The Delegate Experience: 5 Ways to be a Rotterdammer
Want to know more about Rotterdam? Did you know that Rotterdam’s Witte de Withstraat is the world’s 6th coolest street, or that our historic Katendrecht District was listed among the top 50 coolest neighborhoods in the world by TimeOut Magazine? We think you will be surprised by what Rotterdam has to offer!
Be Good to Your Soul and visit two cathedrals: Start at Rotterdam’s monumental Gothic church, the Laurenskerk, which survived the war and stood as a symbol of hope for the citizens as they set about building their city of the future. After you’ve gotten your history fix, walk across the Market Square (stop to take a gander at the crazy Cube Houses) to Rotterdam’s unofficial Cathedral of Food: the iconic Markthal. An architectural icon, it features a sweeping arch of a ceiling showcasing the largest work of public art in the world, and the scents and flavors of countless international cuisines in the stalls beneath it.
Ossip van Duivenbode
Get Street Smart Get Street Smart and get to know two of Rotterdam’s hippest streets, the Meent, and the Witte de Withstraat. The Meent is a shopper’s paradise, and runs from the city’s main artery, the Coolsingel, all the way to the Laurenskerk/Markthal area. Shop and then drop into a comfy seat at classic and trendy cafe eateries like Dudok Grand Café or THOMS for lunch, and then head over to the Witte de Withstraat which is nice during the day, and twice as nice after dark. Shop at Marlies Dekkers, Danny de Cactus, and visit art centre Worm to get your culture fix, before tasting one of 150 different gins at Ballroom, getting your samba on at Latin-American eatery Supermercado, diving into the flavors of the Middle East at Bazar, and finishing off the night at De Witte Aap pub.
Iris van den Broek
Be a Culture Vulture and visit one or more of the city’s unique institutions. From the amazing sculpture and graffiti available on our #streetart route, to the city’s Museumpark comprising Rotterdam’s newest architectural icon, the Depot Boijmans van Beuningen – a masterpiece of innovation and climate adaptation which is also home to fine art from around the world. The park also hosts the NAI (Netherlands Architecture Institute, the modern art expo known as the Kunsthal, and the tiny but perfect Natural History Museum of Rotterdam.Take a Walk in the Park and visit the Euromast for breakfast with a view, and a great photo op. From great heights you can take a deep dive into the past and visit Park Schoonoord (literally “The Beautiful Place”) dating from the 1700s, and a true “secret garden” in Rotterdam. Have lunch on the lawn at Café de Parqiet and then go on a quest to find Rotterdam’s other secret location: leave the park and make your way through the historic Shipping Quarter to immerse yourself in the Rotterdam of a past century.
Iris van den Broek
Don’t be a landlubber, Live on Water! Rotterdam is an innovative port city, so take a Watertaxi along the Maas River, passing two world firsts: the largest Floating Office & the Floating Farm. Stop at historic Hotel New York for high tea, followed by a visit to urban hot-spot the Fenix Food Factory in Rotterdam’s world-famous Katendrecht Then back aboard the Watertaxi to the ss Rotterdam, where you can relax on the Lido Deck with a spectacular view of the Rotterdam skyline and the iconic Erasmusbrug. Finally, hop back on the Watertaxi to visit the Stadshavenbrouwerij, a sustainable brewery in the heart of our Maker’s District in the Port of Rotterdam.
Iris van den Broek
We hope to have convinced you that there is lots to do, and advise you to make the website of Rotterdam Info a favorite in your browser, or save to your home screen on your phone. This is your best guide to discovering Rotterdam!
And if you are curious how to Do Rotterdam like a Do-Rist, explore the microsite dedicated to how to be like a local!
