Rotterdam in 2-3 Days — Architecture, Markthal, Erasmusbrug & Kinderdijk

Practical Tips

Markthal opening hours: Mon–Thu 10:00–20:00, **Friday 10:00–21:00**, Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 12:00–18:00. Individual food vendors may have shorter hours. Best time for photos: 08:30–09:30 before the market opens — ceiling mural visible, no crowds. Or after 19:30 on Fridays.
Food in the Markthal: Rotterdam Stroopwafel (fresh, €1.50 — a different experience from pre-packaged), raw herring (haring) with raw onion from Dutch fish stalls (€3), and Indonesian rijsttafel from one of several Indonesian stalls (€12–18 for a full spread).
Cube House Show Cube (Kijk-Kubus, Overblaak 70): entry ~€3–4. Open roughly 10:00–18:00 (check current hours at kunstkubus.nl before visiting). The interior shows how a living space functions at a 45-degree tilt — furniture is all custom-fitted, the "floor" has a triangular sunken area. Takes 15–20 minutes to explore.
Oude Haven (Old Harbour, directly adjacent): Rotterdam's original medieval port with historic vessels moored — including the oldest surviving iron ship in the Netherlands. Free to walk, several café terraces on the water.
Architecture walk from Centraal south: the station itself (Team CS, 2014) has a yellow canopy and is architecturally significant. Groothandelsgebouw (1953, van Tijen & Maaskant) on the station square is the first post-war large-scale Dutch building. Then south on Weena to Coolsingel, then east to Blaak.