City Tour de Rotterdam, Holland

City Tour de Rotterdam 6,5km by Local4U

Gorgeous, pulsating, modern Rotterdam!

Have you already had time to get to know Rotterdam? The city is really a destination worth visiting when you travel in the Netherlands!

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands, the modern metropolis has about 625,000 inhabitants.

Rotterdam is located along the Nieuwe Maas, the northern mouth branch of the Rhine, in the province of South Holland, and the journey to the city is quick by train from Amsterdam or by car. There is a lot of traffic in the Netherlands, so you should be prepared for traffic jams on the highways. Rotterdam is home to the largest port in Europe and the third largest in the world. Along with container traffic, the port is an important part of the country’s economy, but the port also lives as part of the city’s lively cultural life with its restaurants and new recreation areas, where you can enjoy Rotterdam’s pulsating, multicultural life.

The wonderful, modern urban culture inspires and charms!

The City Tour de Rotterdam route runs from the R´dam Centraal train station through the city’s best destinations and on the way you can grab local delicacies and moments in the Rotterdam way. You can find more about Rotterdam attractions, museums, etc. here.

1.Lijnbaan is a well-known shopping street in Rotterdam. It was opened in 1953 as the main pedestrian street of the new shopping area after the old shopping area was completely destroyed by the German Luftwaffe bombing of Rotterdam. Between 1991 and 1996, the center was renovated together with the Beursplein and made into a more attractive downtown pedestrian area. Since then, car traffic has decreased considerably. Rotterdam residents call the corridor with its many shops “Koopgoot” or “Shopping channel”.

2.WTC Rotterdam, located along shopping street, was one of the first high-rise buildings in the city center when it was completed in 1987. Now the building houses more than 200 companies, hotels, banquet facilities, restaurants, etc.

3. Market Hall is a horseshoe-shaped residential and office building with a market hall in its “lap”. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opened the building on 1 October 2014. In addition to the large shopping mall, the complex has 228 apartments, 4,600 m2 of business space, 1,600 m2 Horeka businesses and an underground 4-story parking garage that can accommodate over 1,200 cars. All of these are suspended around a 34m high and 42m wide steel cable structure, making it the largest glass window cable structure in Europe. Huge flower-themed light works play inside the shopping hall, creating an unprecedented setting for a multicultural food and product offering. Strong recommendation!

4. Cube houses – Cubus huizen. Rotterdam’s famous cube houses are a construction of 38 cube-shaped stilt houses. 25 residential and 13 commercial cubes are located at Blaak metro station, near Oude Haven in the center of Rotterdam. They were built in 1982-1984 and have been fascinating with their diversity and diversity ever since. You can visit the cubical apartment on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through the cube houses you can reach the historic Oude Haven harbor on the other side of the street, which is full of cozy restaurants and cafes.

5. Boompjes boulevard is located at the height of the estuary, along the river Maas. The pier is a few meters below and is called Boompjeskade. There are several restaurant services along the boulevard, such as Ravintola Langoest. Seafood and typical Dutch international delicacies are worth tasting along the route. In summer, Boompjes is Rotterdam’s city beach and all year round, day and night (lit), 230 flags fly along it. The countries’ flags proudly represent Rotterdam’s multi-nationality. The best sights can be found along the route, if you want to see Rotterdam from a bird’s eye view, you can stop after Boompjes boulevard to admire the museums, eat, or descend from the amazing Euromast tower. Read more here!

6. Maritiem museum – The maritime museum merged with the adjacent harbor museum in September 2014. The maritime museum’s harbor has an extensive collection of historical ships and transshipment equipment. The maritime museum is located right next to Boombjes boulevard, on the right.

7. MeliefBender is Rotterdam’s oldest pub-café and definitely coziest in Europe! Small tables, alcoves with red velvet curtains, trays with paper lace. Homely coziness characterizes Rotterdam’s oldest pub, and this atmosphere has its own word – “Gezellig”. Mrs. Melief and Mr. Bender, whose faces can be seen in the round frames above the bar, founded the pub and now, after more than 135 years, the pub is about to be ready for its fourth owner: Robèr Willemsen. Even if Melief is renewed with a new owner, there is no need to fear that the atmosphere will be lost, because Robèr will take over not only the cafe but also the tradition of the current owner, Bertus Vermeulen. “The only thing that will change are the customer toilets, the kitchen and the windows, they will be replaced with life-size doors that let more light in”.

8. Capri Ijsslon– Capri ice cream bar: Italian nostalgia in the heart of Rotterdam. Capri has become an essential part of Rotterdam’s Karel Doormanstraat. Many ice cream lovers from Rotterdam, but also far outside the city, have known where to find Capri. Its Italian founder opened Capri in 1957. Within a few years, Capri’s reputation exploded, and the great Capri ice cream was tasted from near and far. If you like pure Italian ice cream, hop to Karel Doormanstraat! Even today, the Italian owner pilots the Capri for the third generation and with at least as much passion! Near the ice cream bar is also the city’s largest department store, Bijenkorf.

9. Karel Doormanstraat takes us back to the vicinity of the Rotterdam Central train station. Before going home, you can linger in the restaurants on the street and enjoy the pulse of the big city. Reasonably priced delicacies can be enjoyed e.g. in the cozy milieu of Restaurant Bertmans, and those who like music will surely find their favorite terrace in the numerous cafe-bars.