How to spend 48 hours in this ultra-cool Dutch city
Rotterdam is a cool city in the Netherlands, full of quirky and industrial architecture, youth hostels and street art. As you stroll through the streets, you cannot help but stare at the street art, the unique buildings and of course the canals.When I visited in 2025 it was my second visit to Rotterdam. On arrival I thought the city had changed beyond recognition and I remembered next-to-nothing from my trip in 2011. Even when I looked back on photos, standing in the same places, nothing. This is a really unfair reflection on Rotterdam. It’s not a forgettable town at all. But that’s why I have a blog now as I hate forgetting experiences.
Anyway, it was when we wandered down Witte de Withstraat that my memories came flooding back. Notably, as we walked past Bazar, an Arabic restaurant that I remembered going to twice. It didn’t look like it had changed one bit – even the lighting was identical to the photos I still have.
A little history of Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands. It feels like it came into being in the 1960s and 1970s, but unlike English ‘new towns’ (think Milton Keynes) it is much older. It was a fishing village originally, and online sources cannot decide if it was founded in the 8th century or the 13th Century (or somewhere in between).
Like many port towns in Europe, Rotterdam was flattened in the Second World War (the Rotterdam Blitz in 1940 left 85,000 homeless and it was also bombed by the allies in 1943). It was rebuilt in the decades after the war in a very stylised manner.
Today the port provides a trade route for good and commodities (due to its proximity to the North Sea there is a strong oil industry).
Rotterdam has a long maritime history and has been the gateway not just to the Netherlands but to Europe more broadly. It has also been the place people travelled through to flee Europe to America and Canada.
If you’re visiting Rotterdam on a cruise
If you’re picking a cruise for the first time, then consider one which includes a stop in Rotterdam. It is a brilliant cruise stop, with some such as P&O doing a two-night stop in the port (MSC also has a route that stops in Rotterdam). Many of the cruise companies offer excursions to Amsterdam or to Tulip fields in the Netherlands. But stop. Don’t book those. Stay in Rotterdam.
The dock in Rotterdam is in a really good location for you to get a feel for the town. Even if you are only there a few hours. It is opposite the Netherlands Photography Museum and a small food hall which has loads of street food. The dock is also just a 10 minute walk to some of the remarkable bridges and museums (as well as the huge shopping centre).
Many of the attractions in Rotterdam have been planned with families in mind. This means there is lots to keep children amused.
Is 48 hours in Rotterdam enough?
As you may have established, Rotterdam didn’t make a huge impact on me the first time I visited. From my inter-railing, it was in my mind as ‘cool, but not loads to do’ and was overshadowed by Budapest, Krakow, Köln, Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam which we had also visited. Well I was wrong. My conviction that 48 hours or so would be more than enough was wrong. I could have easily done another two days. There are so many museums now, cool places to eat and wanky coffee shops to explore. Plus I’d not appreciated how close to The Hague it was, which is firmly on my list to visit.
As such, I’ve supplemented my itinerary below with the places we went into on my first trip, but we just walked past this time.
Paying in Rotterdam: The only way is contactless
Like many countries in Europe, Rotterdam (and the whole Netherlands) use Euros. Hot on the heels of my visit to Berlin two weeks before, when I took no cash and missed out on a few experiences, I made a point of ensuring I had coins for Rotterdam. It felt like a mission to get rid of those Euro coins.
The majority of places we went to only accepted card payments.
But don’t rely on your Amex, many places don’t take it, but you’ll only find this out once your card is declined as the staff don’t seem to know.
No language barrier in Rotterdam
One of the things that forever takes me aback if I visit the Netherlands is how well everyone speaks English. No really, it’s to the point that the Dutch government is going to start cracking down on migrants, especially those from the UK who don’t learn the language (the Times). It does however mean that if you speak English you can get by for 48 hours easily.
Student discount in Rotterdam
If you’re lucky enough to have a student card, Rotterdam is a dream. The discounts for students are serious – not like the £1 off in London, think 45% off attractions.
