Things to do · Rotterdam · Netherlands
17 best things to do in Rotterdam
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: GraphyArchy, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Rotterdam are Markthal, Cube Houses and Oude Haven and Erasmus Bridge. Of the 17 picks below, 6 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Markthal
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Markthal
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markthal | Centrum | 1 hour | Free |
| Cube Houses and Oude Haven | Centrum | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Erasmus Bridge | Kop van Zuid and Wilhelminapier | 30 minutes | Free |
| Euromast | Cool and Witte de Withstraat | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen | Cool and Witte de Withstraat | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Harbour boat tour | Centrum | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kunsthal | Cool and Witte de Withstraat | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Het Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House | Cool and Witte de Withstraat | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Delfshaven | Delfshaven | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| SS Rotterdam | Katendrecht | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Fenix | Katendrecht | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Wilhelminapier and Hotel New York | Kop van Zuid and Wilhelminapier | 1 hour | Free |
| Maritime Museum Rotterdam | Centrum | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Diergaarde Blijdorp | Blijdorp | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Laurenskerk | Centrum | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Witte de Withstraat | Cool and Witte de Withstraat | 2 hours | Free |
| Kralingse Bos and Plas | Kralingen | 2–3 hours | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Market · Centrum
1.Markthal
MVRDV's horseshoe-shaped market hall, opened in 2014, wraps apartments around a vaulted food hall. Its ceiling is covered by Arno Coenen's huge mural Horn of Plenty, showing fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers, and the stalls below sell Dutch cheese, stroopwafels, seafood and food from around the world.
Come for an early lunch on a weekday; it gets very crowded on Saturday afternoons.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Food
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Architecture · Centrum
2.Cube Houses and Oude Haven
Piet Blom's tilted yellow Cube Houses, completed in 1984, sit on hexagonal pylons above a pedestrian bridge next to Blaak station. One, the Kijk-Kubus, is a show home you can visit. Below, the Oude Haven, the city's oldest harbour, has historic barges moored by café terraces.
Visit the Kijk-Kubus to see how residents furnish rooms with sloping walls, then have a drink by the Oude Haven.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Kids
Landmark · Kop van Zuid and Wilhelminapier
3.Erasmus Bridge
Ben van Berkel's cable-stayed bridge, opened in 1996, crosses the Nieuwe Maas with a white, angled pylon about 139 metres tall that earned it the nickname 'the Swan'. It links the centre to Kop van Zuid and is free to cross on foot or by bike, with views of the skyline and river traffic.
Walk across at dusk and continue to the end of the Wilhelminapier for the classic skyline view.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- Photo spot
- After dark
Viewpoint · Cool and Witte de Withstraat
4.Euromast
Built in 1960 next to Het Park, the Euromast observation tower has a deck at about 100 metres and a rotating glass lift, the Euroscoop, that rises to about 185 metres, with views over the port, the river and, on clear days, towards the coast.
Combine it with a walk in Het Park below and a harbour tour from the nearby quays.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Museum · Cool and Witte de Withstraat
5.Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
Opened in 2021 in the Museumpark, this mirrored, bowl-shaped building by MVRDV is an art storage building opened to the public. Visitors walk through criss-crossing glass display cases and storage rooms holding the Boijmans Van Beuningen collection, from old masters to contemporary design, and up to a rooftop of birch trees with city views.
Book a guided tour to see storage areas closed to individual visitors.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed-entry tickets are recommended at weekends and in school holidays.
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Views
- Iconic
Experience · Centrum
6.Harbour boat tour
Spido boats leave from the Leuvehoofd at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge for tours of about 75 minutes through the inner harbours, past container terminals, shipyards and dry docks, with commentary on the port's history.
Sit on the open upper deck in good weather, with a windproof layer.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Views
- Iconic
Gallery · Cool and Witte de Withstraat
7.Kunsthal
Rem Koolhaas and OMA designed this 1992 exhibition hall at the southern end of the Museumpark, with ramps linking its galleries. It has no permanent collection and hosts changing exhibitions on art, design, fashion and photography.
Check what is on before you go; there are usually several shows at once.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Cool and Witte de Withstraat
8.Het Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House
The national institute for architecture, design and digital culture holds exhibitions in its Museumpark building, and also runs the nearby Sonneveld House, a 1933 Nieuwe Bouwen villa with its original furniture and fittings.
