1. What to do
**Architecture in the centre.** Start at the Markthal, the arched hall with flats above and a food market below, its ceiling covered in a large artwork of fruit and flowers. Across the road stand the Cube Houses by architect Piet Blom: yellow cubes on poles, tilted like trees. One cube can be visited as a museum. Nearby is the Oude Haven, with old ships at the quay, and the Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk, one of the few pre-war buildings in the centre.
**Across the bridge to the south bank.** The Erasmusbrug, the white cable-stayed bridge the city calls 'the Swan', links the centre to Kop van Zuid. On the south side stands Hotel New York, the former headquarters of the Holland America Line, on Wilhelminapier among the towers. Walk on to Katendrecht, the old sailors' quarter on the Rijnhaven, now home to restaurants and the Fenix migration museum in an old warehouse. At the tip of Katendrecht lies the ss Rotterdam, the former ocean liner, now a hotel and restaurant.
**Museumpark.** The city's museums stand together around the Museumpark. Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, a mirrored bowl by architects MVRDV that opened in 2021, is the first art depot in the world open to the public: the collection is stored there behind glass, and from the roof you look out over the city. The main building of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen itself has been closed for renovation since 2019; the collection is on show in the Depot. Next door is the Kunsthal, with changing exhibitions on art, photography, design and fashion, and Het Nieuwe Instituut, for architecture, design and digital culture.
**Views.** The Euromast, the observation tower by Het Park on the Maas, gives views over the city, the port and the river. On a clear day you can see far beyond the city; in cloud, the view is limited, so look outside before going up.
**Maritime Rotterdam.** The Maritime Museum at Leuvehaven tells the history of the port, with a museum harbour of old ships and cranes beside it. Harbour tours leave from near the Erasmusbrug, sailing past the quays, cranes and container ships of Europoort and Maasvlakte. The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe by cargo: only a boat tour shows how large that working area is. The Futureland information centre on Maasvlakte explains how the port was extended into the sea.
**Old Delfshaven.** Delfshaven, in the west of the city, is the old harbour town that joined Rotterdam in 1886. Old houses, warehouses and a small harbour with a windmill still stand there, and the feel is that of an old Dutch town rather than a new city. It is the place to see what Rotterdam looked like before the bombing.
**Green and water.** The Kralingse Plas, the lake in the Kralingse Bos in the east of the city, is the place for sailing, rowing, walking and picnics. Diergaarde Blijdorp, the zoo in the north-west of the city, has a sea aquarium, the Oceanium, and animals from every continent. The Witte de Withstraat, between the Coolsingel and the Museumpark, is the street for galleries, cafés and restaurants. In summer, the beach at Hoek van Holland, reached by metro line B to Hoek van Holland Strand, is the nearest North Sea coast.
**Football.** Stadion Feijenoord, De Kuip, in the south of the city, is the stadium of Feyenoord. On match days, extra transport runs and it is busy around the stadium; Rotterdam Stadion station is open then. Outside match days, a guided tour is the way to see the stadium from inside.