Rotterdam/Centrum

Centrum (Centre) is the name of the central area of Rotterdam, being located between the central station in the north and the New Meuse in the south.

Understand
The Centre is known locally as the Stadsdriehoek (City Triangle), which it lends to its historical shape. The city was bound between the Coolvest (modernly the Coolsingel) and Schiedamse Vest to the west, the Goudsevest (Goudsesingel) to the northeast and the New Meuse to the south. Rotterdam has had this triangular shape since the late medieval period, when the city's most southerly point was at Blaak. During the 16th century, the Waterstad (literally: Water City) was reclaimed for activity associated with the harbour and trade in general.

Rotterdam, being a rather infamous target of Nazi bombing at the start of the Second World War, retains hardly anything of its once historic city centre, barring some parts of the street layouts. After the war, a lot of the space for living within the Stadsdriehoek was removed, leaving an empty shell of a city that no-one enjoyed visiting. After 1975, housing was being built in the city centre again at a high pace, largely concentrated around the harbours. Modernly, the Stadsdriehoek has left many of its functionality as a city centre to the Cool in its south, which became a notable hotspot for nightlife and shopping after the war.

Most of Rotterdam's major sights are in the Centrum, including the Euromast, Lijnbaan shopping mall, Coolsingel, Erasmusbrug and the Saint-Lawrence Church.

Get in
The central hub for public transit within the city centre is the, though for the metro network specifically, this is.

By tram
The tramlines below are in service through the city centre as of 2021. They have been ordered by the platform they depart from at Rotterdam Centraal:
 * Line
 * Platform A: towards Marconiplein (Delfshaven), running through most of that district.
 * Platform D: towards Burgemeester van Kempensingel in the far northwest of Rotterdam.
 * Line
 * Platform B: towards Willemsplein on the New Meuse, running via the Museumpark, where most of Rotterdam's museums are found.
 * Platform C: towards Burgemeester Oudlaan, might be busy around the start of the day heading from, and at the end of the day heading to Rotterdam Centraal, as this line is the main connecting service to the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
 * Line
 * Platform A: towards Spartastraat, directly serving the stadium of Delfshaven's football club, as well as Beurs and the Euromast.
 * Platform D: towards Kleiweg to the north.
 * Line runs from Rotterdam Centraal, platform B to Kreekhuizen on the south side of the river, running via the Lijnbaan and Beurs.
 * Line
 * Platform A: towards Harreweg via Marconiplein (Delfshaven) and Schiedam Centrum railway station.
 * Platform C: towards De Esch in the far east of the north bank of the river via Beurs and Blaak.
 * Line
 * Platform A: towards Marconiplein.
 * Platform C: towards Limbrichthoek, connecting most of the eastern side of the south bank.
 * Line
 * Platform A: towards Holysingel (north Vlaardingen), via Marconiplein - for the city centre of Vlaardingen, use metro lines A or B.
 * Platform C: towards De Esch via Blaak.
 * Line
 * Platform B: towards Carnisselande (Barendrecht), via Beurs, running through most of the Feijenoord district.
 * Platform D: towards Wilgenplaslaan, connecting with metro line E in the north at Melanchthonweg.
 * Additionally, line is in service on Feijenoord matchdays, running a service from the station to the Feijenoord stadium via Beurs, and another from the Feijenoord stadium to P+R Beverwaard in the far southeast of the whole of Rotterdam.

