Rotterdam by foot
Discover Rotterdam by foot with this walk. This route covers a distance of about 9 kilometres, and can be done in less than 3 hours.
If you come alone to visit Rotterdam, or in a group of maximum three people, and you need someone to take pictures of you, you can send me an email. Photography is one of my hobbies, and sometimes I make extra money with it. If I don’t have work that day, we can arrange something.
I have included some tips along the route, places to have a drink and places that tourists don’t know about.
You can download the map of this route on this link.
These are some of the places you will pass along this route. Click on the links for more information.
Central Station – Groothandelsgebouw – Millenium Tower – Delftse Poort – Calypso – Westersingel – Schouwburgplein – Lijnbaan – Monument voor Alle Gevallenen 1940-1945 – City Hall – Post Office – Delftsche Poort – Luchtsingel – Sint Laurenskerk – Bibliotheek – Markthal – Cubic Houses – Oudehaven – Witte Huis – Willemsbrug – Maasbeeld – Noordereiland – De Hef – Koninginnebrug – Entrepothaven – Maastoren – Erasmusbrug – Belvedere – Fantastic views of the North river bank – De Rotterdam – Wilhelminapier – Hotel New York – Rijnhaven – Rijnhavenbrug – ss Rotterdam – Maashaven
Description of this route
Our second walking route in Rotterdam begins at the Central Station, departing from the main entrance located within Stationplein.
In this square, you’ll see the Delftse Poort on the left, the impressive Milemiun Tower ahead, and the grand Groothandelsgebouw on the right. We continue along Kruisplein, crossing the pedestrian area until we reach the next intersection. On the left stands the Calypso building, while on the right is the area of Chinatown. We walk straight ahead on Westersingel, alongside the canal in the pedestrian zone. After a short distance, we come across a bridge on the left that crosses the canal toward the Pauluskerk. We cross the bridge and follow Mauritsplaats Street until we arrive at a spacious square known as Schouwburgplein. Here, you’ll find the Schouwburg Theater, Pathe cinema, and De Doelen concert and exhibition center.
We cross the square diagonally towards one of the entrances of Lijnbaan, entering the street Korte Lijnbaan. This street marks the beginning of the shopping district.
At the end of the street, the imposing City Hall building comes into view, which will be our next destination. As we continue down this path, we’ll also find Stadhuisplein, an area full of bars that comes alive on weekends and where fans of the Feyenoord team gather to watch matches and celebrate victories.
Here, you’ll also find the Monument for All Fallen 1940-1945. We cross Coolsingel Avenue towards the City Hall, noting the historic Post Office to its right.
Our journey carries on along Doelwater Street, with the grand City Hall building to our right. A few steps away, we reach the entrance to the City Hall gardens – a peaceful corner worth visiting.
Continuing along Doelstraat, the street housing the police headquarters, we reach its end, where the De Delftsche Poort monument greets us. On the left, you can see the Luchtsingel (if the weather allows take a walk on it; a visit to Luchtpark Hofbogen and the former Hoftplein train station is an excellent option).
We leave behind De Delfsche Poort and turn right onto Haagseveer. We walk along the left side of the sidewalk, and before we reach the first row of houses, we take the path that goes around it on the left. From here, we can see an old wooden bridge, and we cross it.
After crossing the bridge, we continue to the right until we reach another small bridge, which we also cross. We pass by a Coffee Shop called “The Reef” and keep going on Oppert Street. This street leads us to a big church at the end of it, called Sint Laurenskerk.
In the peaceful park around the church, we find a famous statue of Erasmus. If Sint Laurenskerk is open, I invite you to go inside and explore. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, they offer guided tours to its tower (free with the Rotterdampas).
We turn left onto Grotekerkplein, heading towards Binnenrotte. Then we make a right turn and find a lively market that happens here on Tuesdays and Saturdays. We keep walking along Binnenrotte, heading towards the cube-shaped houses. On this path, we come across a sculpture called “Everybody is Death But Us,” the Library, and on the right, the Markthal, with the Blaak metro and train station right across from it. Don’t forget to take a look inside the Markthal.
Once we leave the Markthal, we see a building known as “The Pencil” in front of us. We head towards the stairs on the right side of it, which will take us to the indoor gallery of the Cube Houses. We go through the gallery and reach Oudehaven Harbor. This is a lively area with cafés where you can try typical beers and enjoy some Dutch tapas (bittergarnituur).
We continue along Oudehavenkade and later on Geldersekade, which leads us to the Witte Huis. On special occasions, you can go up to its terrace using an elevator for a small fee. After the Witte Huis, we take the stone path on the left called Koningsdam, just after passing the entrance of the shipyard.
After that, we go to the right onto Oudehoofplein. A little bit further back, you can see the Spanish Bridge. We cross the street towards the river, under the Willemsbrug. When we get to the riverside, there’s an artwork called “Maasbeeld” that gets your attention. We go up some stairs on the left, which take us to the bridge. We cross it to the other side of the Maas River.
Not far before we get to the end of the bridge, we see more stairs on the right. We go down these stairs and turn left to keep going along Maaskade.
At the end of the dog park, there are stairs to the left. Climb them to see what’s left of the old “De Hef” bridge. Then we come back down and turn left to continue on Maaskade. The platform that you see over the river hold in the past the old Willemsbrug. We take the first left onto Van der Takstraat.
We cross the Koninginnebrug and walk to the other side of the street, leaving the park on your left. If you want to see “De Hef” from a different angle, you can go up the small hill in the park. Keep going on Rosestraat, and you’ll reach a square with the Entrepot building. From here, go to the marina through Factorij. This place is called Entrepothaven. Go to the right towards Vijf Werelddelen until you reach the end of this harbor. There, you’ll see a bridge called “Binnenhavenbrug,” and the Poortgebouw building.
Keep going to your left and cross the street towards the river. A little bit ahead, you’ll see the monument to Jewish children, Loods 24, on your right.
Keep walking on Stieltjesstraat and then on Wilhelminakade until you get to the Erasmus Bridge.
Cross the street with Erasmus Bridge on your right side, and keep walking by the river until you reach another bridge after you pass Hotel New York – it’s called the Rijnhavenbrug.
After you cross the Rijnhavenbrug, go to the right on Veerlaan. When you enter the small park, take the first path to the right – it’s called Linker Veerlan. From there, you’ll have a really good view of Wilhelminakade. Keep going by the river until you reach the ss Rotterdam.
Once you’re done exploring the area around the ss Rotterdam, keep going on Maashaven Noordzijde until you reach Hilleland. On your left, you’ll see the Rijnhaven metro station. Our route ends here, but if you’re still interested, you can keep walking to the Erasmus Bridge, where there’s another metro stop. Both metro lines, Rijnhaven and Wilhelminaplein, will take you directly to Rotterdam Central Station.
Don’t forget to take a look at the other routes I have prepared. Depending on the length of your stay, you might be more interested in doing one of the other routes.