Getting around Rotterdam
The city centre in Rotterdam isn’t huge and is flat. So most of it is very walkable and it’s also easy to jump on a lime bike if that’s your jam. If you want to go out to the suburbs, the tram and metro are both well-connected and straightforward to use.
For the tram, use Mastercard or Visa (per the point above) and tap in and out as you get on and off the tram. It will then automatically calculate which fare you should pay. You can also buy a day of unlimited travel on public transport here.*
Our Rotterdam Itinerary
Day one: finding our feet
We arrived on the Eurostar* at about 3.30 local time and walked across the city to our hotel – Motto by Hilton*. Now we like a Hilton as they are predictable, but had not stayed at a Motto before. They are cost-efficient and in good locations (and still get some Hilton Honors points). HOWEVER, you have to like the person you’re travelling with as the rooms are small and there isn’t really a bathroom, more a toilet cubicle and a shower cubicle. Oh and there wasn’t a kettle.
A note on getting the Eurostar* to Rotterdam: the journey is a bit longer than flying, but it is actually loads easier. The stations in London and Rotterdam are centrally located, check-in is easier and you get a lot more leg room than on a plane.
Once we had checked in, we braced the cold to explore and see some of the citys architecture and understand where we could eat (important things first).
We walked through the Marina (very cool) to the famous Kubus.
Rotterdam Kubus
The Kubus are cool, we didn’t pay the €3 to go round them as I had done it before. It sounds cheap, but I did remember that being steep for what you saw! For example, below is a photo I found of one of the exhibits: tiny models of chairs from the houses in the 1970s.
We did however peer in the window of the closed Chess Piece museum – proudly one of the smallest museums in Rotterdam, but it has more chess pieces than any other museum. Also when I checked my photos I’d also been there before.
After the Kubhus we wandered to the Willemsbrug which is an imposing deep red bridge. It feels odd to make a trip to see a bridge, but the bridges in Rotterdam are so iconic and are a key part of the skyline.
Rotterdam Markthal
By this point, we were cold and in need of dinner so opted for the Markthal as it was just cool and the way they have used lights in the huge window was really cool as it got dark.
The Markthal is an experience in itself, and it took several loops for us to choose where to eat. There was a wonderful-looking Croquette stall, SO MUCH CHEESE and loads of bubble tea. There is also an oriental supermarket and a Dutch supermarket.
At the Markthal we opted for Prawns and Chips (one portion was enough for two of us) and some Poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes – or bites of heaven – covered in powdered sugar) from Churros and Chocolate.
One note on the Markthal: you need to pay to use the toilet. Sounds silly, but given none of the stalls have one, it seems like a big deal.
Day two: Museums of Rotterdam
Day two was over 20,000 steps for us. We managed to clock two museums (and considered a couple more), a visit to the supporters shop at Feyenoord Rotterdam and a spot of shopping (not Primark).
The Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum (Maritiem Museum) is located near the Erasmus Bridge and it truly is a feat of imagination. It expertly takes an objectively dry topic – how to drill for oil near Rotterdam – and makes it really immersive and interesting. You are put through your paces, to see if you could work on an oil rig, by undertaking a range of “training exercises” which in fact take you through the various roles which people do on a rig, and let you try things like spotting issues with a pipeline (the steering on this is HARD).
To a certain extent, this did remind me of the Oil Industry Museum in Stavanger, but this museum was so much broader. Not only did it look at the Oil industry but it also looked at the role Rotterdam played in global migration and in trade more generally.
The Maritime Museum costs €17.50 for adults and it is advisable to book a slot in advance if you can. Tickets can be bought here.
Wandering through Witte de Withstraat
Witte de Withstraat is a cool street. It is home to a couple of well-decorated youth hostels, some funky bars, street art and some lighting. It is definitely a place to go if you want a drink or a decent lunch. I stand by my recommendation of Bazar from my first visit, we ate in a few places on the road, but this is the only one that made an impact.
Depot
Depot is located on the Museum Square which contains many art galleries and the Museum of Natural History (top of my list for next time).
