24 Points of interest along this 5 km city walk through Rotterdam

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Manhattan on the Maas is buzzing with conviviality. Especially in the summer. Cozy terraces, spectacular views, sturdy harbors and lots of water. Come to Rotterdam for a day and have breakfast on the cruise ship SS Rotterdam, take the water taxi under the Erasmus Bridge and enjoy a beer at the Oude Haven and/or on the Witte de Withstraat. Experience it all during this 5 kilometer city walk through Rotterdam. You will pass all the famous Rotterdam hotspots such as Hotel New York, the Oude Haven, the Cube Houses, the Markthal, the Euromast and much more. The ideal city tour for a great day in Rotterdam.

Sights along the route

• SS Rotterdam
• Water taxi
• Rotterdam Harbor
• Hotel New York
• Erasmus Bridge
• Willemsbrug
• Old Port
• Cube Houses
• Market Hall
• Laurenskerk
• Buy gutter
• Coolsingel
• City Hall
• Line track
• Town Hall Square
• Hofplein
• Central Station
• Leprechaun Buttplug
• Witte de Withstraat
• Boijmans van Beuningen Depot
• Museum Park
• Kunsthal
• The Park
• Euromast

Directions

Starting point: SS Rotterdam

We start the route at the SS Rotterdam. On this former cruise ship of the Holland America Line you can stay the night before and enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet in the morning. Even if you do not want to spend the night, the SS Rotterdam is the ideal starting point for this tour. You can leave your car here all day for only 15 euros and still start the day with a delicious breakfast.

1. Take the water taxi from the B-deck on the SS Rotterdam to the Oude Haven (stop no. 43 Boompjes). You can ask the ship's reception to call a water taxi, but you can also call 010 - 403 0303 yourself or book the ride via the website of the water taxi Rotterdam. You pay 4.50 euros per person for this ride. On the way to the Oude Haven you will see Hotel New York and the skyscrapers on the Kop van Zuid on your right and you will race under the Erasmus Bridge (the Swan) towards the striking red Willemsbrug.
2. Just before the Willemsbrug, the water taxi moors on the left side of the Maas. At the end of the jetty, turn left and after a few meters take the stairs up on the right. At the top of the stairs, turn right and walk towards the Willemsbrug. Cross the road at the zebra crossing and walk along the cycle path back towards the Willemsbrug. Where the cycle path turns left (straight ahead is prohibited for cyclists), you also turn left and continue along the cycle path until you reach the bottom. At the bottom, turn left across the road at the zebra crossing and walk across the Geldersekade, towards the White House. This is the Old Port. Take a seat on a sun-drenched terrace on the water and enjoy a delicious drink.
3. Ready to move on? At the end of the Geldersekade, keep right so that you have the water and the concrete balustrade on your right. A little further on, take the stairs on the left and you will arrive at the Blaak. Here you turn right towards the Kubuswoningen and immediately after the Kubuswoningen we cross the Blaak on the left at the zebra crossing. If you want, you can walk through the Cube Houses here or take a look inside the Kijk-Kubus.
4. If you walk back under the Cube Houses or through them (do not cross the Blaak again), you will see a large transparent saucer of 35 meters floating above the street. That is Blaak Station. Here you will find the bustling market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. To the right of Blaak Station is the iconic Markthal, recognizable by the shape of a horseshoe. Visit the covered market and taste delicious food at one of the stalls. We will continue our way on the other side of the hall.
5. Exit the Market Hall on the other side from where you entered. As soon as you are outside, walk to the right and you will see the medieval Laurenskerk straight in front of you. You can of course view the church up close or inside, but we turn left into Hoogstraat. The Hoogstraat is a narrow shopping street and one of the oldest streets in Rotterdam. At the end of this shopping street you arrive at Beursplein, recognizable by the large wide stairs leading down. Take these stairs down, they are the stairs to the Beurstraverse (or the Koopgoot).
6. The Koopgoot ends on the other side at the Lijnbaan, Rotterdam's most famous shopping street. Halfway up the Koopgoot you can take the escalator up and you will arrive at the Coolsingel with its stately Town Hall and the Bijenkorf. However, we continue our way towards the end of the Koopgoot and catch upthe Lijnbaan with the stairs going up again. Here you can still shop to your heart's content if you want.
7. At the end of the Koopgoot, we turn right onto the Lijnbaan and walk past the pleasant Stadhuisplein with all its sun-drenched terraces to the Weena. The Weena is the wide street with the high skyscrapers and on the right the Hofplein with the Hofplein fountain. We turn left here at Weena and walk towards Central Station.
8. After 500 meters, the skyscraper of the Marriott Hotel is on the left and directly opposite - across the street from the Weena - is the Central Station. Can't miss it. The letters CENTRAL STATION are large on the facade with the roof above it in the shape of an arrowhead that points to the center of Rotterdam.
9. Immediately after the Marriott Hotel we turn left onto Kruisplein towards Witte de Withstraat. Along the way you pass Concertgebouw De Doelen, Bioscoop Pathe and Santa Claus (also known as Kabouter Buttplug) on the left. We cross the busy Westblaak past the Bilderberg Parkhotel to the Witte de Withstraat. In this famous nightlife street of Rotterdam you can enjoy one of the many cafes, restaurants, art galleries, various shops and municipal monuments. We turn right here into the Museum Park to find ourselves in the mirrors of the Boijmans van Beuningen Depot.
10. Take the Melkkoppad between the Boymans van Beuningen Museum and the Depot, which runs straight through the Museum Park to the Kunsthal. Leave the Museum Park on the right side of the Kunsthal and after the zebra crossing, take the footpath to the right that goes up to the Westzijdijk. When we reach the top, we cross the Westzeedijk on the left at the traffic lights of the Erasmus MC. In the distance you can already see the Euromast.
11. Cross Het Park diagonally in the direction of the Euromast. You pass a stately villa where the chic restaurant The Harbor Club is located. Once you arrive at Baden Powellaan on the edge of Het Park, take the stairs that take you over the Maastunnel to the entrance of the Euromast. In addition to a breathtaking panoramic view of Rotterdam, the Euromast also offers a restaurant and 2 hotel suites at a height of 100 meters.
12. After your visit to the Euromast, call the water taxi on 010 - 403 0303 and ask them to pick you up from the Euromast (stop 65) to the SS Rotterdam. Immediately after you come out of the Euromast, turn right down and cross the Parkhaven towards the water. Just before the water, turn left and walk across the quay towards the Chinese Boat (a huge Chinese Restaurant and Chinese Supermarket on the water). Even before the Chinese Boat, on the right is the jetty from where the water taxi takes you back to the SS Rotterdam.