The following post and photos come from Steffi of @steffi_daydreamer.
A couple of weeks ago, me and my family spent the weekend in the Netherlands, travelling to Rotterdam from Hull in the comfort of a P&O ferry. This meant less stress for us on our first weekend away with our 4 month-old baby, since the trip is overnight and he spent most of it sleeping in his own cot in our cabin – which had a lovely sea view. Plus, we didn’t have to worry about food, as we had dinner and breakfast included in our tickets. We spent a day in Rotterdam and one in Amsterdam, as we wanted to make the most of our trip, and our itinerary was chosen by my Instagram followers.
A morning sightseeing in Rotterdam
Once we arrived in Rotterdam, we checked in at our hotel. We booked Hotel New York for several reasons: its location, the history of the building – former Holland America line head office – and its interiors.
Rotterdam is a very vibrant, modern city with so many interesting things to see. A day was just enough to get a taste of the city: we spent the morning wandering (and eating) at the food market (MarktHal) and admiring its colourful roof, followed by a short walk to the iconic Cube Houses, designed by Piet Blom in the 80s.
A relaxing afternoon in Rotterdam
For a late lunch we went to Gracy’s, an American diner with retro interior, where we felt we could anything after walking for hours, therefore enjoyed a delicious milkshake and burger and felt like we were in Grease.
Before dinner, we went on a boat tour, which I highly recommend if you don’t have much time to explore Rotterdam, as it was a great way to see the city. For dinner, we didn’t venture far out from our hotel and booked a table at Rodeo Latin American Grill, where we had a superb meal.
A day trip to Amsterdam from Rotterdam
The second day, after enjoying breakfast in bed and checking out of the hotel, we made our way to Amsterdam, which is only 40 minutes away on a fast train. Once we got there we left our luggage in one of the lockers at the station and set off to explore the city on a very sunny day.
We started off by walking to the Botanical Garden. I have been to Amsterdam many times, however I had yet to tick it off my list, so I was excited for the visit. It didn’t disappoint, and we spent a couple of hours admiring the plant collection, seeing the butterfly garden and enjoying a bite to eat whilst sipping a lemonade in the beautiful café. After, we went to grab a coffee at another great location, Café De Plantage, situated not far from the Botanical Garden and just outside the zoo, I would say it was a great spot to sit and people watch.
From there we decided to spend the hours we had left in Amsterdam, before catching our train back to Rotterdam, wandering around and getting lost in the city, with every trip I do there is always a bit of planning ahead on what I want to see, but I always leave time for walking around without a specific destination in mind.
Inspired? Take a look at our ferry crossings from Hull to Rotterdam today!
