Are you visiting or planning to visit Rotterdam? Which are the best places to visit while there? Go through our Rotterdam tours guide and find out which are the best tours in the city.
This city is known to be the second vibrant city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam.
Talk of innovative museums and galleries, burgeoning food scenes, the audacious architecture with beautiful buildings and the home to Europe’s largest port.
There is no reason why Rotterdam shouldn’t be your next stop. Come on! all these features are too good to be in one city.
If you are traveling to Amsterdam, it makes for a great weekend trip.
But before that, we would like to give you a picture of what you will expect. Tours are a great way to see more for less. By combining 1-2 tours you’ll be sure that you won’t miss anything in Rotterdam.
We have compiled 11 of the best Rotterdam tours that will make your visit even more memorable.
Table of Contents
- Top Rotterdam Tours to Explore, Bike and Boat Around the City
- Rotterdam Harbor Tour
- Euromast Lookout Tower
- Rotterdam Bike Tour
- Rotterdam Zoo Diergaarde Blijdorp Direct Entrance
- Rotterdam Tours: The Whole City in Half a Day Private Tour
- Cultural Walking Rotterdam Tours
- Rotterdam, Delft, and The Hague
- Rotterdam Tours: 1-Hour Sightseeing Splash Tour
- Trip to Keukenhof Garden and Flower Fields from Rotterdam
- Skip the Line Tour Aboard SS ‘Rotterdam’
- City Sightseeing Rotterdam Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
- Conclusion on Rotterdam Tours
Top Rotterdam Tours to Explore, Bike and Boat Around the City
These are the best tours in Rotterdam to explore and start your journey. You’ll see the city and save some money along the way.
Rotterdam Harbor Tour
Rotterdam harbor is the loading and offloading center for all ships to Europe from all over the world. It is the largest port in the continent and was recorded as the busiest port between 1963 and 1968.
This tour will take you to experience the most innovative port that covers an outstandingly massive area of 10,500 ha. The industrial area takes 5300 ha while the water and infrastructure areas cover the other half.
What will catch your eyes is the design and construction of the port. The only ports that can reach this level of expertise and beauty are the ports of Singapore and Jebel Ali in Dubai. Plus, the view of the skyline of the city and the giant buildings from the port is breathtaking.
You will visit the docks, hypermodern, shipping, shipyards and see the thousands of containers ready to be transported across the continent.
The tour ends with a trip to the steamship “Rotterdam” the luxurious cruise ship from Holland America Shipping Company.
Euromast Lookout Tower
The tour takes you to one of the tallest buildings in Rotterdam. You get an outstanding 360-degree view of the whole city at a height of 185 meters.
The history of Euromast dates back to 1960 when it was completed using a design by architect Maaskant. Since then, millions of tourists have converged here to get the spectacular view of Rotterdam.
What can you see from this point? Well, you can have a view of the Belgian city, Antwerp which is 80 kilometers away on a clear day.
The tour has a ticket to the restaurant at 100 meters high, where you can have a lovely brunch or an evening “high tea.” If you have kids around, there are lots of fun activities to do. The kids can go for a space adventure tour and Euromast kids club on Sundays at the restaurant on the ground floor.
What’s more? You can cable glide or abseil from the top of the tower. If you are daring enough, abseiling is ideal for you. You “walk down” the tower in a vertical line but with a safe climbing harness.
The “cowards” might cable glide, but you will have to face the 100km/hour speed down.
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Rotterdam Bike Tour
By now, you should have known that the Dutch like riding bicycles. So it might be a requirement that you have good riding skills before you book a trip with Rotterdam bike tour.
The riding tour allows you to see the town in its fullness. You will discover fantastic architecture and historical icons.
These are the most bicycle-friendly streets monuments from the olden days like are kop van Zuid and markthal. The next ride leads you to the wooden pedestrian bridge – the Luchtsingel.
The tour has a short break in the artisan market where you can buy few artifacts as souvenirs from the city.
If possible, the guide can take you to explore the hidden streets and markets – the famous food market. All these can be done in under 3 hours since you get a skilled guide, who understands the city well.
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Rotterdam Zoo Diergaarde Blijdorp Direct Entrance
This is the oldest zoo in Europe and has existed for over 160 years. It’s one place you should visit with your family if you want to see wild animals in their near-natural habitat.
The ticket allows you to enter directly without having to wait for the long entrance queues. And trust me, the lines can be very long. So if you can take the ticket, do it early by booking online.
The zoo is not only meant for land wild – animals. It also hosts a wide array of sea animals in the largest aquarium in the Netherlands.
Not to mention the tropical rainforest, the indoor butterfly haven with numerous types of butterflies, and a playground for the kids.
Rotterdam Tours: The Whole City in Half a Day Private Tour
Make your time here count! Your private tour guide is conversant with Rotterdam and promises to take you around the most iconic and popular places in not more than 5 hours.
His way of recounting the stories over his experience as a private tour guide just brings the whole experience to life. You don’t want to miss this.
Some of the famous places you’ll visit are Delftse port (the old city entrance to Rotterdam), Het Park, Euromast, Market Hall, and Luchtsingel. You can take beautiful photos here.