By metro
Rotterdam's city centre sees service from all five lines, these generally being grouped into east-west and north-south connections:
 * East to west lines run on the same track throughout all of the city centre, with lines A and B splitting from line C at Schiedam Centrum in the west and Capelsebrug in the east. These lines connect with local trains at Schiedam Centrum and Rotterdam Alexander. For faster intercity and international trains, change at Beurs and follow lines D or E northbound, or use the aforementioned stations to get into Rotterdam Centraal directly, which either of them have connect to directly.
 * : Vlaardingen Centrum - Schiedam Centrum - Marconiplein - Beurs - Capelsebrug - Rotterdam Alexander - Binnenhof
 * Line A connects from Vlaardingen's city centre to Binnenhof, in the far northeastern suburbs of Rotterdam.
 * : Hoek van Holland - Vlaardingen Centrum - Schiedam Centrum - Marconiplein - Beurs - Capelsebrug - Rotterdam Alexander - Nesselande
 * Line B connects to Hoek van Holland Haven, and will be extended to directly exit onto the beach at Hoek van Holland strand by 2022. The station at Haven connects directly to the ferry between Hook of Holland and Harwich (England).
 * : De Akkers (Spijkenisse) - Tussenwater - Schiedam Centrum - Marconiplein - Beurs - Capelsebrug - De Terp (Capelle a/d IJssel)
 * Starting on the south bank of the river, line C connects to Spijkenisse, the Albrandswaard and Pernis, before joining lines A and B at Schiedam Centrum. It does the exact same as those two lines from there up to Capelsebrug, after which it continues three more stops into Capelle aan den IJssel before terminating there. Line C, unlike A and B, does not connect with local trains at Rotterdam Alexander.


 * North to south lines run on the same track between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge. The first being the northernmost terminus for line D, and the latter being the southernmost terminus for line E. The lines connect directly to Rotterdam's main train station, Rotterdam Centraal, where you can change onto local, intercity and international trains, which can bring you all the way to Brussels, Paris, London, Marseille and Bourg-Saint-Maurice (the latter two depending on the season, Marseille is the summer destination of Thalys services, Bourg-Saint-Maurice the winter destination).
 * : De Akkers (Spijkenisse) - Tussenwater - Slinge - Beurs - Rotterdam Centraal
 * Line D starts off the same as line C, though it stays on the south bank after their ways split at Tussenwater. Line D continues towards the districts of Charlois and Feijenoord, before also crossing the river, where it connects to Beurs, meeting lines A, B and C, after which it terminates below Rotterdam Centraal.
 * : Slinge - Beurs - Rotterdam Centraal - Pijnacker - Den Haag Centraal
 * Line E starts off running the same tracks between Slinge in Charlois, also connecting to the stations in Feijenoord, then connecting to Beurs and Rotterdam Centraal. After which, line E continues to connect to Blijdorp, which is a small walk from the zoo of the same name. Several stops north, you can use Meijersplein to switch onto bus 33, which connects to Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, which connects to mostly Mediterranean destinations like Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Faro, Bilbao and Girona among others. The airport as a whole mostly sees cheaper holiday flights from Transavia touch down. After Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, line E connects to many more residential places like Berkel en Rodenrijs, Pijnacker and Leidschendam. After this, Leidschenveen Centrum is where you can switch onto lines and, both connecting to Zoetermeer. Line E then continues to connect to much of The Hague, eventually terminating at its central station, though it also connects to local trains at Den Haag Laan van NOI.

Museums






Events
Rotterdam plays host to a lot of events, a lot of them yearly ones. Besides these there are a lot smaller ones that can be very nice, so ask around and check the VVV website. A few of these yearly events to name:


 * On the Rotterdam Museum Night in March, nearly all Rotterdam museums and galleries open their doors in the evening with special events.
 * Metropolis Festival (music) on the first Sunday in July.
 * The classical music Gergjev festival in September, led by master-conductor Valery Gergjev.
 * The Roterdam Harvest Festival in September.
 * Metropolis Festival (music) on the first Sunday in July.
 * The classical music Gergjev festival in September, led by master-conductor Valery Gergjev.
 * The Roterdam Harvest Festival in September.
 * The Roterdam Harvest Festival in September.

For full listings of events check Rotterdam.info.

Cinema and theatre
There are two huge megacinemas in Rotterdam, one of which is located within the city centre: Here you can see Hollywood movies and the occasional art-house movie. Opposite to the Pathé, you will find, which features anything remotely to do with theatre, from cinema to music theatre and from dance to opera. The Schouwburg also has a large assortment of in-house productions to view.

