48 hours in Rotterdam – A weekend itinerary
I made good use of my time in Rotterdam recently by putting together an itinerary to guide you through making the most of those precious 48 hours.
Once you arrive in The Netherlands at the Hook or Holland, Rotterdam is incredibly well connected. There is a metro line into the city, or it’s about 30kms in a taxi (or a 30/35-minute drive)
Head straight to your hotel to drop off your bags, I’m recommending the Hotel New York, on Koninginnenhoofd. (Nearest Metro stop – Wilhelminaplein).
Hotel New York is in the former headquarters of the Holland-America Line on the 'Kop van Zuid' in Rotterdam. It was the point from which thousands of people left The Netherlands looking for a better life in North America. This historic landmark was reopened as Hotel New York in 1993, with so many of the original fixtures and fittings it’s like stepping back in time as you walk through the door. I was enchanted by this stately hotel; every one of its 72 rooms is different, and all have that touch of all school glamour.
For the rest of the afternoon, I suggest that you head out to the Het Nieuwe Instituut - but first, take a slightly circular route around the hotel, along the Antoine Platekade, where you will see the world’s largest floating office block in the water, connected by a small footbridge!
As you walk down Antoine Platekade, turn left when you meet the main road at the end and you will catch a great view of Rotterdam’s famous landmark, the beautiful Erasmus Bridge. Head over the bridge and follow the signs for Museumpark & the Het Nieuwe Instituut. The whole walk is about 2.5km & should take about 30-40 mins. Alternatively, there are Metro connections near the hotel and the instituut.
The Het Nieuwe Instituut is a cultural centre that focuses on architecture, design, and digital culture. There are several permanent installations including Sonneveld House (a prime example of Nieuwe Zakelijkheid architecture), a pond, and a small park.
The instituut works hard to maintain it’s environmentally friendly commitments, even going as far as to appoint a ‘Speaker for Non-Human Life’ who advocates for the natural world when decisions are being made. I love this initiative!
Everything here is very hands-on – at one point I was encouraged to take off my shoes and stand on one of the exhibits! A work by Alexandra Kehayoglou in the exhibition Garden Futures – ‘Meadow’, a huge carpet inviting us to consider the role that nature plays in our lives, and the simple pleasures of wriggling our toes in the grass.
The building is light, bright and airy & there is plenty to do and see. Grab a spot of lunch in the café here, the environmentally friendly ethos runs through the menu with plenty of locally sourced and plant-based options.
Opposite the institute is the very impressive ‘Depot’ a huge rounded mirrored building that gives you a view of Rotterdam centre, just standing on the ground looking up! Inside it houses a huge collection of art, it’s a must-see for culture vultures.
There are several other museums in this park – you could spend days here!
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (next to Depot)
The Chabot Museum
The Kunsthal
Huis Sonneveld
Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam
I’m going to recommend you have dinner at your hotel on the Friday evening, the restaurant is beautiful, with more of that old-world glamour and the food is delicious, not to mention the cocktails!
Cocktails are on the menu elsewhere in the hotel too, so if you’re not quite ready to call it a night after you’ve eaten, there’s something that might interest you. Underneath the hotel there’s the ‘NY basement’ a restaurant/cocktail bar in a speakeasy style. If you didn’t see anything on the menu upstairs this is also a great alternative for food, and the cocktails here are first rate!
So today, the rest of Rotterdam calls you! Following breakfast in your hotel, head back into the city centre, either over the bridge, under the water on the Metro, or on the water via water taxi right outside the hotel (Stop 44, book in advance).
A great start to the day would be to take the water taxi to the 185m tall Euromast (stop 65) and have a ride on the Euroscoop. This 7-minute journey in a glass bottomed lift gives you a 360-degree view over Rotterdam and the surrounding landscape. It’s incredibly popular, so booking is recommended.
From here you can wend your way into the heart of the city through Het Park and Museumpark. Children might enjoy the Kube houses, Rotterdam Zoo, or Miniworld, a model version of the Benelux countries, that also has a model of Great British landmarks!
Most of the city centre is walkable, but the zoo is a little further out, so the Metro (Line E) might be your best choice.
There’s street art or a quirky boutique around every corner in Rotterdam, and a thriving Chinatown, which would make a great spot for lunch. Another cute lunch option would be Witte de Withstraat, in the centre of the city, this street is lined with bars boutiques and restaurants.
After a full day discovering the city, head back to Hotel New York to freshen up ready for dinner in a rather beautiful and innovative setting!
Putaine, the floating restaurant!
As you come out of the hotel, head back around to the marina with the floating office building in the Rijnhaven where Putaine occupies the ground floor, your destination for dinner.
Trot down the footbridge across the water, step into this Michelin Guide listed restaurant and prepared to be impressed! Inside this sophisticated, elegant restaurant the Rotterdam skyline and Nieuwe Maas river form the backdrop to your evening through the full-length windows. The candlelight adds to the ambience – it’s perfect for date-night.
The a la carte menu is bound to have something to suit your mood, another great way to order is to take the tasting menu. It's extraordinary, such striking colours and textures, delicious! The produce and ingredients are Dutch through and through and change according to supply, so the menu is quite varied.
Sit back and enjoy a beautiful meal on the water before heading back to the hotel (or into town to Witte de Withstraat to keep the party going?)
It’s time to say farewell to Rotterdam, but there’s time to enjoy a lazy Sunday brunch in one of the many cafes and boulangeries that are so popular here, they smell amazing with fresh baked bread and fresh ground coffee, heavenly!
If you’ve got a little longer before you need to begin your journey home, it’s just a 10-minute train journey from Rotterdam Central to Delft, the super cute canal-ringed city famous for Delftware, hand-painted blue-and-white pottery. You could spend the morning here and still be back in Rotterdam to catch a lunchtime train.
25 minutes away from Rotterdam by train is The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government and home to the Royal Family. There are so many historical monuments to visit here, including the Panorama Mesdag. Opened in 1881 this astonishing 360-degree artwork is the largest painting of The Netherlands in the world and the oldest panorama still in its original setting. It’s really quite something.
So, in 48 hours in Rotterdam, there’s a lot to get through! I think I need to take another trip to cover everything. In fact, let me go check the ferry timetable!
I hope you've enjoyed reading about Rotterdam as much as I enjoyed exploring it!
Thanks,
Sally
Images - Sally Bendall & Unsplash
Sally was invited to explore Rotterdam as a guest of NBTC (Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions)
