3 Towns You Can Visit from Rotterdam

There is plenty to do in Rotterdam; certainly enough to keep anyone entertained for a good few days.

However, should you wish to broaden your horizons and venture further afield, there are some great towns that you can visit that are all under an hour away from Rotterdam itself.

Scheveningen

If you like to be beside the seaside, then Scheveningen is the perfect place for you to explore. Just under half an hour by car (but also accessible via public transport), Scheveningen is a fun, vibrant, exciting coastal town that delivers as much as it promises. There is plenty to do here.

The sea is great for swimming in, and the beach is a lovely spot for the family to play, or for some sunbathing. Not only that, but it’s possible to hire surf boards (and wind surf boards), power boats, and all manner of vessels.

If you’re in the party mood then climb aboard the party ship and sail off into the sunset surrounded by fantastic music! If you like beach bars, there are many to choose from, including cocktail bars and specialist beer venues. Or what about playing the high stakes games? There is a casino in Scheveningen too!

Antwerp

A little further afield is Antwerp. It’s around an hour from Rotterdam, and is easy to get to by car, bus, or train. It’s the second biggest city in Holland (after Amsterdam), so it’s the perfect place to pop to when you’re looking to top up your cosmopolitan credentials.

There is a lot to see in Antwerp, and it’s worth working out exactly where you want to go before you arrive if you want to make the most of a short time there.

Antwerp Zoo, the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Plantin-Moretus Museum, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Rubenshuis are just a few attractions that can be found in busy, bustling Antwerp.

This is where noted celebrities such as George du Maurier, Vincent van Gogh, and Robert Barrett Browning lived for some part of their lives, and its artistic and historic influence is easy to see.

Dordrecht

Perhaps less well known that the other towns mentioned, Dordrecht is about 25 minutes away from Rotterdam, and full of surprises. For those who love to immerse themselves in the culture of the country they are visiting, Doredrecht is a wonderful place to do it.

Visit the fascinating museums (including the Dordrechts Museum itself which gives you an indepth history of the town – in Dutch) and beautiful churches such as the Grote Kerk from whose tower you can see all of Dordrecht and beyond.

There is also, remarkably, a huge Noah’s Ark built on the Marwede River. This full scale replica, built to the exact specifications (as far as anyone can determine) of the Biblical version is huge; at least three storeys tall and hundreds of feet long.

It is possible to tour the inside of this impressive feat of engineering as well, and it contains models of larger animals, as well as real examples of smaller ones (including koalas, squirrels, and kangaroos!)!

Book a ferry direct to Rotterdam or via Hook of Holland.