22
August
______
2021
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second large city in the Netherlands and the largest container port in Europe. The rivers that flow through the city are Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. The typical feature is that during the Second World War during the bombing the city was demolished. There is only one building left in the center, which is turned into a museum today. After the War Rotterdam is completely rebuilt as a modern and futuristic city. Numerous skyscrapers and buildings with interesting architecture have been built. That’s why Rotterdam does not look like the other Dutch cities and is called Manhattan on the Meuse.
There are countless museums, festivals and attractions in Rotterdam. The city also inspires with its shops, restaurants, cafes and youthful spirit.
The recommended places that you can visit within a day and a half are:
A recommended place to stay is NHow Hotel Rotterdam.
The recommended places to eat: Market Hall, Italian restaurant “Happy Italy” near the NHow Hotel, “Vers010”.
Exploring Rotterdam for a day and a half
Everything begins with our desire to see this unique and majestic city Rotterdam. We choose to get there by plane form Bucharest to Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, and then by train to Rotterdam. The airport and the railway station are in one place, which is quite practical. Thus, no time is wasted for accessing the station. The trains you can use are Thalys (international high-speed train based on TDV technology), Intercity Direct or Intercity. The distance Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport-Rotterdam, Central Station is about 20 minutes with the first two possibilities, and about 40-50 minutes with the third one. The price is different, of course, but all of them are very clean, on time and the traveling with them is wonderful.
You can get with a tram 23 or 25, or a subway, line D in the direction De Akkers from the Central Station to the NHow Hotel. If you decide to use the subway, the name of the stop is Wilhelmina station. Coming out of the underground you find yourself in the beautiful Kop van Zuid. This is a modern district with restaurants, shops, buildings with interesting architecture and cruise terminal (photo). One of the impressive features of Rotterdam is the street dividing into four lines – for pedestrians, for bicycles, for motor vehicles and a grass one. Wonderful!!!
Recommended from us hotel inspires with its vision and height. It is located in the elegant De Rotterdam building and the view from its rooms is stunning. Panoramic windows allow you to enjoy amazing views. They are beautiful, modern and luxurious. They give a lot of light and space in the rooms too. The view from them is full of emotion because of the river, the Erasmus bridge, the opposite shore, the boats, the water taxies, that take tourists and the residents. If you are lucky, you can attend passing the tall vessels underneath the bridge. This happens due to hoisting up and positioning of the one side at an angle of 90 degrees.
Erasmus bridge
The bridge Erasmus, named The Swan, because of the similarity with this beautiful and majestic bird, is long 802 m and is established in 1996 year. It is worth not to miss the spectacular view from these French style windows in the evening. The bridge is attractively lit at night.
If you choose to stay at the hotel recommended by us in the summer and if they suggest SUMMER PROMO, including bed and breakfast, don’t even think about it. The breakfast is superb and you can see the emphasizing of every little detail. You can taste a Mexico breakfast, a healthy one, blueberry pancakes and whatever. Everything is so nicely arranged, prepared and cooked. Two more things for choosing NHow Rotterdam – there is an opportunity to give the maids a rest within the next day, this means not to clean your room and in return you get a free drink at the hotel bar with a wonderful view. Isn’t it nice? When leaving the hotel, you do not have to go to the reception. You can arrange everything with a special app and just take your suitcases and go to the next destination. … and if you are athletic one and you have desire for sport after long walks around Rotterdam, you can visit the hotel’s gym. The equipment is so varied and thus, you will have another opportunity to look at this beautiful panoramic view.
Kop van Zuid sightseeing can be continued with
• The new Luxor theatre – it is thought that this is the most beautiful theatre in the whole Netherlands. It offers accessible shows in the musical, cabaret, dance, opera ganre. You will recognize the building by its typical red color inside and outside.
If you want to see the floating forest, consisting of 20 trees, which are close to the theatre, you will not manage, because after 5 years life (2016-2021), the trees have a new home. The are moved to a lake in the town of Almer.
• The sightseeing continues with passing The Museum of Photography, whose building is admirable.
The Museum of Photography
• After that is the Hotel New York, which is situated in the former headquarters of Holland America Line. This is an American cruise company, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc.
• After a short rest on the green grass, sitting on a deck chair and relaxing, watching the water or using the time for photo sessions, you can go to the water taxi dock. You can book a trip from the dock 44 to iconic Euromast tower in advance. The site is https://www.watertaxirotterdam.nl. It is very easy and fast. The water taxi travelling is exciting, even more if you sit in the back. The speed is not small, the water splashes are on your face and hair, you enjoy the fast-changing views.
