We have two nights and most of two days in Rotterdam. Here's exactly what I've been looking forward to — and why.
Rotterdam is the port I've been most curious about on this cruise. I've been to the Netherlands before but never here — and everything I've read suggests it's a completely different experience to Amsterdam. Younger, bolder, architecturally unlike anything else in Europe.
We arrive on the morning of Day 2 and don't leave until 14:00 on Day 3. That's a lot of time in one port — and I intend to use it properly. This is a list of the 15 specific things I want to see, do, eat, or just experience while I'm there. Some are obvious. Some are personal. All of them are genuine.
Everyone photographs the Cube Houses from outside. I want to actually go in. The Kijk-Kubus is open to visitors for a few euros and it's three floors of completely tilted space — walls at angles, ceilings that slope, windows you look out of sideways. I've seen the photos and I genuinely cannot picture what standing inside one feels like. That's exactly why I want to find out.
Kijk-Kubus, Overblaak 70 · a few euros entry · about 20 mins
The ceiling of the Markthal is 11,000 square metres of painted artwork. Eleven thousand. It depicts enormous fruit, vegetables, flowers and insects in this hyper-real style that makes the whole interior feel slightly surreal. I've read about it so many times and seen photos that don't do it justice. Walking in and actually looking up at it is near the top of the list.
Dominee Jan Scharpstraat 298 · free to enter · food stalls inside
We'll sail under the Erasmus Bridge as we leave port on Day 3. I've been thinking about that moment for a while — standing on the deck, the city behind us, passing underneath that pylon. Every photo I've seen of the bridge is from the bank. Seeing it from the water, and actually passing through it on a ship, is going to be completely different.
Best view: from the ship's deck during the Day 3 sail-out · 14:00 departure
Sitting on the Fenix terrace with a beer, looking back across the Maas at the Rotterdam skyline — that's a very specific image I've had in my head for months. The terrace faces north back towards the city, and on a clear May afternoon it's supposed to be one of those views that makes you genuinely grateful to be somewhere. I want that afternoon.
Veerlaan 19d, Katendrecht · cross via Erasmus Bridge or Waterbus ferry
Raw herring with onions is the quintessential Rotterdam street food experience. I've been told it tastes better than it sounds. I've also been told the correct technique is to hold it by the tail and lower it into your mouth. Both of these things are going to be tested. This is firmly in the 'do it once properly' category.
Markthal fish stalls · raw herring with chopped onions · try before you decide it sounds wrong
Rotterdam's skyline is genuinely different from every other city in the Netherlands. It looks almost American — towers, glass, modern construction — because the whole city was rebuilt after WWII. The best view of it is from the south bank, looking back north. I want that photo, but more than that I want to just stand there and take it in properly.
View from Katendrecht / Wilhelminapier area · best in late afternoon when the sun is behind you
Kaapse Brouwers is Rotterdam's own craft brewery, operating out of the Fenix Food Factory warehouse. I've been drinking craft beer for years and have never had a Dutch one from the city I was actually standing in. There's something about drinking a locally brewed beer in its own city that just feels right. This is the stop to do that.
Inside Fenix Food Factory · Kaapse Brouwers brewery on site
The bridge is about 800 metres long and has a pedestrian walkway the full way across. You walk it with the skyline in front of you, the river below, and those cables fanning out overhead. Ten minutes end to end. I want to walk it from north to south — Markthal side to Hotel New York side — and take my time doing it.
~10 min walk end to end · best heading south with city behind you in late morning
Hotel New York is the former headquarters of the Holland America Line — the company that took millions of European emigrants to America in the early 1900s. It's now a restaurant and hotel, and the terrace sits right on the Maas with a direct view of the bridge. The history alone makes it worth visiting, but honestly the setting is extraordinary too.
Koninginnenhoofd 1, Wilhelminapier · terrace bar · right at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge
The Blaak area has the Cube Houses, but it also has the Blaak metro station — a massive white circular flying saucer that sits in the middle of the square — and the Pencil building next door. All three in one place. Rotterdam basically said 'normal is boring' and built an entire neighbourhood to prove it. I want to stand in the middle of all three and just look around.
Blaak square · all within a two-minute walk of each other · Cube Houses, Markthal and metro all here
The Waterbus runs between the north and south bank of the Maas and is the practical way to get to Katendrecht without walking the bridge. But the crossing itself — even five minutes on the water with the skyline around you — is supposed to be one of those small moments that sticks with you. It's practical transport that happens to be genuinely enjoyable.
Multiple stops along the Maas · runs regularly · check timetable on the day
A koffie verkeerd is a Dutch latte — coffee with a lot of milk — served in a glass. You drink it slowly, outside, somewhere near water. This is less about the coffee and more about the specific experience of doing something very ordinary in a place I've been thinking about visiting for months. Sitting by the Maas with a coffee is part of the plan.
Any café on the waterfront · koffie verkeerd · not a tourist trap, just sit somewhere nice
We arrive in Rotterdam on the morning of Day 2. The ship sails in along the Maas with the whole skyline visible from the deck — the Erasmus Bridge, the towers, the Fenix warehouses. I'm setting an alarm for this. Standing on deck with a coffee as the city appears is the kind of moment that makes a cruise feel properly special. Not missing it.
Day 2 · 5 May · arrive in the morning · be on deck early with coffee
The sail-out from Rotterdam on Day 3 is supposed to be one of the best in Europe. We leave at 14:00 and the ship heads west down the Maas with the entire Rotterdam skyline slowly shrinking behind us. I've watched a few videos of this and it's genuinely impressive. Two nights in Rotterdam and then watching the city disappear as we head for open water — that's the moment I've been looking forward to most.
Day 3 · 6 May · depart 14:00 · be on deck well before departure
Rotterdam is one of those cities that rewards just walking. The architecture is interesting around almost every corner. There's no shortage of things to stumble across. I've got 14 specific things on this list, but I want to leave at least a few hours with no agenda — no route, no objective, just wandering and seeing what appears. The best parts of every city I've been to have been accidental.
No plan needed · just leave time for it · Rotterdam is genuinely walkable and very safe
I'll report back on how many of these actually happened.
Realistically, with two days, I'll get through most of them. The sail-in and sail-out are both happening regardless — those are just a matter of being on deck at the right time. The rest depends on weather, energy, and whether the herring is as good as everyone says.