Don't skip the Sonneveld House; it is one of the best-preserved functionalist interiors in the Netherlands.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
.jpg){kind=link}
Neighbourhood · Delfshaven
1.Delfshaven
The historic harbour of Delfshaven survived the 1940 bombing and keeps gabled warehouses, the Pilgrim Fathers' Church where the Pilgrims worshipped before sailing to America in 1620, and the De Distilleerketel windmill. A walk along the harbour takes in old ships, cafés and a brewery.
Visit on a weekend afternoon, when the windmill sometimes opens to visitors.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
- Couples
Historic site · Katendrecht
2.SS Rotterdam
The former flagship of the Holland America Line, launched in 1958, is permanently moored at Katendrecht as a hotel, restaurant and museum ship. Tours visit the engine room, the bridge and the 1950s public rooms.
Have a drink in one of the ship's original lounges even if you don't take a tour.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
Museum · Katendrecht
3.Fenix
In a restored 1920s harbour warehouse on Katendrecht, Fenix is a museum about migration, opened in 2025, telling stories of people who left from and arrived in Rotterdam. Its rooftop is reached by the Tornado, a spiralling double staircase of wood and steel with views over the river.
Climb the Tornado to the rooftop for views of the Wilhelminapier towers.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Views
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Kop van Zuid and Wilhelminapier
4.Wilhelminapier and Hotel New York
The pier from which Holland America Line ships carried emigrants to New York is now lined with towers, including De Rotterdam and the Montevideo. At the tip, Hotel New York occupies the line's former headquarters, and the waterfront looks back across the Maas to the centre.
Take the water taxi from the Hotel New York pier for a quick ride across the river.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Couples
Museum · Centrum
5.Maritime Museum Rotterdam
Near the Leuvehaven, the Maritime Museum covers shipping and the port, with interactive galleries, ship models and an outdoor harbour of historic vessels and cranes, plus a large hands-on play area for children.
The indoor play zone is a good rainy-day option with children.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
Zoo · Blijdorp
6.Diergaarde Blijdorp
Rotterdam's zoo, in the Blijdorp district north of Centraal station, is arranged by continent, with the Oceanium aquarium of sharks and rays, Asian elephants and an Amazonica rainforest hall, on a site laid out around 1940 to designs by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn.
The zoo has two entrances; the one by the Oceanium is handy if you want to start with the aquarium.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Religious site · Centrum
7.Laurenskerk
St. Lawrence's Church is the only remaining medieval building in the city centre, a 15th-century Gothic church that was badly damaged in 1940 and restored after the war. Inside are large organs and the tombs of Dutch naval heroes; tower tours are sometimes offered.
It is a two-minute walk from the Markthal; check whether the tower is open for a climb during your visit.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Street · Cool and Witte de Withstraat
8.Witte de Withstraat
Rotterdam's best-known going-out street runs from the Museumpark towards the Maritime Museum, lined with galleries, design shops, bars and restaurants serving everything from Dutch snacks to Surinamese, Turkish and Japanese food.
Start with an early dinner here, then move to the bars on the Nieuwe Binnenweg nearby.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- After dark
- Art
- Shopping
Park · Kralingen
9.Kralingse Bos and Plas
A large wooded park around a lake on the city's eastern edge, with cycle paths, beaches on the lakeshore, boat rental and two historic windmills, De Ster and De Lelie, on the shore.
Rent a bike and cycle the loop around the lake on a sunny afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Kunsthal, Het Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House and Fenix |
| History | Delfshaven, SS Rotterdam, Fenix and Wilhelminapier and Hotel New York |
| Views | Erasmus Bridge, Euromast, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and Harbour boat tour |
| Outdoors and nature | Diergaarde Blijdorp and Kralingse Bos and Plas |
| Food and markets | Markthal and Witte de Withstraat |
| After dark | Erasmus Bridge and Witte de Withstraat |
| With children | Cube Houses and Oude Haven, Euromast, Harbour boat tour and SS Rotterdam |
| On a rainy day | Markthal, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Kunsthal and Het Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House |
What to book ahead
- Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen: Timed-entry tickets are recommended at weekends and in school holidays.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Rotterdam?
Markthal. MVRDV's horseshoe-shaped market hall, opened in 2014, wraps apartments around a vaulted food hall.
+What can you do for free in Rotterdam?
Markthal, Erasmus Bridge, Delfshaven, Wilhelminapier and Hotel New York and Witte de Withstraat. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Rotterdam when it rains?
Head indoors to Markthal, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Kunsthal and Het Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House.
+What is there to do in Rotterdam at night?
Erasmus Bridge and Witte de Withstraat are best after dark.