Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - What are the must sees in Rotterdam & how easy is it to visit brussels from there?

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What are the must sees in Rotterdam & how easy is it to visit brussels from there?

Hi im visiting Rotterdam in September for 4 days with my boyfriend What are the must sees. There is not that much info on the net about this city. Im looking for info such as good r&B clubs and romantic walks/ scenic trips (harbour cruises) etc. I have an idea of going to the Hotel New York but not sure if the meal is too pricey. Also how easy is it to go to a daytrip to Brussels from Rotterdam. thanks in advance for any help

Hey Amy - I really like Rotterdam, but might think about taking some daytrips outta town; you're really close to some wonderful Dutch countryside there. For R'dam restaurants check out http://www.specialbite.com/index.html?ic=2 Don't miss the Boijmans: http://boijmans.kennisnet.nl/engels/ehome.htm And there are tons of other museums/commemorations there, whether you're interested in architecture WWII history or whatever! Hope the weather is good for you then. hth . . . = )

Hi Amy, a "must" is definitely the old harbour (near Rotterdam Blaak station, not too far from the city center of course), especially now in summer its really nice, full of restaurants/cafes with terrasses to sit outside. The "cubic houses" are also just around the corner from the old harbour - quite an intriguing sight! (we still haven't figured out how people life in there...) you probably know anyway that Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed in WW2, so there is not so much "old" stuff left to visit. It has a great large shopping area (modern). museums / galleries I don't know vey well, I haven't visited Rotterdam enough for discovering this part of the city yet! Brussels: very easy, the fastest (and nicest) connection is the Thalys train (www.thalys.com) there is a train going to Brussels every hours, should take about 1,5 hours from Rotterdam Centraal. There also are "normal" trains, take about 2 hours and are cheaper - and you need no reservation, whereas on the Thalys yes. Holland is a pretty small country and cities are very close to each other, so from Rotterdam you can also go to Amsterdam very quickly - about 1 hour roughly and trains run every 30 minutes if not more. A lot of people actually commute between those two cities, and its definitely worth a daytrip! But since you were not considering it I imagine you may have visited Amsterdam already? Anyway, when I read "scenic" amd "romantic walks" I also immediately thought of Delft and Leiden, two very nice old Dutch cities with a lot of "ambiance" - probably within 30 min. and 45 min from Rotterdam respectively (in train). In Holland, people use the train like in other places people use subways so don't be "mislead" by the word - these places are really close by. hope this may give you some ideas. In summary I would say for somebody who knows Holland already, Rotterdam adds a modern and original touch to the image of Holland, but for somebody who doesn't know Holland well its worthwhile going to see some of the more "traditional" places as well since they are quite different from Rotterdam - and so close... Enjoy!! kat

Take the Spido boat for a tour in the harbour. (Erasmus bridge is quite impressive). So is the view from the Space Tower on top of Euromast. Great city for shopping!! Re hotel restaurant: why would you bother to eat a pricey meal at the hotel? Plenty of restaurants in Rotterdam in all price categories. FYI Look at www.holland.com for special hotel rates.

In general Rotterdam is not the place to find cobblestones and winding romantic streets. The city center was completely destroyed by german bombardments in 1940, and Rotterdam chose not to reconstruct the old buildings and street pattern. Instead, a more american-looking city was built, following the architectural fashion of the post-WW II days. Having said that, there are some old neighborhoods left outside the city center. The Delfshaven area is small but picturesque. See www.delfshaven.com. Rotterdam being the busiest port in the world, you should do a harbour cruise in some form. The regular Spido harbour cruise is OK, but you might like one of the following alternatives: - de pannenkoekenboot (eating pancakes while cruising the harbour); - the fast ferry to dordrecht (where you will find plenty of old canals and monuments); - the combined river cruise / Kinderdijk windmills tour (boat departs from the city center). Info regarding these boat trips, and a lot more, can be found at rotterdamlinks.nl A daytrip to Brussels can easily be done. There is an hourly Intercity train service, plus a Thalys express service. The trip will take about 1h 40 min. You can find personal opinions about the food in Hotel New York on www.specialbite.com Enjoy your stay, Aad.