Rotterdam: 6-Day Itinerary
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Six days is our 5-day itinerary (the modern centre, Delfshaven, Kinderdijk, Delft and The Hague) with a lighter sixth day added: Dordrecht, the oldest city in South Holland, plus an unhurried afternoon at Kralingse Plas back in Rotterdam. Want a seventh day, our 7-day itinerary adds Amsterdam.
Day-by-day at a glance
| Day | Focus | Est. spend (excl. hotel) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cube Houses, Markthal, Erasmusbrug, Kop van Zuid, Depot Boijmans | ~EUR30-50 |
| 2 | Delfshaven, kapsalon, Spido cruise or FENIX, Euromast | ~EUR30-50 |
| 3 | Kinderdijk windmills by Waterbus | ~EUR20-35 |
| 4 | Delft: Vermeer sites, Royal Delft pottery | ~EUR15-30 |
| 5 | The Hague: Mauritshuis, Scheveningen or Madurodam | ~EUR30-45 |
| 6 | Dordrecht, then Kralingse Plas | ~EUR15-25 |
Book these before you go
- Depot Boijmans tickets : book online, it’s the only part of the Boijmans campus currently open.
- Waterbus to Kinderdijk : confirm the current timetable and fare before you go.
- Mauritshuis tickets : book a timed slot online rather than risking a walk-up queue.
- Check hotel rates in Rotterdam : a 6-night stay is worth comparing weekly deals against nightly ones.
Day 1: The modern centre and Kop van Zuid
Morning: The Markthal, free to walk through, then the Cube Houses, free from Overblaak street; the Kijk-Kubus show cube runs around EUR3-4 (verify current price).
Afternoon: Cross the Erasmusbrug into Kop van Zuid for De Rotterdam, Hotel New York and the SS Rotterdam. The Depot Boijmans, opened 2021, is the part of the Boijmans campus you can actually tour.
Evening: Dinner at the Markthal, or Witte de Withstraat.
Day 2: Delfshaven and the port
Morning: Delfshaven escaped the 1940 Blitz entirely; the Pelgrimskerk marks where the Pilgrim Fathers departed in 1620. Lunch: a kapsalon, invented here in 2003.
Afternoon: A Spido harbour cruise (verify current routes and prices), or FENIX, the 2025 migration museum.
Evening: The Euromast at sunset.
Day 3: Kinderdijk, the top day trip
Morning: The Waterbus runs from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk in around 30 minutes each way (verify current timetable and fare at waterbus.nl). Walk the dyke path past all 19 UNESCO-listed windmills.
Afternoon: Back in Rotterdam by mid-afternoon; the Kralingse Plas lake fills the rest of the day.
Evening: A relaxed dinner after a full day of walking.
Day 4: Delft
Morning: Trains from Rotterdam Centraal run as often as every five minutes, journey time around 12-15 minutes. Delft is Vermeer’s birthplace.
Afternoon: Royal Delft (De Porceleyne Fles) pottery factory; the Nieuwe Kerk holds the royal burial vault.
Evening: Back to Rotterdam for dinner in Witte de Withstraat.
Day 5: The Hague
Morning: Around 25-30 minutes by train (verify current timetable). The Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis, home to Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
Afternoon: Scheveningen beach, or Madurodam if travelling with kids.
Evening: Back to Rotterdam for dinner.
Day 6: Dordrecht and Kralingse Plas
Morning: Dordrecht, around 15-20 minutes out (verify current timetable), was granted city rights in 1220, the oldest city in the present province of South Holland. See the Groothoofdspoort gate and the Grote Kerk, whose carillon includes the heaviest bell in the Netherlands.
Afternoon: Back in Rotterdam, an unhurried walk around the Kralingse Plas lake, a genuine change of pace after five busy days.
Evening: A last dinner wherever you haven’t already been, Delfshaven, Kop van Zuid and the centre all have room for one more.
Which 6-day split actually works?
Two city days, three major day trips (Kinderdijk, Delft, The Hague), and a lighter sixth day covering Dordrecht and Kralingse Plas spreads the busiest days out rather than stacking them back to back. If six days feels like too much, our 5-day itinerary is this same plan without the sixth day.