This Dutch Gem Will Steal Your Heart This Winter (And Save You Money)

We traveled to Rotterdam in December for a city break between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Why visit Rotterdam in winter? One of the advantages of our expat life in Europe is the ability to hop on a plane, no matter the season, and jet away on an enriching city break.

Why not simply go to Amsterdam for the weekend, one of the top cities in Europe or one of the myriad of other places to visit in the Netherlands? There are many reasons to spend some time in the second city of the Netherlands even when it’s cold outside.

Hotel accommodation is much cheaper for one. It takes less than 30 minutes to get to Rotterdam on the Intercity Direct train from Schiphol Airport.

A section of the tiled ceiling mural in the Markthal featuring a large butterfly, wheat stalks, and a sliced avocado, representing the market's bounty.

Rotterdam features some amazing architecture. Read on to find out what there is to see and do in and around Rotterdam in the middle of winter.

Tour a Forest of Cube Houses in Rotterdam

A rhythmic row of the iconic yellow Cube Houses (Kijk-Kubus) architecture in Rotterdam, showing their unique angled roofs.

Did you ever wish you had a tree house as a child?

Rotterdam features an architectural experiment. Designed by Piet Blom in 1984, this series of 38 homes comprised of pillars with cubes rotated at 45 degrees on top looks a bit like a forest of tree houses.

One of the cube houses is open to the public and can be toured for a small fee. Beware if you are claustrophobic. The cube houses are quite small and popular with visitors to Rotterdam so it can be quite crowded inside.

A sharp close-up of the geometric, yellow, and white exterior of one of Rotterdam's famous Cube Houses next to a taller apartment block.

Rotterdam’s Eclectic Architecture Shines in Winter

It would be easy to draw the conclusion that a city known for cube houses has some cool architecture generally. You wouldn’t be wrong. A walk around Rotterdam reveals all sorts of buildings of unusual shapes, sizes, and materials.

A sleek, glass-fronted modern skyscraper contrasts with a slender, dark bell tower against a blue sky, characteristic of Rotterdam in winter.

A long line of brightly colored, modernist homes with blue railings, reflected in the Spaans Water canal in Rotterdam.

Classic Dutch Touches in Rotterdam

A close-up view of a historic Rotterdam building facade with multiple large, gridded windows and open red shutters.

At the same time, Rotterdam is distinctly Dutch. Some of the more historic buildings feature colorful shutters and statues of knights in shining armor.

A close-up of a dark metal statue of a medieval knight wearing a crown and armor, with an ornate shield visible.

Rotterdam’s Stunning Street Art

A striking black and white mural depicting a floating figure holding a light bulb, on a brick building in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam also features an innovative collection of street art. Just have a wander around town near the central station and steep in the atmosphere.

Granted, when we visited Rotterdam in December it was quite cold and foggy so we didn’t see as much of the local street art as we would have liked. Still, the pieces we did see on our trip gave the city an interesting edge.

Artsy Surprises Await You in Winter in Rotterdam

A contemporary sculpture made of stacked oil drums and human figures, located in a commercial area of Rotterdam.

A colorful wooden statue of a boy in a sailor cap sitting atop a stylized wooden horse, part of the public art scene in Rotterdam.

City breaks are all about walking around and getting a sense of a place. We really enjoyed the public sculptures dotting various street corners. Some pieces seemed satirical while others were pure whimsy.

Rotterdam’s Air Canal

A detail shot of an angular, contemporary wooden overpass structure with Dutch text on the side

Rotterdam’s ingenuity expands in other directions as well. Rotterdam studio ZUS built the Luchtsingel (Air Canal) connecting three previously disjointed areas of the city that were separated by trafficky thoroughfares.

Rotterdam studio ZUS describes the endeavor as “the world’s first crowdfunded public infrastructure project.” Taking a walk on Rotterdam’s Luchtsingel is a great way to get above it all and view the city from a new perspective.

Rotterdam’s Hipster Coffee Scene

A counter display with stacks of fresh artisan bread, croissants, and pastries inside a local bakery or cafe.

We also discovered that Rotterdam has a great coffee scene typified by Hopper Coffee. Drop in for a well-prepared single-origin cuppa combined with a hearty or healthy breakfast and warm up from the cold winter outside.

A World-Class Food Hall in Rotterdam

The iconic, curved glass and stone structure of the Markthal in Rotterdam in December, with people walking in the foreground.

Rotterdam’s Markthal is world-class. Not only is the food hall an impressive architectural achievement featuring front and back panels of glass with apartments running up and over the structure and a whimsical food-themed mural inside, it’s also a great place to grab something to eat.

A section of the massive, colorful ceiling mural inside the Markthal showing a large fish, a clock tower, and a bright orange pumpkin.

We were especially mesmerized by the homemade Dutch stroopwafels being constructed within, a perfect winter treat.

