Diergaarde Blijdorp, Rotterdam Zoo, is one of the most popular Rotterdam attractions with more than 1 million visitors a year. The zoo provides an excellent opportunity to discover the wildlife of the many different countries while wandering through its various regional sections.

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Look forward to catching up with the giraffes from Africa or the elephants from Asia in their special “natural landscape”. From the zebras to the snakes, from a group of crocodiles to cockroaches, the zoo makes sure you and your family have a fun filled, learning experience.

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With the addition of the Oceanium, the Rotterdam zoo has almost doubled its visitor count. Meet the wonderful marine inhabitants such as fishes, snakes and penguins enclosed in a large glass dome over your head. You can also watch the sharks gliding through the waters – live, face to face – a major draw and a star attraction of the Oceanium.

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The zoo is open from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. in the Summer; and from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. in the Winter. The entry ticket is priced at € 18.50 for adults and at € 15.50 for children from 3 to 9 years of age.

You may also enjoy visiting Kralingen Park, the Cube Houses and touring the harbour.

If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

[Photo Credits - Rotterdam Zoo/Rob Dolaard]

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Exhausted after a full day’s sightseeing in Rotterdam? Looking for a place to relax while observing the cultural characteristics of the city? Then head to Het Kralingsche bos (the Kralingen park) – the largest green area in Rotterdam.

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Located in the township of Kralingen, to the east of the city center, the park surrounds an artificial lake. In Summer the place is usually bustling with kids cycling along the lake on a dedicated track. The park is a good place to picnic; the smell from the occasional BBQ is enticing.

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There are also running and skating tracks, and it is fun timing a lap across the lake. Several cafes line the lake, and are usually a good place to experience the Dutch menu. The two windmills on the side offer a unique peek into the Dutch culture. When the wind is good, sailing is one of the most popular activities here.

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If you are in Rotterdam, visit Kralingen Lake to get a feel of the summer in this beautiful city.

If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

[Photo Credit : Orangesplaash]

The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is situated on the banks of the river Nieuwe Maas. Due to its location, Rotterdam has become a commercial hub for petrochemical and shipping industries. So if you have seen the Rotterdam architecture and the windmills, its time to take the Spido Cruise trip to explore the harbour.

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The Rotterdam harbour tour involves a 75 minute cruise through the port of Rotterdam and starts from the base of the Erasmus Bridge. The tour sheds light on the major activities taking place in the Rotterdam port including cargo handling and trans-shipment.

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It involves a tour through the docks, giving a good view of the loading/unloading of containers. Therefore, it makes for a great learning activity for the kids too.

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A normal Rotterdam harbour tour costs € 9,50 p.p for adults and €  5,80 p.p for children between 4-11 years of age. It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with departures every 45 minutes or so (frequency decreases in the winters).

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In case you want more, go for the extended tours or full day trips – these provide a complete rendezvous with the Rotterdam harbour mixed with some great food and entertainment.

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If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

Photo Credits – All photos by Orangesplaash

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Rotterdam, one of the best places to visit in Europe, well known for its busy port and architectural brilliance. The city however has a lot of other exciting things on its platter – choose as you like! Here is my countdown of top 4 things to do in Rotterdam :

• Visit the VVV Rotterdam Info Cafe – This is a one stop Tourist Information Center near Rotterdam Central Station providing exhaustive and up to date travel information and insider tips. You can also collect a lot of free goodies like maps, free passes and other stuff. This is the perfect place to arm yourself with all the needed information before starting out to explore the city.
• Check out Coolsingel – The center point of the city, with a lot to see and experience. The place will completely charm you with its offerings including the koopgoot (literally shopping gutter, one of the largest collection of shops in Europe), World Trade Center, varied theatres and cinema halls. This is one long pathway along with the Lijnbaan and should be traversed on foot.

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• Whats on in the Witte de Withstraat : To witness the art scene of Rotterdam and to satiate your taste buds with one of the finest collection of restaurants ranging from the Middle East to Africa to Asia, you know where to come. This street is very close to the Coolsingel, a walk in the evening with a sumptuous dinner to match is the perfect way to end the day!
• Don’t forget the Alexander area : Yes, this is not on the top Rotterdam attractions list of many tourists but it offers unique insights into the lives and ways of the people of Rotterdam. A district in the Rotterdam municipality, Alexander boasts of the largest shopping center in Rotterdam, parks, gardens, typical Dutch houses on the outskirts and excellent connectivity with the city center. Come here and get immersed in the experience!

Some other Rotterdam travel tips are to visit the Rotterdan Cube Houses or take a trip to the nearby Dutch windmills at Kinderdijk.

If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

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Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, has a comparatively modern architecture and feel, having been rebuilt after bombing during the second World War. Housing the NAI (Netherlands Architecture Institute), the city boasts of some wonderful architecture, the most intriguing of which is the Kubus woningen (Dutch for Cube Houses). It’s my tip for a must see Rotterdam attraction.

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Designed by the famous Dutch architect Piet Blom in 1984, these cube houses were meant to represent a forest, with each cube house serving as a tree. Impressive enough, these houses were built by tilting a normal cube  by 45 degrees. They lie on a hexagonal shaped pylon, 38 cube houses in all, interconnected together with 2 super cubes at each end.

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Each cube house covers an area of about 100 square meters, with three floors, the top floor mostly used as a garden.

A cube house, converted into a museum, also known as Kijk Kubus (Dutch for Show Cube) is open to the visitors everyday from 11 a.m.to 5 p.m and with a small fees of €2,50, you can experience the insides of this amazing architecture.

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An International Youth Hostel has been operating from 2009 in one of the cube houses. Moreover, if you would like to own such an unconventional piece – some of the cube houses are for sale too!

If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

Rotterdam is an excellent city break or day trip from the popular Europe destination of Amsterdam. The city is Holland’s port, one of the largest ports in Europe. I love walking along the river and exploring the many shops and little cafes. But more importantly,it’s also home to some of Europe’s most bizarre architecture. I believe in this case, pictures are worth a thousand words.

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As this photo by Gastev shows, all seems normal on the surface. It’s a bit unusual to see such an American-esque skyline in Holland, but anyway…

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But then wow – from nnova‘s photo you realise not all of the skyscrapers are “normal”….

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Some day the Rotterdam Library (on the left here in Sasha‘s photo) looks like a cruise liner. And I don’t need to explain which building is called the pencil building.

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Ah, and then we end up at the Cube Houses – Silvain takes a good shot, but these are probably the most photographed piece of architecture in Rotterdam.

We’d be here all day if I pointed out all the unique, unusual, bizarre, strange, interesting, weird, scary, odd Rotterdam architecture.

If you’re planning a trip to this Dutch city, you can find the best deals on Rotterdam hotels, using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.