Travel Guide to Rotterdam, Netherlands

Have you ever fancied yourself living at the end of the horizon? If so, go to Rotterdam. This city is famous for its architecture. Enjoy the beauty of marvelous Erasmus Bridge and the world famous cube houses. Till 2004 Rotterdam could boast of the largest port in the world. If you want to learn more about it, first of all go to the port museum, which can offer the collection of more than half a million of navigation objects. In Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum they keep a wonderful art collection.

Rotterdam has a great number of various shops, so if you like shopping - it's another reason to go there. There a lot of interesting museums, fantastic mould-breaking buildings and plenty other things that won't stop surprising you. In this city you are unlikely to get bored. Not in vain they call Rotterdam 'the party capital': you'll find here lots of famous clubs, where one can have a good time. If you have never been to Rotterdam, the best time to do it is now!

Every year various sights of Rotterdam are visited by four millions of tourists. It is a suitable place not only for those, who like hustle of big cities, modern buildings, nightlife, but also for those, who would like to enjoy piece and privacy.

The Blijdorp Zoo. One of the most popular attractions of the Netherlands is the Blijdorp Zoo. There you'll have an opportunity to feel the atmosphere of different countries, look at exotic animals that live in the conditions close to natural. You'll never forget an amazing visit to the Seaquarium, where there are a lot of exotic fishes, parrots, divers, seals, snakes, sharps and blubbers. The culmination of the excursions, of course, will become the kingdom of cold, belonging to king penguins – the Falkland Island. There you can walk along the pieces of ice, just over the swimming penguins!

The Rotterdam Port. Of course, your visit to Rotterdam would be incomplete without having an excursion along the port by a special ship. For 75 minutes you'll get to know the life in Rotterdam on water and around the water. You'll be impressed by finding yourself just close to the dockyards and piers. You'll feel yourself a part of famous Netherlands Navy. You can also have an excursion along numerous rivers and fairways of this place. During the voyage you'll see how the port widens and connects with the sea, where ships are becoming larger and larger. For a short time you'll get really great impressions that would soon turn into sweet memories.

The Euromast. The Rotterdam Euromast is the biggest watchtower in the Netherlands. One can get to the platform with the help of new, superspeed automatic elevators. This thing itself is a real adventure. Imagine yourself a cosmonaut in a starting rocket, when you'll get 185 high in a cosmos-styled revolving cage. Back to the platform the cage gets by 'retrorockets'. But if you have no fear, you can get back to the ground by the ropes (in case the weather is suitable).

Tropicana. At the bank of the Maas River takes place the 'Tropicana', one of the largest tropical water parks in Europe. Palms, banana trees, the constant temperature of 30oC and tropical surprises would make your visit really impressive. Don't deprive yourself of such an exotic experience! In the center of the water park you'll find a big pool with a lot of waves. From there through the lagoon you can swim to the hupaithric swimming pool. When Tarzan's screams is heard the waves rise and you find yourself in a turbulent sea. For kids there is a special shallow pool with side-shows and toy animals. Along the tropical jungles flows the long river.

The Plaswijck Park. If you want to have a good family time, it would be a nice idea to go to the Plaswijck Park with its huge playground and zoo. The Plaswijсk Park is a quiet green place in the very center of Rotterdam. There you can absolutely safely let your children have a play, while you along with other parents can enjoy the peace and beauty of nature. It is also a splendid place for school excursions.

The Trompenburg. The Trompenburg would seem to you an oasis after the hustle of the big city. This marvelous arboretum with picturesque landscapes was created in 1820. It has the rich collection of trees, bushes, plants and bulbiferous flowers. It has the square of 6 hectares. There you'll find trees and bushes from all over the world, the national collection of oaks, beeches, hollies and rhododendrons. There are also thousands of flowers, among which you'll see the national collection of hostas (750 species), aquatic plants, spring-and-summer-flowering bulbs and succulents.

Rotterdam itself is an amazing point of interest. Every day you can find there bicycle and river excursion with guide's help or not, that will help you to get to know this city better.