1 Day in Rotterdam

If architecture is of interest, Rotterdam is famous for its modern approach after being rebuilt post WW2.

https://markthal.nl/en/ Is both a fascinating central building to see and a place with a variety of restaurant options; we ate at a Greek restaurant which was nice. It is an interesting area of the city to explore.

You could take the water taxi to Kinderdijk for a lovely day, or will that be included with the cruise?

In addition to what's been suggested here, we really enjoyed Huis Sonneveld- a modernist architect's home preserved as when he lived there with his family, and the cube houses, which you can visit inside.

Thanks All! @Claire - we've eaten at the AMS Foodhallen, so it might be fun to go to Rotterdams and see the differences!

Terri, I haven’t been to the one in Amsterdam. I looked at a few photos and it looks lively with lots of food choices. The Rotterdam one is bigger and is a fascinating building that incorporates condos into a very interesting design. I found it very unique and worth visiting.

We spent 5 days in Rotterdam and found it an interesting city to explore. My father was an architect so I have an interest in looking at buildings of all styles and eras and my spouse loves to watch the activity in any port city we visit so Rotterdam met both of those goals. It is very walkable and we found a large range of food options.

I agree with Claire and Cat, Rotterdam is an interesting place for those interested in modern architecture.

Besides the mentioned places I like the entrance of the new railway station, Rotterdam Centraal. A good spot for seeing modern architecture is the Erasmus bridge. It’s also where the waterbus to Kinderdijk docks and if I am not wrong your (ocean?) cruise ship too. Spectacular is the new depot of the Boijmans Van Beuningen art museum. It’s a truly top notch museum, but saidly closed for renovation, luckely the depot is open.

Huis Sonneveld is an easy walk from Boijmans and part of a group of modernist houses like the Chabot museum. Just outside Rotterdam is famous the Van Nelle Fabriek, a modernist factory having the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tours by appointment.

If the Pilgrim Fathers are of interest, Delfshaven was the harbour where they set sail to England for boarding the Mayflower. Leiden was the place they lived for 12 years and an easy train ride from Rotterdam. Both Gouda and Dordrecht are easy to reach with the train too. The latter much overlooked but lovely and also the place you can take the waterbus to Kinderdijk.

If hydraulic engineering is of interest, it’s very worth doing a daytrip to the Maeslant storm surge barrier near Hoek van Holland. There are guided tours, not all are English and possibly not at the time that will suit you. Best is to email before going.

Wil, thank you for listing Markthal. I realize now that I listed the wrong link as that is the food building I was referencing. I will edit my post.

Thanks too Claire - was wondering you didn't mention it, but now I understand. I will edit my other post.

Don’t miss Kinderdijk!

RS has a nice walking tour. That's a simple and easy option. We also toured one of the Cube Houses (quick and fun to see inside).

I'm always a fan of renting bikes and exploring the countryside. In a very short time, you're outside the city and into a variety of landscapes. Not knowing the other stops along the cruise (river or ocean, even), you may be "city rich, country poor", so being out in the calm of the Dutch countryside will give you a whole different perspective on the country than just Amsterdam (or even Haarlem) and Rotterdam.