Discover Rotterdam and surroundings with public transport
A day out in Rotterdam, but you have no idea what you want to do and you don't feel like getting into a tour bus? No problem: we have created two routes with RET public transport that allow you to explore all the beauty that Rotterdam has to offer with the greatest of ease.
Together with travel journalists, employees of the bus, tram and metro of the RET, we have created routes with public transport in and around Rotterdam. Really, you don't know that Rotterdam is so easy to discover with public transport! PLEASE NOTE: the route can be found for free in the MUST SEE app under Main Menu - Routes (you only need to buy a day ticket for public transport in the app)
Highlight tour route 1 | This is what you are going to see
There is a lot to see in Rotterdam and its surroundings, especially for the inexperienced visitor who steps outside the doors of Central Station for the first time. Are you going to the Koopgoot? The Erasmus Bridge? Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen? For those who lose the overview and prefer to see all the highlights of the city, this is the ideal tour. In five hours you can visit the most iconic, popular and special places in Rotterdam.
From the center you can reach the Leuvehaven station in just a few minutes by metro. From here you have a beautiful view of the Erasmus Bridge. This 800-metre-long connection between the north and south banks of the Nieuwe Maas is perhaps the most iconic bridge in the Netherlands. 'De Zwaan', as it is popularly called, dates from 1996 and was intended to give South Rotterdam an economic and cultural boost.
Shopping! Deeper to the south of the city there is also plenty to discover and experience, for example in the Zuidplein shopping center. With public transport you will be dropped off in front of the door at the Zuidplein station of the same name, whether you come by metro, tram or bus.
After the bustle and modernity of the city, are you ready for some culture, history and tranquility? Then take the metro further west to Rhoon. Take your loved one for a romantic walk or a nice lunch at the Rhoon . Castle, just a few minutes walk from the metro. No reservation needed!
From Rhoon you cross the Maas again – or actually under – via the metro to end up in the gin heart of the Netherlands: Schiedam. As a result of the booming industry there, Schiedam developed a rather shadowy reputation in the nineteenth century as a polluted, dangerous city full of alcoholics nicknamed 'Black Nazareth'. That time has long since passed, but the jenever has remained happy.
Back to Rotterdam. The next stop on the tour is one of the few parts of the city that survived the bombing: historic Delfshaven. Here you can catch a rare glimpse of the Rotterdam of the past. How about a drink? Then board at the Delfshaven metro station and continue the tour towards the Witte de Withstraat: the most vibrant nightlife street in Rotterdam.
After all, no visit to Rotterdam is complete without a visit to the Inside rotten. This huge square is a gathering place of unique architecture, history and above all: Rotterdammers. From the huge Market hall till the Laurenskerk, from Blaak station to the cube and the market where fresh products are for sale every Tuesday and Saturday: this is the beating heart of Rotterdam. The perfect place to end this highlights tour.
RET sightseeing | history tour
Already familiar with all the highlights of the city, or do you just prefer a day of culture? Then fear not: with public transport you can easily and quickly reach the most beautiful historic places in the city. Handy, what for this tour through history you really should take some time. Don't worry, it's more than worth every minute!
A tour of Rotterdam's history can really only start in one place: the Laurenskerk. With a construction year of 1412 this is the oldest building in Rotterdam and at the same time the only remnant of the city's medieval past. During the bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, the church was about the only building in the city center that remained standing. Maybe with some help from above? Tip: every year the spire of the church is open to the public. Look for the exact times in the Must See app.
Continue the tour with a visit to the Koningshavenbrug, the historic rail link between the Noordereiland and Rotterdam-South, better known as 'The Hef'. You know? That bridge that made the headlines with Jeff Bezos.
Has been doing it for over 100 years stately building on the Coolsingel 40 serving as town hall. You can't really get in without an appointment, but you can sneak in and say you're on to the historic courtyard! This is free and accessible to visit, you just accidentally took the wrong entrance #hiddengem
If you go further west, you will arrive at Central Station en mini world. Imagine yourself a giant as you walk through miniature landscapes, all recreated with the utmost care and attention. Ideal for small children! More of a high culture lover? Then you can go to Boijmans Van Beuningen depot, that is a real Must See. Art is stored here, which you can just view.
Then travel to the Delfshaven stop to de Pilgrim Father Church to watch. Here the pilgrim fathers held their last service in 1620 before making the crossing to America. Or would you rather have a good look at the city from above? Tram line 8 will drop you off at the stop Euromast. The newly renovated Euroscoop lift takes you to a dizzying height of 180 meters.
Around the Euromast is Het Park, the second oldest park in Rotterdam. The Park is designed in the English landscape style with romantic landscapes and lots of water. Ideal for visitors with a fear of heights who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, or just to recover after the trip up.
Shopping! In a tour of Rotterdam history, the Lijnbaan not missing. The Lijnbaan was not only the first shopping promenade in our country when it was built in 1949, but it was also the first car-free shopping promenade in the world. Aren't they enough stores? Then go down the stairs to the exchange traverse, better known as the Koopgoot. In this special shopping street below street level you can shop to your heart's content without being bothered by cars, cyclists or public transport.
Do you want to follow this or one of the many other city tours? Then download the Must See app in the App Store of Google Play. Choose the city you are in and the tour you want to take from the main menu. Discover your city!
In the app you can directly and easily buy your digital ticket for the entire public transport in Rotterdam, with only 1 ticket you can travel through the city all day long.
