Best sights in Rotterdam
A planning-minded collection of Rotterdam's strongest architecture, culture, historic places, parks, markets, and waterfront anchors — selected from the city's existing Sortie inventory.
Start with the headline architecture, then add one museum, historic area, or outdoor block to give each day a different rhythm.
30 places worth building into a Rotterdam itinerary · Architecture · Museums · Parks · Historic sights
Afrikaanderplein
Afrikaanderplein is a public square in Rotterdam, established in 1900. Visitors encounter an enduring piece of the city’s urban fabric whose open civic setting dates from the beginning of the 20th century.
Alles van waarde
Alles van waarde is a public artwork created by Toni Burgering in Rotterdam in 1978. Visitors can encounter it as a lasting work in the city’s public realm and an example of Rotterdam’s late-20th-century outdoor art.
Anita
Anita is a public artwork made by David Bade in Rotterdam in 2001. Visitors encounter it as part of the city’s public art landscape and as a work marking the opening years of 21st-century artistic activity in Rotterdam.
Arboretum Trompenburg
Arboretum Trompenburg is a botanical garden in Rotterdam. It offers visitors a plant-focused garden environment, providing a natural counterpoint to the city’s built urban landscape.
AUB
AUB is a public artwork created by Henk Visch in Rotterdam in 1996. Visitors can encounter it within the city’s public realm as a durable example of Rotterdam’s artistic landscape from the 1990s.
Bep van Klaveren
Bep van Klaveren is a public artwork by Willem Verbon, installed in Rotterdam in 1992. Its subject-based title and permanent urban setting give visitors a tangible point of contact with the city’s commemorative public art.
Bevrijdingsmonument Vreewijk
Bevrijdingsmonument Vreewijk is a war memorial in Rotterdam dating from 1950. Visitors encounter a postwar monument that preserves the memory of conflict and liberation within the city’s Vreewijk area.
Bibliotheektheater Rotterdam
Bibliotheektheater Rotterdam is a theater in Rotterdam. Visitors encounter a dedicated performing-arts venue whose identity connects theatrical activity with the city’s broader cultural landscape.
Birds
Birds is a public artwork created by Jeannette Ephraïm in Rotterdam in 2000. Visitors can encounter the work in the city’s public realm as an enduring contribution from the turn of the 21st century.
Bospoldervos
Bospoldervos is a public artwork created by Florentijn Hofman in Rotterdam in 2020. Visitors encounter a contemporary addition to the city’s outdoor art landscape, situated in Rotterdam’s public realm.
Botanical Garden Afrikaanderwijk
Botanical Garden Afrikaanderwijk is a botanical garden in Rotterdam’s Afrikaanderwijk area. Visitors encounter a plant-centered green space that brings a garden setting into this part of the city.
Botanical Garden Rotterdam Kralingen
Botanical Garden Rotterdam Kralingen is a botanical garden in Rotterdam’s Kralingen district. Visitors encounter a cultivated, plant-focused environment that adds a distinct green destination to the neighborhood.
Go beyond Rotterdam's headline sights
Find museums, food, parks, neighbourhood places, and more across the city.
Back to the Rotterdam guide →