Anyway, Depot isn’t an art gallery. It’s a storage facility where they show art. To me this is an art gallery but I’m not the one who decides such things. Spread over 5 floors, the not gallery is an eclectic mix of whatever they were asked to store.
The Depot also has a wonderful roof terrace with panoramic views of the city and a restaurant with a small but delicious menu. We had croquettes, which were divine.
Feyenoord Rotterdam
After Depot, we got the team to the Feyenoord Rotterdam stadium (it has its own stop so is super-easy to get to) and went to the fan shop so Anna could get a shirt (she likes to get football shirts of the team from places we visit). We’d wanted to go to the museum, but you can only go to this if you get a tour of the stadium, and we were not organised enough for this. If you’re more organised than us, you can book a stadium tour here*.
Pit stop at Jordys
After Feyenoord, we wanted to walk back to the main town (about 45 mins walk) and see the Erasmus Bridge. However, after a text conversation with some friends at home, we detoured to Katendrecht another cool spot with bars and a box-park style museum dedicated to the different cultures in Rotterdam.
We opted for Jordy’s, a cafe/ coffee house which blasted 80s music as loudly as it could. Would recommend.
A spot of shopping in the Cool District
After Jordy’s we wandered to the port to look at the Iona in dock, and through the food hall to see the Erasmus Bridge. Cool to look at.
The shops in the Cool District are a mix of European Chain stores and some independent ones. It’s a really good mix of places to browse, and British kids from the 1980s will be delighted to know there is even a branch of C&A.
Day three: the Zoo
My plan for day three had been brunch, the zoo, mini world, and possibly even a small gallery.
We got as far as the Zoo. And spent more than four hours there. There was that much to see.
Brunch at Savor & Nosh
Rotterdam isn’t short of places which are fit for Instagram, and Savor & Nosh is no exception. It’s a beautifully decorated venue with exceptional food. Because I was on a mission to try as many varieties of pancake as possible, we went for the apple-cinnamon pancakes. They were divine, and I could barely finish mine (which says a lot).
The Zoo
After our carb-filled brunch, we walked over to the Rotterdam Zoo, which is the other side of the Centraal station from most of the tourist attractions.
Firstly, the architecture was like something from East Germany. It was stark, steely and imposing. The entrance below is a good indicator of the architecture which awaits you.
The range of animals was spectacular (they had a Red Panda and a Polar Bear), however some didn’t have as much space to roam as I’d like. That said, we spent about 5 hours at the zoo. Much more than I had anticipated as there really was so much to do and walk round. If you are on a cruise, it’s a great choice for children and about a 30 mins walk from the port.
The Zoo can be booked in advance here* and it is about €35 per adult.
Souvenir hunting around ChinaTown
In case you’re wondering what happened to Mini world? By the time we were in the vicinity, it was an hour before closing and I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay €15 to be rushed around the museum. One for next time clearly.
With this in mind, and a realisation we had bought no souvenirs, we thought China Town could be a good spot. This wasn’t quite what we expected. It felt more like the part of town for any non-Dutch culture to have its shop or restaurant but no souvenirs. If there had not been the Chinese New Year banners up, I wouldn’t have known I was in China Town (clearly I have been spoilt by London).
We ended up getting our souvenirs at a shop by the Erasmus Bridge, which was nothing to write home about, and the customer service clearly reflected the fact they weren’t banking on repeat customers.
One learning
Remember my earlier point about Rotterdam being tiny? Well one possible waste of €8 was the locker at Rotterdam Centraal station. On the map I had thought, it’s soo far away, we couldn’t possibly walk to and from the Hotel to leave and collect our luggage before the train home. We safely could have done. This was proven after collecting our luggage and we wanted a sit down for half an hour before getting the Eurostar. The closest coffee shop to where we got souvenirs was pretty much at our hotel. Oh well.
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*Denotes affiliate links, this means if you make a purchase I get a little commission at no cost to you. Please note, I only recommend experiences I have done and would do again.
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