This is a guest post written by Lisanne van Beurden from Weekends in Rotterdam. Here she writes a detailed itinerary on how to spend a perfect weekend in Rotterdam.
How To Plan A Weekend in Rotterdam
The perfect Friday night in Rotterdam
Once you’re all settled in your hotel (we recommend Nhow Rotterdam or Citizenm Rotterdam), get ready to go out for some dinner. There are plenty of cool restaurants in the city center of Rotterdam that are affordable and delicious. For your first night we recommend to head over to the Witte de Withstraat, which is definitely the coolest street in Rotterdam with lots of art, bars, restaurants and shops. Grab a table at Supermercado, a cool cocktail bar-restaurant with a Latin-American kitchen and street food vibe. The interior is really hip and the food is delicious. You can get tacos, ensaladas, meat from the grill and more.
After dinner it’s time for some cocktails! If you’ve chosen Supermercado for dinner, be sure to stick around, as they also serve some amazing cocktails. If you rather go to another place, check out other cool places on the Witte de With straat, such as Ballroom, Stirr or Café Ter Marsch. Everything is in walking distance from Supermercado, so that’s definitely convenient. But if you’re looking for a place a little more extra, go to the Suicide Club, which is a rooftop bar with a view over the city.
Looking for a good party after your drinks? If you don’t want to stay at the Witte de With straat, you can also head over to BAR, Annabel or Biergarten, all located in close proximity to each other at the Schiestraat!’
The perfect Saturday in Rotterdam
Rise and shine and enjoy a breakfast at your hotel. Or if you rather eat out, be sure to go to Lilith at the Nieuwe Binnenweg for their fluffy pancakes and amazing Instagrammable interior!
Today it’s all about art in Rotterdam. Because Rotterdam is actually a quite artsy city, with a lot of street art, museums and galleries. We recommend a visit to Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, as the surroundings of the museum itself are already great. If you’re looking for some good photos to take, play around with the lines on the floor of the museum’s property. If Boijmans doesn’t offer you any good exhibitions at the moment, check out the Kunsthal or Het Nieuwe Instituut, both super close to Boijmans.
Eat some lunch at Boijmans or go to Witte de Withstraat again, which is within walking distance of Boijmans. For instance, try Restaurant Bazar with dishes from the Middle East and North Africa. Here you’ll be mesmerized by all the beautiful lamps, mosaic on the ceilings and colourful tables.
If you still have the energy, walk over the Luchtsingel, which connects the center of Rotterdam with Rotterdam North. It’s a cool, yellow bridge, which is certainly photogenic and perfect for some Instagram shots from Rotterdam. Around the Luchtsingel you’ll also find a lot of street art, such as at the Hofbogen. In need of some caffeine? Try out Man met Bril Koffie at the Hofbogen, one of the best places for coffee in Rotterdam! Check out more amazing coffee places here.
If you’ve decided to head over Rotterdam North and are looking for a place for dinner, check out Bertmans where they have a lot of healthy options for dinner, such as delicious green curry or risotto. Afterwards, go to Rose Rouge for a little night cap, the prettiest bar you’ll ever find. Everything is pink or covered in flowers, even the drinks!
The perfect Sunday in Rotterdam
Start your Sunday with a selfiecino at Amada Coffee. Yes, a selfiecino, which is a cappuccino with your selfie printed on it, which you can get for €4.50! Amada Coffee is the first café to have this technique in the Netherlands (and the second in Europe, after the UK). They also serve regular coffee, and they have some delicious breakfast options.
Today is all about architecture in Rotterdam! Because Rotterdam has some unique architecture, which is one of the things that makes this city stand out in the Netherlands. So after breakfast, head over to the famous Markthal to take some photos and here you have the possibility to buy some typical Rotterdam snacks as a souvenir. Close to the Markthal are also the famous Cube Houses, which definitely can’t be missed when you’re visiting Rotterdam. If you want to go in one of the Cube Houses, check out the “Kijk-Kubus”.
It’s possible to book a Spido watertaxi and cruise over the waters of the Maas, while enjoying the view of the Erasmus Bridge and other buildings that create the Rotterdam Skyline. Or take the tram or walk over the Erasmus bridge, from where you’ll have some great views over the waters. Getting hungry again? Grab some lunch at the Fenix Food Factory in Katendrecht.
If you’re not travelling by train to Rotterdam, be sure to include the Central Station in your itinerary. It’s a very unique building that has quickly become one of our cities landmarks.
To end your weekend spectacularly, have dinner at the Euromast. It’s a must visit in Rotterdam, as with its 185 meters it’s the highest building of the Netherlands. You can enjoy an insane view over Rotterdam while enjoying a festive meal. After dinner, you can go even higher by going in the Euroscoop, which brings you to the highest point of the Euromast in a rotating cabin.
Bonus! Visit Historic Delfshaven
If you find some spare time during your weekend in Rotterdam to include a visit to Historic Delfshaven, do it! Rotterdam was bombed during the Second World War and the locals quickly rebuild with the help of some epic architects, which is why the city is so different from the rest of the Netherlands. However, there are still traces left of how Rotterdam used to look like at multiple places, and also at Delfshaven. It’s actually very similar to Amsterdam, with cute canals and old houses.
That’s a wrap. We hope this three day itinerary creates a perfect weekend in Rotterdam for you. There is definitely more to do in our city, so for even more advice on your trip to Rotterdam, check out our website Weekends in Rotterdam or find us on Instagram.
Last updated on October 13th, 2023 at 01:55 pm