The guide also knows the perfect place to have a bite of the Netherlands’ cookie – stroopwafels. Trust me; these cookies are so good that they will not satisfy you.
The tour package includes a public transportation ticket to all the places you will be visiting, an entrance ticket to the cube house, and Laurence Church. You also get lunch which is the local street food, coffee or tea, bottled water, and alcoholic beverages.
Your guide is reliable enough to pick you from your hotel room at the speculated time.
And guess what? You can bring your dog with you.
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Cultural Walking Rotterdam Tours
If you’re seeking culture in Rotterdam, there are numerous places you can visit. However, they are way too many that you need someone to show you around. And that person would be Tania, a private tour guide.
The tour will make you see how Rotterdam has a deep culture and how it has mingled with modern technology.
She has a lot of insights on the city’s architectural history which is to your advantage as you get to learn from a native.
As an art Historian, Lina knows the perfect places to visit that are rich with Hollands cultures. These would be the Rotterdam Central station and the most prominent national monumental area – the Lijnbaan.
She will take you to the city’s landmarks, including Erasmus bridge and Timmerhuis. The last point is the local market where you can have a taste of the sweet snacks from the food stalls.
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Rotterdam, Delft, and The Hague
The tour takes you to the Netherlands’ oldest city Delft, and the world’s center of Justice The Hague, by train. What catches your attention in Royal Delft is the last remaining manufacturer of Delftware.
You will get a glimpse of the ancient life of Holland by traveling in the old canals, visiting courts of law, and churches. Besides, there are many museums to visit with historical artifacts.
The Hague is the center of Government offices in the country. If possible, the tour will have a stop here for you to walk into the ICC and get to enjoy the feeling of justice.
What’s more, Delta is the best place for a romantic hideaway or to get a boutique hotel.
The hotels are not that expensive also; they are flexible depending on your pockets. The service you get in return is incomparable to the amount you have paid.
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Rotterdam Tours: 1-Hour Sightseeing Splash Tour
Splash tours are one of the unique tours in Rotterdam, and you will love the one-hour experience. Your ride is the unique amphibious bus that hovers above the water and has tires to ride on roads.
This means that you get two sightseeing on one tour. Why? You will first see Rotterdam top sights in the urban city as you’re driven around the town.
You’ll then head on to the water to cruise on the Maas River. Here you will get a spectacular sight of the city’s skyline.
A few things you should know before you book a tour with splash tours include;
- The buses are not accessible to wheelchairs
- There is also no space for storing baby strollers
- It’s not suitable for pregnant women
- There’s an English and Dutch guide with a multilingual audio guide
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Trip to Keukenhof Garden and Flower Fields from Rotterdam
The tulip is the national symbol of Holland. It’s, therefore, a good idea to stop by the famous Tulip Park in the Netherlands. This tour is ready to do just that.
It’s a full-day trip from Rotterdam where you will see the vast carpets of tulip flowers surrounding Lake Lisse. When done, you will visit Keukenhof, which is one of the most extensive flower gardens in the country.
The departure points for this tour are at Spido BV, Willemsplein 85, 3016 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands and Conradstraat, 3013 AP Rotterdam. The travel is by air-conditioned and comfortable coaches.
You are treated to live commentary of the tulip growing region on the bus while enjoying the panoramic view of the surrounding. Here are some of the other best tulip fields in the Netherlands.
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Skip the Line Tour Aboard SS ‘Rotterdam’
If you are a sea person and love huge passenger cruises, this tour got you covered.
What would it feel like to step aboard one of the Netherlands’ greatest cruise ships from the olden days?
Imagine stepping in the Captain’s cabin. You get the feel of sailing through the Atlantic Ocean with thousands of passengers that want to reach home safely. It’s a feeling of honor that comes with tremendous responsibility on your shoulder.
You will descend to the belly of the ship, have a look at the crew areas and the gigantic machines that propelled this great liner in the bygone days.
What’s more?
There is a panoramic view of Rotterdam city from the stern decks.
Nothing is exciting like getting the firsthand experience of life onboard the greatest ship from the past.
City Sightseeing Rotterdam Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Apart from bike riding, the other way of getting a perfect view of the Netherlands‘ second-largest city is by sightseeing with a hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tour.
This tour is valid for 24-48 hours, depending on the places you want to visit.
What’s included in the tour is free Wi-Fi to browse when on the bus, an onboard audio commentary, and free headphones. The coaches are well fitted with heating and air conditioning, all which are meant to give you complete comfort.
However, the tours do not provide food and drinks or hotel pickups. That’s why they have several stops at restaurants and eateries before you continue with the journey.
Some of the tour stops include Euromast, Erasmus bridge, Markthall, and Central station. These are the main destinations that represent Rotterdam as a whole.
Conclusion on Rotterdam Tours
Rotterdam is an exciting place to visit. There are so many activities to do in the city. You might even end up not tackling half of them.
But with a good tour concierge, you may be surprised at how much you can accomplish. While there is a big challenge of getting tour guides in Rotterdam, we have eased the search for you. I hope that this Rotterdam tours guide makes your visit to this beautiful city worth your while.
Related Resources
- Top Sites for Booking Tours
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