Reading time : 6 min.

On February 25, we left Hanover for Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. From Estonia, the Netherlands seemed like some kind of Eldorado to us, and we couldn’t wait to visit the country. So we took the train – 2023 is definitely greener than 2022, and that’s for the best! At first glance, the city combines New York-style skyscrapers with London-style red-brick houses, and offers a great deal of diversity in every respect!

The things that surprised us

The first crazy sight as you leave the station is the bicycles – it’s a cliché, but it’s true; entire bike parks stretch over several floors.

The second is the kindness of people! A ticket inspector who took the time to explain to us how to pay less for our journeys and who borrowed another user’s card to show us which card to buy; A person who blocked the tram door while we validated our cards before getting off (to avoid paying the full fare); A person who took the time to chat with us and ask us where we were from when we asked for simple information, in short, everyone was friendly and ready to help us!

The third thing is the dirt. You weren’t expecting that one, were you? Well, neither was I. It’s not as bad as Italy, but there is a serious lack of education among the population… It’s very common to see people throwing things into the canals, or simply putting the empty cup or bottle they’ve just finished on the ground – anywhere. It’s true that towns and cities aren’t very keen on providing trash cans. But even so, if there are no bins, you keep them with you until you can throw them away… it seemed obvious to me.

The last thing is the place of creativity and the arts in general, there are lots of art galleries, exhibitions, there’s something for everyone.

The must-sees 

• Erasmus Bridge

Located in the center of Rotterdam, amidst the skyscrapers, this impressive bridge links the north and south banks of the New Meuse. It honors the memory of the philosopher of the same name, a native of the city.

• Rotterdam city center

 Depending on the district you walk through, you’ll see a bit of everything. But Rotterdam has a real charm that makes you want to take a walk and lose yourself in the narrow streets.  Don’t miss: the cubic houses, the market hall and a stroll through the Delfshaven district.

• The lakes and the walk around them

To the north of Rotterdam, there are at least two lakes that I think are well worth a visit. This is nature in the middle of the city, a change of scenery guaranteed! Watch out for the different species of birds along the banks; the Netherlands attracts a huge number of them, and you can see parrots (yes) and Egyptian birds, for example.
A little tip: go at sunset, the colors are absolutely magnificent.
The houses, the birds, the windmill, the vegetation, the lakes: go for it!

• A day in Den Haag

From Rotterdam, you can get to The Hague in 30 minutes via the Metro E. It’s a charming little seaside town with lots of small shops, galleries and cafés. We had a picnic in the palace gardens, which are very pleasant and well planted.

• A day in Amsterdam, by train or bus

Amsterdam is 1 hour 20 minutes by train from Rotterdam. The train ticket is valid for the whole day and you don’t need to select a specific timetable, which is really practical. The return train ticket is €35 per person, which isn’t the best price we’ve seen! Flixbus is cheaper but less practical as its station is far from the center of Amsterdam.

In March, Amsterdam wasn’t particularly pleasant: nothing was green or flowery, the weather wasn’t great, but the tourists were there and filled the small streets of the capital. The red light district was certainly the most interesting because it was full of things you rarely see, but as for the rest, nothing special in Amsterdam, Rotterdam was frankly much prettier and more interesting in my opinion!

• In terms of restaurants, I can recommend two:

Happy Italy which is Italian as the name suggests. It’s really affordable and very good, and also serves generous quantities. (Pizza around 8 to 12€ and Pasta 8 to 14€)

Hamburg, which serves excellent burgers at normal prices (€10-14) and offers the possibility to choose whether you want the burger with meat, vegetarian or vegan patty Bonus : there’s a great atmosphere there!

Public transport

Sooo, single tickets cost €4.50 and are valid for two hours. There is also a monthly pass worth €60. More info here.

If you’re staying for several days or weeks and intend to use public transport often but not every day (bearing in mind that the city is fairly spread out), you can buy an anonymous transport card. You can then charge it with any amount you like. 

 In this way, you badge as you get on AND off the transport mean, and pay per kilometer traveled, which is much cheaper than buying single tickets.

You can buy this card at most metro stations for €7.50.

Budget 

Well, I can’t say anything other than “it’s extremely expensive”. As far as accommodation is concerned, you’ll have to break your piggy bank. Even low-cost solutions such as youth hostels are not really low-cost. Supermarkets are very expensive, and the best thing to do is – once again – stick to Lidl or Action. Transport is very expensive, cafés and restaurants are expensive too, in short, everything is expensive. Luckily for them, the Dutch earn a salary that corresponds to this standard of living, but tourists will have to do as best they can!

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our month in the Netherlands. There’s a lot to see and do, the people are friendly, there’s a lot of green spaces even in the cities, and you can walk along the famous canals.
It would perhaps have been even better if it had been in April or May, which would have enabled us to see the famous Tulips, and to see the country in a greener light generally. 
That said, the weather wasn’t bad at all, in fact we were rather lucky.

In short, the Netherlands was great, but it’s no Eldorado either: after all, it seems that no country is.