Rotterdam is the second city of the Netherlands and the largest port in Europe. The city stands on the Nieuwe Maas, was largely destroyed in 1940 and then rebuilt as a modern city. Living here means living in a port city with much new building, old harbours and neighbourhoods on both banks of the river.
1. The city in plain words
Rotterdam lies in South Holland, on the Nieuwe Maas, not far from the North Sea. Its name comes from a dam in the Rotte, built around 1260. In 1340 Rotterdam received town rights. The scholar Desiderius Erasmus, after whom the Erasmus Bridge and Erasmus University Rotterdam are named, was born here in the 1460s.
Rotterdam is the second municipality of the Netherlands, with more than 650,000 residents. Its port is the largest in Europe and stretches about 40 kilometres towards the sea, with port areas such as Europoort and Maasvlakte. The Nieuwe Maas divides the city into a north bank and a south bank, linked by bridges including the Erasmus Bridge, opened in 1996 and called "de Zwaan" (the Swan) by Rotterdam residents.
On 14 May 1940, a German bombing raid destroyed almost the whole historic centre. Rotterdam did not rebuild an old inner city, but a new, modern city with wide streets and tall buildings. That is why the centre looks different from most other Dutch cities. Delfshaven, an old harbour district in the west, survived the war and still keeps old streets and an old harbour.
Erasmus University Rotterdam has its Woudestein campus in Kralingen. Large parts of the city lie behind dikes, in places below sea level.
2. Neighbourhoods
These names describe neighbourhoods that exist in Rotterdam. They say nothing about prices: this page gives no price by neighbourhood.
- **Centrum (Stadsdriehoek)**: the heart of the city, with high-rise buildings, shops, Central Station, the Markthal and the Cube Houses near Blaak station.
- **Delfshaven**: a former town of Delft, joined to Rotterdam in 1886. One of the few old parts to survive the war, with a historic harbour, old houses and converted warehouses.
- **Kralingen-Crooswijk**: in the east, by the Kralingse Plas, a large lake with a park around it, and near the university campus. Kralingen has many older townhouses and family homes.
- **Kop van Zuid and Katendrecht**: on the south bank, in Feijenoord, opposite the centre. A former port area with new high-rise buildings on the Wilhelminapier, including De Rotterdam. Katendrecht was the old sailors' quarter and now has many restaurants.
- **Feijenoord**: the area on the south bank around Kop van Zuid, which gave football club Feyenoord its name. It is a mixed area with old working-class neighbourhoods and new building.
- **Noord (Oude Noorden)**: north of the centre, with older streets, shops and many apartments in pre-war blocks.
- **Hillegersberg-Schiebroek**: in the north, greener and quieter, by the Bergse Plassen lakes. Many single-family homes and villas stand here.
- **Charlois and IJsselmonde**: in the south, with post-war residential areas and many apartments and single-family homes.
- **Prins Alexander**: in the north-east, a large post-war district with neighbourhoods from the 1960s and later, with many single-family homes and apartments.
- **Hoek van Holland**: the coastal part of the municipality of Rotterdam, by the sea, separate from the city itself.
3. Housing types
Apartments are the most common housing type in Rotterdam. In older neighbourhoods there are many portiekwoningen: apartments in blocks from the 1920s and 1930s, reached through a shared stairwell. In post-war neighbourhoods there are gallery flats and other apartment blocks. On the Wilhelminapier and in the centre there are new apartments in tall towers.
Single-family homes, often terraced houses, stand mainly in Hillegersberg, Kralingen, Prins Alexander and the southern districts. In Kralingen and Hillegersberg there are also detached houses and villas, often near water and green space.
In Delfshaven and Katendrecht, old warehouses and harbour buildings have been converted into homes. Anyone buying an apartment usually joins a homeowners' association (Vereniging van Eigenaars, VvE), which arranges the shared upkeep of the building. Before buying, check the state of the VvE.
4. Renting vs buying, in general terms
Renting and buying follow different rules in the Netherlands, and this page gives no rent price and no purchase price.
A large share of rented homes are social housing, let by housing corporations. Allocation rules apply, and waiting lists are often long. There is also the free sector, where the landlord in principle sets the rent. Always rent with a written rental contract, stating the home, the rent, the term and the terms. A deposit may be asked; this page names no amount and no percentage.
Buying goes through a written purchase agreement (koopovereenkomst) between buyer and seller. Ownership is transferred at a civil-law notary (notaris), who registers the transfer in the Kadaster (Land Registry). Only with that registration is the buyer the registered owner. There are no nationality or residence requirements to buy a home, but a purchase on its own gives no right of residence in the Netherlands.
In general terms, renting asks for less commitment at the start and more room to change neighbourhood. Buying asks for more checks before signing, above all for an old house and for an apartment with a VvE.
5. Food and daily life
Daily life runs in large part through the markets and the food culture of a port city. The Markthal near Blaak, opened in 2014 and designed by MVRDV, is a covered market hall under an arch of homes, with stalls, places to eat and shops. Outside, on the Binnenrotte, there is an open-air market twice a week.
The Witte de Withstraat, near the Museumpark, is the street of galleries, cafés and bars. The Oude Haven, near the Markthal, has terraces by the water. Katendrecht, on the south bank, has many restaurants in an old sailors' quarter. Through the port and the many origins of its residents, Surinamese, Cape Verdean, Turkish, Moroccan and other international food can be found here, alongside Dutch cooking.
Many Rotterdam residents cycle for daily trips, and parks and water are part of daily life: the Kralingse Plas, the Bergse Plassen lakes and the walks along the Maas.
This page gives no price for meals, groceries or rent. Daily costs vary by neighbourhood, housing type and way of life.
6. Practical notes for a newcomer
- Walk a neighbourhood at different times of day before deciding.
- For a rental, rent with a written contract and keep a copy of every document. Before signing, check that you can register at the address with the municipality.
- Anyone living in the Netherlands for longer than four months must register within five days of arrival with the municipality where they live. At that registration you receive a citizen service number (BSN), which you need for work, healthcare and taxes.
- For a purchase, go through a notary and have the ownership and the Kadaster registration checked before signing. Do not rely on a private agreement alone.
- For an apartment, check the homeowners' association (VvE) and the upkeep of the building.
- For an old house in Delfshaven or another old district, check the building condition extra carefully.
- This page gives general information about life in Rotterdam. It is not a listing, and it does not verify any seller, landlord or home in particular.