Getting around in the city is easy with an extensive system of trams, buses, metros and trains. Visit the English-language webpage of OV9292 to plan your route. Checking in and out of public transport in the Netherlands is easily done by holding your contactless debit card, credit card or mobile card against the card reader at train/metro station barriers or on board buses and trams

The best meatballs are available at the Ballentent. A no-nonsense cafe along the river Maas which has very fast service and a great historical interior.

Boguette is nice for a great Vietnamese Baguette. This area (Nieuwmarkt) is very cosy and has a few other nice lunch spots and cafes.

The Kruiskade street offers nice food of mostly non-European cuisines. At the Kade you can food from Suriname, which is very popular here in Rotterdam and I always order the Roti Kipfilet (It’s a dish with chicken) with a Fernandez (soft drink from Suriname). Green one is my favorite, but the Orange one is what I would suggest to most people.

If you want something typical we eat at the end of a night out of course you have to eat the Rotterdam invention called the Kapsalon. The place behind the central station is surprisingly good

I really like the traditional kind of pub here in our country called “bruine kroeg“, so everything here is going to have that atmosphere. I am going to list them from close to the city center to very far away (even in some other cities that are connected to Rotterdam by metro). The further you are the more locals you’ll meet.

Café Stalles

Café Steijn

Café de Oude Sluis

Tapperij het Weeshuis

Irish Pub Vlaardingen

Café de Peper

The most unique “museum” of Rotterdam. Nice place to take pictures at and the first publicly accessible art depot in the world.

Here they explain everything about the Jenever making. The typical dutch spirit.

Kinderdijk is a Unesco World Heritage site with 19 windmills. Easy to reach by waterbus 21 leaving from the Erasmus Bridge

Only open during the summer months, Vlaardingen Stadstrand is a sort of beach where you can not swim but relax and look out over the river. From there you will see big oil tankers docking at one of the oil terminals. Very interesting atmosphere.

Did you know that metro line B takes you to two different beaches? If you go west you end up at the sea. Only 3 minutes walking from the final stop and you are already with your feet in the salty water.

The eastern most end of the metro is close to a lake with a water skiing park.

I already mention it in the tour but really try to check out the areas surrounding the city center of Rotterdam. Rent a bike (donkey republic) or if possible try to reach the areas by watertaxi!

In the west, you can barhop from the “Santa Claus” statue al the way along the Nieuwe Binnenweg towards historic Delfshaven.

In the north check out the hip lunch and breakfast spots, see the train viaduct Hofbogen that is going to be converted into a park in a few years or see some animals at Diergaarde Blijdorp.

In the east wander around Kralingen, the poshest area of town. Read a book at the Slotvijver or visit the two windmills at Kralingse Plas.

In the south see the difference between the high rises around hotel New York and the peaceful neighborhood of Noordereiland. Don’t forget to check out Katendrecht as well.

For the real explorers I recommend a visit to the neighborhood Heijplaat (Take a water taxi towards there). It is an old neighborhood completely surrounded by harbors.

Or take the metro towards the city centers of Schiedam and Vlaardingen. Schiedam has nice old town with the 7 tallest traditional windmills of the world and Vlaardingen is the place for a nice local atmosphere.