Travel advice for Netherlands
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Netherlands
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written by Corrine van Vliet
updated 21.05.2021
Rotterdam has the confident vibe of a place on the up. Amsterdam might still be the brightest beacon for travellers to the Netherlands, but a host of exciting attractions put this southern city on the map.
The best of the Netherlands and Belgium
This trip will bring you the best of two countries: the Netherlands and Belgium. From the quaint streets, canals and windmills of Holland to beer and Belgium chocolate tasting in three beautiful Belgium cities. This trip has it all.
customize ⤍Experience the Liberation Route in BeNeLux
Explore the path of the World War II Liberation Route through Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Visit important landmarks and museums on the way with this self drive itinerary, with enough time to explore cities such as Brussels and Rotterdam on the way.
customize ⤍The Luchtsingel, a 390-metre-long, wooden pedestrian bridge linking the city centre and the north was partially funded through crowdsourcing; an example of the social engagement that’s bringing about positive changes in Rotterdam.
Struggling with the difference between a rectangle and a rhombus? You’re not alone- explore Rotterdam's architecture by foot with a local architect who can explain it all.
Overview for Rotterdam city from Euromast tower © ALi A Suliman/Shutterstock
Need more convincing? Here are 12 reasons to visit Rotterdam…
For live music, from jazz to hip-hop, check out events at Bird, a club nestled below railway arches in the north of the city.
Markthal - famous market hall in central Rotterdam © Stray Toki/Shutterstock
The Van Nelle Factory was opened to process and package tea, coffee and tobacco in 1932. It’s an outstanding example of carefully thought through Dutch functionalist design. The airy building today hosts offices and conference space.
To learn more about Dutch architecture and design head to Het Nieuwe Instituut, which hosts regularly changing exhibitions and events. Pop into the nearby Sonneveld House to view modernist interiors of a building that in the early 1930s was regarded as an ideal family home.
The museum’s collection of drawings and prints is one of the world’s most significant for understanding the development of art. It includes pieces by Albrecht Dürer and Paul Cézanne.
You can also see eight centuries of applied designs, encompassing Dutch Golden Age glassware and Rietveld furniture.
A handful of stylish restaurants are redefining Rotterdam’s culinary scene. At Restaurant de Jong you choose between the four-course vegetable or non-vegetable menus then the team of chefs in the open kitchen get creative with seasonal ingredients.
Star shapes formed where six Cube houses tilt into one another and intersect in Rotterdam © Photos BrianScantlebury/Shutterstock
CitizenM Rotterdam is a mid-priced design hotel that places you by the Oudehaven (old harbour) and within easy walking distance of the Markthal.
Most of the rooms in the four-star New York hotel boast fantastic views of the waterfront and city.
Rotterdam City, Oude Haven oldest part of the harbour © gnoparus/Shutterstock
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written by Corrine van Vliet
updated 21.05.2021
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Netherlands
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