Rotterdam Favorite Tips by Airpunk Top 5 Page for this destination

Rotterdam Souvernirs General tourist information Review

Favorite thing: Unfortuantely, I don’t really know what a nice Rotterdam souvenir would be. Surely not the “euromasturbation” button sold at the Euromast (although I was thinking about buying it for somebody as a joke…). Perhaps it would be one of the famous shirts with rolled-up sleeves (an old saying about Rotterdam says that shirts are sold here with rolled-up sleeves only, a hint to the hard-working character of Rotterdammers). But unfortunately, I didn’t find them. Indeed, it’s even hard to find a Rotterdam souvenir shop. This is not Amsterdam, where you can find them in every street of the city center. I think, that there are less than a dozen of them in the old town. I found six of them: Print & Present behind Weena Plaza, a shop in the tourist information office (VVV), one at the Euromast, one next to the Speedo ticket office next to Erasmusbrug, Tik Tak Tor at Hoogstraat and one at Wijnhaven a few meters south of the Cube houses. The last one looked a little strange with a small choice. Others with quite a small choice are those at the VVV and the Euromast. Personally, I think the best one is the one close to the Spido office. But be aware that you’ll find general Holland items and even Amsterdam stuff in all of them…

Fondest memory: I still don't know what a typical Rotterdam souvenir is. I bught a couple of things, but with exception of a pen, nothing which can be obviously associated with Rotterdam. If a local can give me more information, I would appreaciate that.

"Simply the best" city guide General tourist information Review

Favorite thing: If you are, like me, travelling on a low budget, this tip may be useful. The use-it desk (Schaatsbaan, a few meters to the west of the central station) provides you with this free city guide. There, you will find tips around your low-cost stay in Rotterdam, information contributed by locals, a city map and more useful information. Every year, a new version of this guide is given out, so that it is always up-to-date. Belive me, one of the first things I do when arriving in the city is looking for this guide.

For some more information from use-it, use-it following link: http://www.jip.org/usecms/index.php
(sorry, couldn't withstand to add a bad wordplay...)

Fondest memory: "Simply the best" is not only the name of this guide. It could be the motto for the guide - and for the city!

Mega-Wash - where to wash your dirty clothes

Fondest memory: If you need to wash some closes, then Mega-Wash may be the right place for you. This laundry, owned by a family of asian origin, offers you good prices. 5,00 EUR for a machine full of clothes (7 kg). For an extra fee of 2,50 EUR, the staff washes them for you. Of course, you will get an explanation of how the machine works. As the staff’s knowledges of English language were not the best (and mine in Dutch were even worse…), I had an interesting time finding out what I had to do. Nice experience and afterwards I had clean clothes for a further week again.

Adress: Nieuwe Binnenweg 205

How to use your coins in NL - buying train tickets General tourist information Review

Favorite thing: That has nothing to do with your restaurant bill, but with your daily shopping, especially in supermarkets. Currently, the Netherlands are in a process of withdrawing the 1 and 2 cents coins from daily use, so everything is rounded up to the next five cents. That means that if you buy stuff for 3,47 Euro, you have to pay 3,45 Euro. But if you have 3,48 Euro your bill will be 3,50. It's a system similar to the one in Finland or to the one used in Guilder times in the Netherlands.

Other useful hints for coins: Train tickets are cheaper when you buy them from a machine instead of a counter. Problem: Unlike Amsterdam, there is no change machine in the central train station of Rotterdam and the shops will not change your money unless you buy something. So try to gather a lot of 2€ coins - and get rid of the 5 cent coins as (unlike in Germany) no machine takes them....

Fondest memory: The most important thing you should know when you travel within the Netherlands is how to use the "Nationale Strippenkaart". But close to that comes the use of money :)

Skyscrapers - explore it on your own Architecture, modern Review

Favorite thing: Walk a lot , explore the city and discover the gems. Rotterdam is the world's capital on modern architecture and will welcome you with a variety of styles and buildings. Look out for the most beautiful ones and pick you favourite. Even if you hate modern architecture, you will have fun finding the old buildings which offer a nice contrast to the older ones. Try it at night and let yourself impress by the diversity of this city.

Fondest memory: When I think of Rotterdam, I think of summer nights. Every night had its kind of magic: Summer carnival, walking around skyscrapers by night or just finishing the day in a nice "eetcafé" with a good meal and some dutch beer. The city has so many faces and is so full of life. It never becomes boring because just around the corner may be something you never expected.