Rotterdam: It's Really Not What You Expect

Is Rotterdam worth visiting, or should you just go to Amsterdam like everyone else? Three times as many tourists choose Amsterdam every year, and for years we did the same: off the ferry, straight onto the Amsterdam bus, never stopping. This is what happened when we finally stayed, and why Rotterdam is nothing like the city most visitors choose instead. A slow travel guide to Rotterdam: what to see, how to get around, and why the second city of the Netherlands looks like nowhere else in the country. Rotterdam was bombed almost flat in a single day in 1940, and the Netherlands surrendered the next. Everything you see now was built after, which is why it feels less like a museum and more like a living, breathing city. We show you what a few days in Rotterdam actually looks like: The Cube Houses: 38 tilted yellow homes designed as a forest in the middle of the city, and what it's like inside one. The Markthal: the vast covered market built because of an EU rule on selling fresh food outdoors, with an 11,000 square metre ceiling mural locals call the Sistine Chapel of Rotterdam. The Witte Huis: once the tallest building in Europe, built in 1898, and one of the only structures in the centre to survive the 1940 bombing. The Rotterdam Water Taxi: how to cross the Maas the way locals do, and why it costs a fraction of what you'd pay in Venice. The world's first Floating Farm: dairy cows living on the water in the middle of an industrial port, fed on the city's own waste, powered by floating solar. Delfshaven: the historic quarter that survived the war, where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World in 1620, and where the word "pilgrim" was first written down. Katendrecht and the Fenix Food Factory: former Holland America Line warehouses, nearly demolished in the 1990s, now one of the most alive corners of the city. Hotel New York: the old Holland America Line headquarters, where almost a million people once departed to start new lives in America. Three days after filming this, we left from the same spot on a Holland America ship bound for Norway. Rotterdam has always been the city people leave from. This time, we stayed. And we were wrong about it. If you are researching things to do in Rotterdam, Rotterdam vs Amsterdam, a Rotterdam travel guide, or slow travel in the Netherlands, this is an honest account from two people who kept skipping it and finally didn't. Want the bits that didn't make the main film? Click the 'Join' button below to become a Nomads Club member and watch the exclusive B-Side: a full tour of our 110 square metre Rotterdam penthouse, 15 floors up. Original Soundtrack by Adam. All music in our films is original, composed and produced by Adam (PhD in audio-visual composition). Who are The Floating Nomads? We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We live a life of constant slow travel by train, ferry and water. When not on our UK narrowboat, Serenissima, we live abroad for months at a time. Whether spending 200+ days in Malta (and Venice) or travelling from Buxton to Brazil without flying (as seen on CNN). Support the Journey New Films: Every Friday evening (UK time). Channel Members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99/month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side videos. Click 'Join' under any video to help support our work. 0:00 We Were Wrong About Rotterdam 0:01:03 Arriving: The City That Doesn't Look Dutch 0:01:19 The Cube Houses 0:05:52 The Markthal 0:09:45 The Witte Huis: Europe's First Skyscraper 0:10:53 Rick's Old Rotterdam Barge 0:11:44 The Rotterdam Water Taxi 0:13:30 The World's First Floating Farm 0:16:56 Delfshaven and the Pilgrim Fathers 0:20:31 Why We Prefer Rotterdam to Amsterdam 0:22:40 Katendrecht and the Fenix Food Factory 0:24:42 Hotel New York and the Holland America Story 0:26:54 Leaving for Norway #Rotterdam #RotterdamvsAmsterdam #Netherlands #SlowTravel #CubeHouses #Markthal #VisitRotterdam #Delfshaven #FloatingNomads #RotterdamTravel #ThingsToDoInRotterdam #HollandAmericaLine #FloatingFarm #NetherlandsTravel #Katendrecht