All the new places I found during another visit to this urban, modern city.
Culture
Visit the Fotomuseum for interesting, inspiring exhibitions or schedule a visit to A Tale of a Tub, a space for contemporary art and design. A new part of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum will be the Depot. The building is another unique architectural highlight in Rotterdam and once it opens for the public in 2021 it will show as many as 151000 artworks.
Cafes
Op Het Dak is a fantastic rooftop cafe right next to the Luchtsingel. The drinks and food couldn’t be more fresh and fragrant as the ingredients are harvested right at the idyllic rooftop garden. Aloha is a great cafe and bar but probably the most interesting fact is that it’s located in a former public swimming pool. The coffee at Man met Bril has long been a favorite in Rotterdam, but also Urban Espresso Bar, Hopper Cafe and Vascobelo are nice. The cafe By Jarmusch which is styled like an elegant American diner serves delicious breakfast and has a nice patio. A must-try are also the cakes, afternoon tea and cafe at Lof der Zoetheid and Afhaalloket. Apart from the famous Markthal there are also nice street markets in Rotterdam and the new Foodhallen close to the Erasmus bridge.
Restaurants
Fitzgerald is a fantastic Michelin star restaurant right in the lively area around the Oude Haven. The food and wine are excellent, while the atmosphere is very welcoming and relaxed. The popular Fenix Food Factory moved into the building next door, but it’s still located right at the water and you can enjoy the view of the modern skyscrapers and Erasmus bridge. Sit outside with a cold beer or try the delicious tapas at 21Pinchos. Another great place in summer is Weelde city beach, where you can eat, drinks and dance on a warm day. Or go to Biergarten for drinks and a laid-back atmosphere. For great city views and drinks the hotel bar on top of the nhow hotel in the famous De Rotterdam building is a good idea.
Shop
A very pretty design store with beautiful things for the home is Pantoufle. The plant boutique Stek de Stadhuiswinkel is like a hidden oasis in the middle of lively Nieuwe Binnenweg. For fashion visit Ou boutique, which sells joyful clothes, just like Hutspot. At Woei you get the lates sneakers and street style. Dearhunter is a fantastic vintage store, just like Ruby Lee. De Plaatboef is a record store right next to Cafe Koekela with great cakes.
There are also two wonderful delis in town, where you get fresh bites and delicacies, Westerkaatje and Vermeyden Delicatessen.
Outside Rotterdam
From Rotterdam it’s not too long to the beaches of Hoek van Holland, Kijkduin and Scheveningen in Den Haag. There is also the Kralingse Plas, a lake with nice bars and restaurant at the waterfront. Another tourist highlight outside of town is the Kinderdijk. The many windmills are a UNESCO world heritage and free to visit. Come here with the water-bus from Rotterdam or rent a bike and enjoy a tour along the water. Close-by Dordrecht is one of the country’s oldest cities and has a nice old town where you can wander around the historic houses and enjoy a drink on one of the many pub terraces. Five minutes outside of town you find another wonderful oasis, the Villa Augustus. The former water tower was transformed into a pretty hotel with a fairytale-like garden that is open to the public. There is also a nice restaurant that uses the produce from the garden and a sweet shop that sells pretty things for the kitchen and garden.
See also all the other tips for a trip to Rotterdam. There are even many more fantastic places in the Netherlands and Belgium! See the travel guides for Amsterdam, South Holland , Maastricht, Flanders, Ghent and Antwerp.
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