoogstraat is the Beurstraverse, dubbed Koopgoot (Buying-gutter). A subterranean passage, also connecting to Beurs metro station. It's all rather big and somewhat strange for a Dutch city, but it fits perfectly into the Rotterdam aspiration of being different. If you're looking for it, ask for the Koopgoot, as the official name is little known. A more alternative shopping experience could be found at Botersloot and Pannekoekstraat, which have many independent, some outright odd shops. Both streets run parallel to the east from the market square where Blaak metro and train station is located.
There are about 12 larger and smaller open-air markets dotted around Rotterdam. Most of them are enjoyable places to walk through. A nice place to visit is the inner City Market (Tue and Sat, in summer also on Sun a smaller version) which is a huge (about 450 stalls) open-air food and hardware market. It's at the eastern end of the Hoogstraat on the Binnenrotte. Metro: Blaak. More exotic and colorful is the Afrikaanderplein Market (South of the river, Metro: Maashaven). This market is geared very much towards Rotterdam inhabitants of Antillian, South American or African descent (a lot of whom happen to live nearby). Wed and Sat, about 300 stalls.
Department stores. The Beurstraverse gives direct access to the city's main department stores:
Sustainable shopping. De Groene Passage is a collection of sustainable shops including a grocery store, restaurant, bookstore, and butchery. Mariniersweg 1 – 33 near Blaak train- and metro station.
Things to buy. Dutch cheese is very famous, you can get some at grocery stores or wider variety at the marketplace. Other typical Dutch things are stroopwafels, hagelslag, and drop (liquorice).
Since virtually everybody in the Netherlands speaks at least some English, getting around should be very easy for tourists who can only speak this language.
LOCAL TIME
6:43 pm
July 2, 2022
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