For a more alternative showing, there is the, which shows a combination of art-house films and commercial Hollywood flicks. During the IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam), which usually takes place in February, art-house movies are shown at many more locations throughout the city.

With children

 * Rotterdam used to have a zoo right outside the railway station, but since 1940, this zoo has been located north of the tracks in Kralingen. Diergaarde Blijdorp is one of the oldest and best-visited zoos of the Netherlands, and is conveniently located in the middle of the city as a whole. Bus 32 stops right outside the zoo at Abraham van Stolkweg.
 * Rotterdam used to have a zoo right outside the railway station, but since 1940, this zoo has been located north of the tracks in Kralingen. Diergaarde Blijdorp is one of the oldest and best-visited zoos of the Netherlands, and is conveniently located in the middle of the city as a whole. Bus 32 stops right outside the zoo at Abraham van Stolkweg.

Buy
The main shopping areas in the center are the and the. Both are pedestrianised. The Lijnbaan, which runs straight south from the Weena (close to Rotterdam Centraal) was the first pedestrianised shopping street in the world when it was built in 1953. Now it is more of an average shopping street with average shops. In weekends it's very crowded. Linking the Lijnbaan with the Hoogstraat is the, dubbed Koopgoot (Buying-gutter). A subterrainean passage, also connecting to Beurs metro station. It's all rather big and somewhat strange for a Dutch city, but it fits perfectly into the Rotterdam aspiration of being different. If you're looking for it, ask for the Koopgoot, as the official name is little known.

Department stores
The Beurstraverse gives direct access to the city's main department stores:

Markets
There are about 12 larger and smaller markets dotted around Rotterdam. Most of them are enjoyable places to walk through.

Eat
The area around metrostation Blaak, called Oude haven (Old Harbour), is not only worth seeing but has also a lot of pubs and restaurants. The Rotterdam dining scene is developing very fast with new restaurants opening very often. While most of the attention focusses on new Michelin-star aspiring places, there is very much a trend towards high quality mid-range restaurants offering French/Dutch cuisine.



Mid-range




Splurge




Drink
Nightlife in Rotterdam is extremely varied, every subculture has its own area in the city. The Oude Haven (close to the Kubuswoningen) and the main market square Blaak are the hang out spots for business, economic and law students. The cafés and restaurants in the Oude Haven (Old Harbour) are around a picturesque little harbour. Scenery of water, city lights, boats and Het Witte Huis, the first skyscraper of Europe (1897). The atmosphere is really great and it is best to go when the sun sets, very romantic! Great place for a night out.

Close to the Oude Haven area, the streets around the Pannenkoekstraat have emerged as a new center for shopping and going out. Amidst small boutiques, selling clothes and interior design by young, upcoming designers, you can find cocktailbars such as Level or Soho, which both attract large crowds. Especially in the summer this is a great place for a mojito.

The most lively bar area in town is Eendrachtsplein/Nieuwe Binnenweg. Alternative, easy going and full of friendly, open-minded people. The cafés you should be looking for are Stalles, Parket and Rotown. This is the place to be for the more creative orientated people, musicians, designers and artschool students. Walk down de Nieuwe Binnenweg and arrive at Café Ari (Nieuwe Binnenweg/Mathenesserlaan) and Westerpaviljoen (grand café with the best terrace in the city). This is a good place to start the evening. Walk a little bit (3 minutes) down the Binnenweg again and go left at 's-Gravendijkwal (you'll see the flashy neon lights of sexclub OQ). Across the street you'll find Jazz Cafe Dizzy. A great place for a quality beer and some live jazz music. You can also eat at almost all places mentioned.

Now walk back the Binnenweg up eastbound. Cross Eendrachtsplein and go to the right towards the Westersingel. Walk 3 minutes and on your left there is the Witte de Withstraat. Some nice café's like De Witte Aap, Mondriaan, Bar P, and De Schouw are found here, along with some good restaurants as well. This is also the most arty street of Rotterdam. Here you'll find Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, MAMA, showroom for media and moving art and many more. Drinking in style!