A vendor pouring hot, caramelized syrup onto a freshly made waffle cookie, with a sign reading "Order and pay at the cash desk,"

Harbour Walks in Rotterdam

A close-up of a white and black mooring bollard on a cobblestone quay, with a warship docked in the foggy Rotterdam harbor in the distance.

Rotterdam has a reputation for being a gritty port city. We took the opportunity to walk along the harbour. Since we visited during the holiday season, we had the path along the water practically to ourselves. This was a great spot to get a breath of fresh air and a scenic brisk winter walk.

A view of the river in Rotterdam with brightly colored round buoys floating in the foreground and modern city buildings, including the floating domes, in the background.

Get Your Geek On at the Dutch Pinball Museum

A small replica of the Statue of Liberty holding a glowing pinball, advertising the Rotterdam Pinball Museum.

The path along the harbor also leads to one of my favorite discoveries in Rotterdam: the Dutch Pinball Museum. You pay a fixed price and can play all the pinball you want. At the time of our visit it cost 10 EUR for 3 hours. We visited shortly before closing time and paid about 5 EUR to play until they closed.

A close-up shot of several vintage pinball machine backglasses, including "Twilight Zone," inside the Pinball Museum.

The Dutch Pinball Museum features at least 50 different machines. Pro-tip: if you are visiting with someone, it makes more sense to split up and play different machines rather than playing ‘doubles’ on a single machine. This way you avoid any downtime and make the most of your entrance fee.

A detailed model of the Creature from the Black Lagoon horror movie, part of a display at The Pinball Museum in Rotterdam in December.

Rotterdam’s Dutch Pinball Museum also features kitschy decor like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The back of a person wearing a black suit jacket covered in a maze pattern featuring Pac-Man and the ghosts, seen during a Rotterdam city break.

Owner Gerard Van de Sanden even presides over the premises in a Pac-Man suit. So much awesome!

Craft Brew at Fenix Food Factory

The large, rustic "FENIX FOOD FACTORY" sign on the exterior of the building, partially obscured by green plants.

The Fenix Food Factory is right next door to the Dutch Pinball Museum and is a great place to unwind after some intense gaming. We popped in for a beer or two at Kaapse Brouwers and the place was buzzing.

Experience Olieballen

This was the first time we’d visited the Netherlands in winter and I’ll admit there were trade-offs. It was definitely cold when we visited Rotterdam which meant we couldn’t walk as far without popping in somewhere to warm up.

On the other hand, visiting between Christmas and New Year’s Eve meant that we discovered oliebollen.

A hand holds a powdered sugar oliebollen (Dutch donut) in front of a festive street food stand during a Rotterdam city break.

Oliebollen are deep-fried balls of dough doused in powdered sugar. You can get them with raisins or without. Oliebollen are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve.

We broke with tradition and tried one in the middle of the day on December 29th. 🙂 We also brought some home with us and ate them for breakfast on New Year’s Day, a lovely reminder of our winter city break in the Netherlands.

Memorial to a Port City

The Delftschepoort (Delft Gate) was built at the entrance to Rotterdam in 1764. It was rebuilt twice in the intervening centuries. Rotterdam Port itself was destroyed in the spring of 1940 during World War II.

Half a century later, the Delft Gate was reconstructed in steel on the original site and there are artifacts of the old port inside the skeleton of the structure. Fascinating…

The striking orange steel framework of the New Delft Gate Monument (Delftse Poort) near Rotterdam Central Station, visible in the winter sky.

A tall, narrow facade of a traditional historic building with a tiered gable, light-colored brick, and small red shutters.

Rotterdam is a Great Home Base for Day Trips to Gouda and Den Haag

The many cities and towns in the Netherlands as a whole are well connected by a speedy train system. We discovered that Rotterdam is an excellent home base for exploring.

We spent a day in the quaint town of Gouda, a place first referenced nearly 1000 years ago. Gouda is a great spot to steep in traditional Dutch architecture not to mention a great place to sample some world-famous cheese.

A view of modern high-rises in The Hague partially shrouded in fog, rising above traditional Dutch brick buildings.

We also stopped in The Hague (Den Haag) while en route to Rotterdam from Schiphol Airport. We visited on a foggy winter day but were particularly impressed by how well the new modern architecture of the city and more historic-feeling elements manage to harmoniously co-exist.

You’ll Pay Half the Price to Stay in Rotterdam as You Would in Amsterdam

Several stacks of freshly made, packaged stroopwafels ready for purchase.

We love Amsterdam but really enjoyed the change of scenery that came with visiting the Netherlands with our home base in Rotterdam. As you can see, there are many reasons to take a trip to Rotterdam as a great city break alternative to Amsterdam in the winter.

Another advantage of staying in Rotterdam over the Christmas period is that you’ll pay half the price that you would in Amsterdam for accommodation.

Speaking of accommodation, check out Bunch of Backpackers’ recommendations of inexpensive places to stay in Rotterdam. We love great value especially if it comes with the excuse to see new things.