Out and about in Rotterdam with Sonja
On a beautiful day in the fall, I decided to take a closer look at Rotterdam. Rotterdam is practically next door, but I actually rarely visit. And that’s weird because Rotterdam has a lot to offer, especially on such a beautiful day! I must add that I am a real walker, so I walked everything. I walked about 10 km. Maybe you think this is way too far and prefer to take public transport, which is also very easy in Rotterdam. Or by bike of course!
The Witte de Withstraat
My walk through the city starts in the Witte de Withstraat. The street where the locals prefer to hang out. And I understand that! How cozy it is here! Because the weather is nice, there are many people sitting on terraces enjoying a nice lunch, a glass of wine or just a nice cup of coffee. While walking down this street, I see a great gift store.
Dirkx Cadeaux en Woondecoraties sells everything to make your home cozy. This store has been a household name in Rotterdam for more than 50 years! I also stumble upon a super cool hotel. Hotel Bazar is completely decorated as an Oriental bazaar and they also have a lovely terrace.
The Maasboulevard
If you walk a little further, towards the water, you end up at the Rotterdam harbor. From there you can easily walk onto the Maasboulevard. This area is called De Boompjes. What a wonderful place this is! You can enjoy walking, biking or just sit on a bench and enjoy the boats passing by. From here you have a nice view of the Erasmus Bridge and the old harbor buildings across the street.
Hip and trendy Rotterdam
Where I didn’t go today, but which is definitely worth going to, is the Wilhelminakade and Katendrecht, but Ester has already explored that part and written a blog about it. When you cross the Erasmus Bridge you enter the part of the city where the New Luxor sits. Here used to be the old port buildings that have almost all been given a new look. It is bursting with top restaurants here and at the head of the Wilhelminakade you will see the very photogenic Hotel New York. You will find Katendrecht when you walk further from the Nieuwe Luxor. It is like another piece of Rotterdam’s island.
Here you will find the Fenix Food Factory (on the Nico Koomanskade), Theater Walhalla and the SS Rotterdam. It’s just a piece of very hip and trendy Rotterdam!
I walked towards the Willemsbrug (with the Erasmus Bridge at my back) and passed a beautiful glass building. This is event venue Boompjes, where you can go for birthday, family and wedding parties, among other things. In fact, it is an official wedding venue. And what a spectacular place it is! It is not called the “Manhattan on the Maas” for nothing. There is also a beautiful flag parade right now.
The Market Hall
A little further on is the Market Hall. It is located opposite the cube houses. In front of the Market Hall you will find a huge square where, especially with nice weather, lots of people walk, take pictures and skate. The area has taken on a very nice vibe. The Market Hall itself, of course, is amazing! Not only does it look beautiful, you can also eat delicious food there!
You can really find all kinds of things! From different kinds of croquettes at the Kroketloket, to delicious Turkish meals and all kinds of spices, to ham in all kinds of forms at Ibericus, nuts, cheese, sweets, you name it! At the time I was there, it was nice and busy. So I didn’t stick around to pick out some goodies.
The Koopgoot and Lijnbaan
After visiting the Market Hall, I continued on through the stores on the Hoogstraat toward the Coolsingel. This is at right angles to it. There you walk right into the Koopgoot. They were already in the Christmas spirit because there were two gigantic Christmas trees in the Koopgoot.
I used to love going to the Koopgoot with my girlfriends because it was not so far away and yet different from my hometown, The Hague. We always came home with that one item you couldn’t find in your own hometown. Of course then we also made a trip down the lijnbaan, where there are also a lot of nice stores and eateries.
Schouwburgplein and the Doelen
The part along Lijnbaan used to not be a very nice neighborhood I can still remember. Rotterdam has certainly done something about that! Especially on the side of De Doelen and the Schouwburg is now a good place to be. It is transformed into a cozy city park where everyone is welcome and can chill on the benches there.
Even more culture
Rotterdam is full of culture and the many festivals held there. Children are also taken into account in the cultural field. Recently we were guests at Villa Zebra. A beautiful building located on the river Maas where children can playfully learn about art. A super nice initiative and it is very much appreciated by children.
Back to Central Station
I came to Rotterdam by train today. Central Station is nice and central, so I got back fairly quickly after my tour of Rotterdam. Around the station in Rotterdam there are many modern and tall buildings, like the Weena. It all looks very impressive. I love it here and especially now that I am getting to know the city better, I like it more and more.
At the station itself there are also lots of nice stores and places where you can get something to eat or drink. From the station you can go in all directions by streetcar and metro. You can also find “loan bikes” and “loan scooters” from Felix throughout the city. You need an app for that, but it’s ideal! Rotterdam is really a lot of fun, people!
Credits photos: StepWithLisa
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