If you're into loud music, you could try your luck at the Rhythm on Oude Binnenweg. A popular hang out of alternative types. Moreover, Rotterdam nightlife is very dynamic: places come and go, move around, change ownership, etc. It is mostly centered around:


 * Kruiskade: clubs as Off Corso (housed in an old cinema) and Thalia Lounge have good parties over the weekends and mostly attract 20-somethings.
 * Stadhuisplein: number of bars and disco's that are more directed towards the working class. The nearby Baja Beach Club (at the Schouwburgplein) attracts a similar crowd. Stadhuisplein is better to be avoided in the weekends due to a lot of aggression! During week days it's mostly students going out, with De Après Skihut full of people every day of the week.
 * Delftsestraat: the Hollywood is a large disco that fills up quickly in weekends with an overall somewhat younger crowd. The Apres Ski Hut recreates the atmosphere of Tirol in the same colourless street.
 * Club Vie, near the old harbour area, is a more stylish, trendy club, which also offers nice views over the Maas river.

Some listings that can be found around these places:

Coffeeshops
As everywhere in the Netherlands, the possession (of small quantities) and use of cannabis (hash and weed) is tolerated in Rotterdam. Since Amsterdam draws more coffee-shop tourism prices are lower in Rotterdam.

Possessing large quantities of hasheesh or cannabis is a crime in the Netherlands: do not take stuff with you when leaving the Netherlands (you can be punished severely in neighbouring countries). It's also unwise to buy for someone else, especially if it's a foreigner as you can be punished in his or her country of origin (it has happened).

Smoking tobacco is banned inside food and drink establishments and even coffeeshops! But tobacco smoking appears to be tolerated in coffee shops, and their pre-rolled joints are often mixed with tobacco.

Music venues

 * Rotown where smaller international and national indie artists perform.
 * WORM, venue focused on underground and avant garde music
 * Roodkapje, a gallery that also host various parties
 * Poortgebouw, a venue run by the squatters that live in the building.

Bed and Breakfast
There are numerous bed and breakfast houses in Rotterdam and they generally offer a good possibility of getting a "local" experience.

Hotel




Go next
The main hubs within the Stadsdriehoek are the railway station, Rotterdam Centraal and the metro station of Beurs. Both have very frequent services, and wait times for trains is hardly ever higher than half an hour (excluding international trains). The railway station is also where long-distance buses depart.

Nearby districts

 * Feijenoord — on the opposite bank of the Meuse, is historically a part of the Rotterdam harbours, but nowadays, almost all of it has been reclaimed for houses. The region is best known for housing Rotterdam's largest football club of the same name, as well as its nightlife.
 * Delfshaven — historically the harbour of the city of Delft, Delfshaven (meaning Delft's harbour), offers some nightlife, more historical sites than Rotterdam's inner city, and is somewhat notable for its production of gin.
 * Kralingen/Blijdorp — encompassing the Kralingse Plas, a very large lake and park, Blijdorp, Rotterdam's zoo, as well as Rotterdam's university.

Nearby destinations

 * Schiedam — visit the historic centre of this small town at the edge of Rotterdam, including the six tallest windmills in the world. Also you will find the Stedelijk Museum there, an attractive museum with some nice modern art exhibitions. Easily reached by bicycle, a train (from Rotterdam Centraal to Schiedam Centrum), metro A, B or C line to Schiedam Centrum station, or tram lines 21 or 24 (Broersvest or Koemarkt stop).
 * Delft — this famous city is in a 15-min train ride from Rotterdam Centraal. Very historic and scenic, but also very touristy.
 * Dordrecht — a magnificent historic town with little tourism and an excellent old art museum (Dordrechts Museum). It is a 15-min train ride, or even better, take a waterbus.
 * The Hague — reached by train (25 minutes) or metro line E (30 minutes), The Hague is the political capital of the Netherlands, home to the royal family, and features the well-known beach town of Scheveningen.
 * Vlaardingen — like Schiedam, Vlaardingen is a historical city somewhat further from Rotterdam, yet well-integrated in its public transit network.