Rotterdam: 7-Day Itinerary
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Seven days is our 6-day itinerary (the modern centre, Delfshaven, Kinderdijk, Delft, The Hague, and a lighter Dordrecht day) with a seventh day added for Amsterdam, the longest single day trip on this list, roughly 40 minutes to just over an hour by direct intercity train. Shorter trip? Our 5-day and 6-day itineraries cover the same core without it.
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 |
| 7 | Amsterdam | ~EUR20-35 |
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 full week is worth comparing weekly-rate 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), the oldest city in the present province of South Holland. See the Groothoofdspoort gate and the Grote Kerk.
Afternoon: Back in Rotterdam, an unhurried walk around the Kralingse Plas lake.
Evening: A last local dinner before tomorrow’s longer trip.
Day 7: Amsterdam
Morning: The longest single day trip on this itinerary, roughly 40 minutes to just over an hour by direct intercity train (verify current timetable). Give yourself the full morning to reach the centre and settle in rather than rushing.
Afternoon: Explore the canal ring or a museum of your choice, this is the one day on the itinerary genuinely worth keeping unstructured.
Evening: Head back to Rotterdam for a farewell dinner before your onward journey.
Which 7-day split actually works?
Two city days, three major day trips (Kinderdijk, Delft, The Hague), and two lighter days (Dordrecht with Kralingse Plas, then Amsterdam) is genuinely a week’s worth of Rotterdam plus its surrounding region, not a city trip stretched thin to fill seven days. If a full week feels like too much travel, our 6-day itinerary drops Amsterdam and keeps everything else.