Best Walking Tour in Rotterdam

 

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the most beautiful in Europe. It’s considered a small New York, so you can’t miss the visit to this amazing city. It has a lot to offer culturally, and it is also a city full of architecture. What are you waiting for? Join the best walking tour in Rotterdam and discover the best sights with a local guide! Don’t miss the top 15 things to do in Rotterdam.

Best walking tour in Rotterdam

 

Rotterdam is the city of luxury shopping with the Lijnbaan, the first pedestrian street in Europe. Here you’ll find amazing works of modern architecture. You’ll be amazed by the skyline of Rotterdam, which in 2007 was awarded the City of Architecture award. Rotterdam is an innovative and futuristic city and the second-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. It’s divided by the Nieuwe Maas River and has the largest port in Europe, the nerve centre of maritime trade in the Netherlands. In this characteristic city, you’ll also find a lot of Instagrammable places!

 

 

Markthal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best walking tour in Rotterdam starts at Rotterdam Central Station, located in the heart of the city centre.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands inaugurated the Markthal in 2014. It’s located in the city centre of Rotterdam, in the historic Laurenskwartier and immediately entered the top ten most visited places in the city. It is the first covered food market in the Netherlands, inspired by the similar markets of Barcelona, Stockholm, and Valencia. Here you’ll find the food arranged by colour gradation. Inside you can also find many restaurants and shops with an impressive structure made of glass facades. The external facade is clad in natural grey stone, the same used for the market floor. Cornucopia is the name of the large mural that covers the interior of the market. It was designed by two artists, Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam. It represents the products that can be purchased at the market.

 

Oude Haven: the cubic houses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t miss the iconic Oude Haven and the cubic houses! A very must-see place in Rotterdam.

The charming old port of Oude Haven is an ideal place to spend good times and have a coffee in the various bars with terraces. Oude Haven is also the district that hosts wonderful cubic houses. This idea and project are by the architect Piet Blom, who built 45° inclined cubes that recalled the shape of a tree. The idea was to recreate the abstract image of a forest. The Cubic Houses are not only residences but also small shops, and you can find a museum there. Blom’s cubic houses are a real work of art, classified as the strangest houses in the world. Blom also designed other cubic houses near Eindhoven.

 

Kop Van Zuid

 

The symbolic building of Kop Van Zuid is De Rotterdam. We’re talking about three connected towers about 150 meters high. They are a sort of vertical city with shops, apartments, and, luxury hotels. In Kop Van Zuid you can also see the floating forest. This structure reflects the relationship between the locals of the city and nature. It consists of more than 20 trees inserted in recycled floating buoys. Near this, there is also the docking of the floating pavilion. It is a space for events within a structure in the shape of transparent semi-spheres. This pavilion can accommodate up to 400 people and has different uses, from theaters to attending events or meetings. It is built according to sustainability principles.

 

 

Laurenskerk: the symbol of the city

In the historic centre of the city, you’ll find the Laurenskerk Rotterdam, the symbol of the city. It’s one of the three buildings that survived the German bombing. After the bombings, there were doubts to keep or demolish the church and in the end, a restoration was done. This restoration symbolized the resilience of Rotterdam’s inhabitants. It’s a very important church because it’s the only remaining building of the medieval city. It is also the first building in Rotterdam built entirely of stone. The church is now a true symbol of the city, to which the citizens are very attached. You can’t miss the visit to the interior and also climb the bell tower, from which you can admire an amazing view over the whole city! Here we also recommend the best views of Rotterdam.

 

The Witte Huis

Then you’ll discover probably one of the most famous attractions in the city.

The Witte Huis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in the historic centre and overlooks the Oudehaven Canal. You’ll be in front of the oldest skyscraper in Rotterdam! It was also one of the few buildings to survive the bombings of World War II. It is a building of 43 meters and 10 floors: it was an unprecedented height in Europe. Built in steel and cement, it was the first example of a “skyscraper” in the whole of Europe!