Rotterdam is a significant metropolis in The Netherlands: a former Eurovision hosting-city and important trading city. See here six must-see things.

1. Harbour

The Netherlands may be a rather small country within Europe which made me think almost half a life ago that they would not have a harbor. But failing this test as well as the reaction I received by my parents back then made me never forget about this fact ever again. In fact Rotterdam with its huge harbor is one of the most significant trading cities in Europe responsible for central Europe. Finally I got to see this impressive as well as important trading harbor in Rotterdam. The view is not only a signature for the city but as well memorable.

2. Covered Hall

Just as much of a signature view of the city of Rotterdam creates the covered hall (NL: Markthal). Every Tuesday and Saturday there is a market with delicacies from all over the world which you could either buy to take away and to gift some at home with these beautifully packed souvenir packages or eat immediately there and take a seat in the corresponding fast food restaurant area. A typical gift from The Netherlands would definitely be a roll of cheese. For what concerns us we used the chance to try out corndogs. Hint: you should not miss to go up the stairs and check the beautiful artful walls inside. Also if you are traveling by car you have good parking opportunities here.

3. Townhall

Moving from art to art to the fairy-tale because these are the vibes you get when stepping inside the garden of the townhall in Rotterdam with the red walls covered with leaves in the most shining green as well as a fountain. I enjoyed this moment inside the garden of the town hall a lot. It was truly relaxing and not only because of the sitting possibilities inside. The children could run around there without fearing any dangerous traffic and the whole atmosphere gave you a kick of refreshment within this dreamlike scenary of sculptures and plants.

4. St. Lawrence Church

The Grote of St. Lawrence church (NL: Laurenskerk) is one of the most famous as well as biggest churches in Rotterdam and matches the name of the street it lies in (“Grotekerkplein”). It is located within the area of the city center between the town hall and the Markthal. Closeby there is the Erasmus monument which makes you catch two sights at one place. The church which is advised to be one of the ten best churches in Rotterdam graded as one of the highest among those as well serves as a museum which makes it even worthier to step in and discover. It is the only Dutch building left from the Middle Ages.

5. Erasmus Monument

Erasmus is a term for me as the scholarship program of the University of Hamburg, where I received my Bachelor-degree, was named like this. Traveling to Rotterdam I found out that this familiar term has an even bigger meaning. Not only we had our hotel opposite of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam but also Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus was a Dutch Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian, philologist as well as writer of 444 books. The universal scholar who lived in the 15th and 16th century was also a Christian humanist and remains one of the most significant personalities of Rotterdam. Even if I do not find the Erasmus University worth getting apart like this from the city center as a tourist it could still be a recommendation.

6. Architecture

The architecture in The Netherlands is with no doubt recognizable and memorable foremost because of the characteristic Hanseatic redbrick building with bold colorful additions and all the bicycles decorating the whole streets along the bridges. But it would not be Dutch architecture if it did not have its correspondingly chaotic and also fancy buildings such as the yellow dice houses which you find in front of the Markthal. This is also one of the signatures sights of Rotterdam which you should not miss to see. Along your tour around the city center along with the most important sights you get to find more of such impressive architecture crossing the average.

Rotterdam – Not Only For Eurovision-Fans

Retrospectively considered the trip to Rotterdam brought me a lot of new knowledge to touch, to see and to feel which I heard about at least once in my life. These kind of trips take your understanding of things to a completely new level and encourage me to book our next trip to a significant big city which you could reach by car within a day. During our souvenir-shopping I also remembered that some years before the Eurovision Song Contest which I wrote about here was hosted in this city (during the Corona-pandemics). This makes it be the the second Eurovision city I have already visited in 20 years of Eurovision-love. I must admit that I missed to see the arena where Eurovision took place out of time reasons but who says that this was going to be the last time we travel to Rotterdam? Anyway if you want to educate yourself further add Rotterdam to your list of cities to travel to.

Love, Johanna