The Free Rivers & Architecture Tour of Rotterdam
Tread across the skyline of the city of water & bricks, explore its majestic bridges, skyscrapers & hidden street art on the blue collar side of the river. The Southbank of Rotterdam marks Rotterdam’s great transformation from WWII into an upcoming urban hotspot.
Language: English
Every Saturday: 10:30am
Duration: 2 hours
This free tour is tip-based, we charge a €1,89 booking fee to secure your spot
This free tour is tip-based, we charge a €1,89 booking fee to secure your spot
Booking
Booking A Tour FAQ
Yes, you can!
If you have the legs for it, you can even do the Southside Tour in the morning and follow up with the Classic Tour. Both tours follow an entirely different route and you’ll hear different stories along the way.
Book both tours and get the best experience of your stay in Rotterdam!
The booking fee is refundable until 24 hours before the start time of the cancelled tour. From the €1,89 that you pay per person, €1,50 per person will be refunded to your account. The transaction fee of €0,39 per person is non-refundable.
Please note that it may take up to 10 days before you see the refund in your account. For more information, visit our Cancel & Refund Policy page.
Didn’t receive a cancellation email? Send us an email, mentioning the 4-digit order number that you received (check your email for reference). We will make sure you receive the amount to your account.
When you join a tour, you are charged a €1,89 booking fee per attendee. These costs cover the following:
€1,50 booking fee:
- A guarantee of your reservation, both for you and for us.
- Our work on the backend, organizing & managing our tours and guides.
- Marketing & website maintenance, so you can find us when looking for the best tour in Rotterdam.
- Being there for you when you contact us!
€0,39 transaction fee for electronic payments
The booking fee can be paid when you make an online booking, or at the start of the tour with a credit/debit card. For more information about the fee and our cancellation policy, visit our Booking Fee & Cancellation Policy page.
The bookings fee is for the Free walking tour community
For the tour guides the amount you tip is up to you, Free tours have no fixed cost, and the amount you pay is up to you!
No problem! You can cancel the tour at anytime in your confirmation email through this button:
You can make a new reservation on your preferred date & time. If you need further assistance, send us an email.
Our booking system allows reservations for a maximum of 4 people per booking. Our experience shows us that other attendees appreciate smaller groups within the tour. It keeps the tour up to speed and it’s easier to make new friends between smaller groups. We kindly ask you to respect this.
If you are visiting with a larger group, consider booking a Private Walking Tour of Rotterdam. You will have full attention of your own guide and it leaves more space for improvisation during the tour.
Do you still wish to join a Free Tour with a group larger than 4 people? If we have enough availability, you can make multiple reservations in our booking system under the same name and email address.
All tours for this date are fully booked. Please consider another date or time to come and see Rotterdam.
If you really want to come on this date and have a larger group, consider taking a Private Walking Tour of Rotterdam. You can enjoy Rotterdam with your own private guide!
After choosing your date & time and entering your name & email address, you are taken to this screen:
Make sure to click on the BOOK NOW button to confirm your submission. If your booking is recorded, you will see this screen:
An email is sent to your email address for further reference.
Didn’t receive anything? There are several possibilities why this happens:
- The email address was entered with a typo
- The confirmation email is recognized as spam (check your spam folder!)
- Our booking confirmation isn’t working correctly
No worries, your booking is surely recorded if you saw the screen above. If you wish to receive the details anyways, please send us an email.
Meeting Point
Walk Along The Great Bridges Of Rotterdam
Dive into the South of Rotterdam by walking across the Willemsbrug (Williams’ Bridge) with great views of the infamous Erasmus Bridge. While the city was founded on the river Rotte, the waterway of the Meuse river was more important for the growing harbor town. ‘If you have not crossed the river, you have not seen Rotterdam!’
Learn how the river brought Jackie Chan, Jeff Bezos and Madonna together
The river Meuse not only divides Rotterdam in two parts, it also connects people. Find out how Rotterdam’s architecture brought these names to our humble city and hear the stories that beat the celebrity gossip to pulp.
From the ashes of WWII: Locate the new city center of Rotterdam
Around 1870, Rotterdam made the jump from the Northbank to the Southbank. Farms were replaced by harbors, cows by houses and the remains of 1940’s bombings by towering skyscrapers – like the eponymous Rotterdam Tower and the Maastoren (Meuse Tower). Today, it’s growing into a multicultural and commercial hub, strategically located around the city’s most important harbors.
Understand the do’s and dont’s of the Southbank
Rotterdam South is a world on its own, marked by its street art and work hard/play hard mentality. Its the hometown of the Feyenoord football team, so never ever mention the word ‘Ajax’ here. People from the Southside proudly call this part of the city ‘the farmers side’. This tour explains you why.
Take a boat trip at the end of the tour
The tour ends at Hotel New York, which is located close to the Swan (nickname of the Erasmus Bridge). From this location, you can walk back across the bridge, ride the metro or take a Water Taxi. Bookings can be made on the spot, or ask your guide at the start of the tour. At the end you can also go tot the many bars and restaurants in the south, check out the Deliplein while you’re there!