Water TAXI
• You reach the tower imperceptibly. Its height is 185 meters. From above you get the best view of Rotterdam, you can see even Hague if there is sun. You can buy tickets to avoid queues from the site https://euromast.nl in advance. Your ticket gives an access with elevator to 112 meters, where the view is so beautiful. If you dare you can abseil from a 100 meters altitude with nothing but a rope. This attraction lasts 10-15 minutes and you must be 18 years old. From 112 meters platform you can continue up to the highest point of 185 meters with panoramic rotating lift. The experience is amazing and lasts about 10 minutes. There is a restaurant where you can have a lunch or a dinner, as in most towers. The special thing is that you can spend the night in Euromast in a hotel room and wake up in the clouds. Here is the highest terrace in the whole Rotterdam. It is time to eat something somewhere back to NHow hotel. You can choose to walk and dinner in the park or in the restaurants along the river streets backwards. Whatever you choose you will cross the beautiful Erasmus bridge.
The next day of your Rotterdam tour will begin with the incredible breakfast of NHow Hotel. Already with energy you can go to conquer the futuristic city. You cross the Erasmus bridge and walk down Vasteland street. To the right you can see an amazingly painted house wall, which is a part of Rotterdam street art.
On it you can find the iconic sights of this city, painted in a childish way. If you like such kind of art, you can download a special app and you can follow this navigation to see more of this world of painting, which lasts about 7 km. If you have not time for this different beauty, you continue to Westersingel street. It is one quiet and calm street with a canal and bridges.
• The next stop of the bucket list is the Santa Claus Statue, located at the Eendrachtsplein square. It was created in 2001 year by Paul McCarthy and popularly known as the Buttplug Gnome. It is a little bit different Santa Claus because of the thing it holds in the hand and that’s why it can be considered a little offensive, but still must be seen.
• Continue forward and you will see trams on grass, called green trams. They are very beautiful. They began to be used in the cities in the 80s of last century. Now in many European capitals you can see them. Despite the green grass that relieves the human eye, they give a different aesthetic appearance. They help reducing the noise and the dust.
To your right will be the St. Paul’s Church.
It captivates with its amazing architecture. The original church was built in the late 1950s but after that in 2007 was demolished to make way for a huge apartments complex. In 2013 year entirely renewed church, not typical one, is opened. It is designed by the English architect Will Alsop.
• Right to the Church is located the Calypso building. It is a luxury complex in the heart of Rotterdam. The building is colorful and different outside, modern inside and offers 408 apartments, shops, offices and a car parking.
• We suggest turning to the street right before the Church, to get to the next stop of our list, Lijnbaan street. It is a shopping street known as an open spaced shopping center. There you can find all your favorite brands of clothes, bags, shoes.
• You pass through Weena Zuid street to enjoy the futuristic architecture of office spaces and almost reach the yellow wooden Luchtsingel pedestrian bridge.
It was built in 2015 year. The financing of this bridge was from people. That’s why it can be said that it is owned by about 10 000 owners, whose names are engraved on its wooden boards. The whole bridge is long about 1,5 km, only wooden part – 350 meters. Use your time to walk on it, to admire the views and to take photos.
• Next stop is the City Hall.
This building, the Post office and St. Lawrence church are some of the buildings remained after the town bombing. The beauty of the City Hall may be due to the complete symmetry. There is a 70- meter tower with a clock on it, a bell and an angel of peace in the center.
• Nearby is the other survived building St. Lawrence church. It was built in Gothic style. There is the biggest organ in the Netherlands in it. You can go to the top to enjoy a 360-degree view. Keep in mind that open days are Wednesday and Saturday. On Sunday the church is open only for church services.
• A few meters from it is the square where the next landmarks of Rotterdam are – Market Hall, The Cube Houses, The Pencil Building and the White House. The Market Hall is built in 2014 year. It is a luxurious building with apartments outside and shopping and food center inside. There is an underground car parking in addition to the complex. Pay attention to the ceiling when you enter this modern and designer building. There are amazing paintings on it. It is impossible to stay hungry inside. It is full of numerous places presenting traditional food of different nationalities. They are all exquisitely arranged and inviting you to try.
The Cube Houses are another iconic landmark of this city. They are designed by Dutch architect Pier Blom. They are cube-shaped houses that are rotated 45 degrees. They have everything like a normal house – kitchen, living room, bathroom, just the angle at which the windows are turned is different. Rich and prestigious people live in them. It is good to take your time to enter the house museum, thus you will get a better idea of these innovative houses.
The Pencil Building is next to them. It is called this way because it has six sides and the tip is like the pencil.
It is designed also by Pier Blom. Its height is 61 meters and consists of 15 floors.
After this incredible walk you can go to the NHow hotel to rest. The transportations are by subway or on foot. We recommend choosing on foot, if the weather allows, to continue immersing yourself in this futuristic atmosphere.
• The last landmark of our bucket list is the Central Railway Station, which is boomerang-shaped.(photo)
You can see it whenever you want – on arrival in Rotterdam, on departure from Rotterdam or simply if you are passing by. It is the building with another different and remembering design. The face is made of glass and wood, the roof is made of stainless steel and the building points to the city center. Inside the railway station you will find numerous restaurants, shops, cafes and tourist information.
Our walk through this incredible city ends. The sealed memories in our mind, the photos, the experienced emotions remain. And of course – the desire to come back for a few more days or forever.
