Rotterdam’s Erasmusbrug
After two days of beer and fast food on a stag do in Antwerp, I was feeling guilty. So with a late flight home from Amsterdam, I had the perfect opportunity to get a bit of fresh air and exercise by exploring Rotterdam, which is halfway between Antwerp and Schiphol airport.
I arrived by train at Rotterdam Centraal station in brilliant afternoon sunshine armed with a map of the city and three hours to kill. The plan was to wander from the station, ogle at some of the renowned modern architecture along the Nieuwe Maas river, get back to the station and then train it to Schiphol in time for my 21:50 flight.
One thing I didn’t think about in my hungover state was just how big Rotterdam would be – with a population of 600,000 it’s the Netherlands’ second city and the largest port in Europe. It’s a 2.5km hike from the station to the riverbank – a bit of a struggle when pulling a trolley suitcase. My first impression of the city was that it’s not the prettiest city I’ve ever been to, but then again I’m from Coventry so everywhere looks good to me.
Rotterdam and Coventry have a bit in common – they were two of the most bombed cities in WWII, but that’s where the comparisons end. Whereas my hometown was rebuilt in an ugly ’60s architectural style and is now a dull-as-dishwater city, Rotterdam features futuristic skyscrapers and has a reputation as an exciting, ever-changing place to live in and visit.
Almost an hour after leaving the station, I reached the iconic Erasmusbrug suspension bridge which links the city centre to the redeveloped docks on the river’s south bank. Locals call the bridge The Swan for its graceful white angled pylon that supports the cables holding the bridge up.
There are separate sections for cars, trams, cyclists and pedestrians, so off I set across the bridge towards the area known as Kop van Zuid. It’s a long walk across the bridge and it’s also deceptively high, giving the opportunity to admire the skyline in all directions.
To my right was the Euromast – an observation tower with hotel, restaurant and abseiling centre at the top. I love a tall building, but didn’t have the time (or the head for heights) for a visit today, so moved on to dry land.
The Bridge, Unilever’s HQ
I soon crossed another bridge onto Noordereiland, a small island in the Nieuwe Maas from where I had a good view of The Bridge. This is not a bridge at all, but a 133m skyscraper lying on its side on stilts above a margarine factory.
It was time to head back to the city centre now and cross my third bridge of the day, Willemsbrug. This is the best place to take photos of Erasmusbrug, but I realised I didn’t have any photos of this particular bridge which I thought was quite nice – see photo below, which I have taken from wikipedia.
Willemsbrug
Walking back over Willemsbrug, the hangover was beginning to kick in and coupled with dragging that bloody case around for the last two hours I fancied a sit down. I found a pavement cafe and relaxed with an ice-cold Coke while soaking up the early-April sunshine – it was almost t-shirt weather and I could definitely have done with my sunglasses.
Refreshed and relaxed, I moved on to see my final Rotterdam sight, the crazy Cube Houses, which look like giant upturned sugar cubes. 40 of these yellow and grey houses were built in the ’80s as part of a drive to get more people to live in the city centre. One resident opens his house to the public to look around for a few euros – I was running out of time, so had to give this a miss.
Cube Houses – could you live in one of these?
I liked what I saw in my pitifully brief time in Rotterdam – it may not be anywhere near as beautiful as Amsterdam, and you won’t find any canals or old buildings. But I’d like to come back again for a long weekend to do it justice, experience the city at night (I bet it looks amazing with the skyscrapers and bridges all lit up) and to leave that bloody suitcase in the hotel.
abitofculture 
I was just chatting about Rotterdam with a friend this morning – how strange. I’m definitely in favour of exploring cities, even with a few hours to kill. Did Rotterdam feel very different to Amsterdam?
Totally different – not many tourists and no old buildings, whereas Amsterdam is always jam packed and doesn’t have too many new buildings.
I like those houses. It rained when I visited so I stayed inside a pub. I don’t think I’d rush back if I’m absolutely honest.
I was lucky with the weather – I know it’s notorious for rain there, but think I got the sunniest Rotterdam day since records began! Did you stay the night or was that on the way home from your Delft trip?
It was on our way home so I do feel that I didn’t really give Rotterdam a fair chance to show me what it has to offer. I enjoyed the pub though!
Great stuff, Richard. Love the description of The Bridge- on stilts above a margarine factory! Really? Talk about fact being stranger…
We need to get some of those cubes to liven Coventry up. Possibly Hartlepool too.
Those crazy Dutchies, eh?! Cov definitely needs something new to liven it up. Is your place pretty dull too? At least you’re near the sea!
I was actually born in Coventry and have never been able to decide if it was a lucky escape Mam meeting Dad down there and bringing him home.
Didn’t know you were a “Cov Kid”. Commiserations!
What a whirlwind tour of the city – hope you get back to do it justice some time. Love the cube houses but not sure I could live in one!
Apparently they scrapped plans to build hundreds of cubes after the first phase of 40. They’re not very popular with locals but they look pretty good!
How did you find antwerp? I wasn’t very happy about the city and people. Probably after Bruxelles and A’dam I had too high expectation
I loved it – some great architecture and beer there, as in all Belgian cities. I’ll try to get an Antwerp post up here for the weekend but get a feeling you’re not going to like it!
Cubes – fun to look at, hell to live in. No piece of furniture fits!
And Rotterdam has its share of canals and old buildings, just not in the bombed-out center. In Delfshaven, for example. Nobody knows it though, that’s why its so delightfully calm here.
I’ll make a note of Delfshaven for next time I’m there – cheers. Rotterdam seemed too big for anything less than two days.
Ahh but there’s help – check out http://www.spottedbylocals.com/rotterdam/ and choose your highlights!
You managed to pack in a lot in those few hours. The cube houses look amazing and I would love to see inside them. I wonder why they are not so popular with the locals? I always thought that the Netherlands appeared to be quite cutting edge with modern architecture.
Thanks for the comment. I’ve read that the cube houses get too hot and because of the sloping roofs there’s not much space.
The cubes are great to look at, but try to fit any piece of furniture in there and you’re doomed to fail. Sloping walls and weird angles mean you have to have everything custom-made. There’s a hostel in several of the cubes nowadays, so you can actually experience what its like to live in them!
I remember seeing signs for the hostel – what a good idea. Somewhere to consider if I make it back – cheers!
Interesting post and those sugar cube houses are quirky! I’ll be in Rotterdam this weekend for the North Sea Jazz Festival and we were wondering what we would do the rest of the time. I think I’ve just got some ideas from your post, thank you!
Cheers and I hope you have a nice weekend there. It’s not a pretty city but there’s loads to see there – if I’d have had a bit longer I’d have also tried to go on a sightseeing river cruise and gone up the Euromast. Enjoy!
After reading your post, I decided to search online for more about Rotterdam and I found some rather interesting buildings, including the Sonneveld House Museum : )