Rotterdam The Hague Airport serves two very different cities. Luckily, with a rental car you can experience both with ease. Head to Rotterdam for innovative architecture and a cutting-edge foodie scene, while you’ll fresh seafood restaurants and regal buildings filling the heart of The Hague.
City of innovative architecture
Forward-thinking Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second city and a trip here offers a glimpse into the future. Admire the incredible ‘Cube Houses’ – designed to look like a surreal forest complete with triangular treetop-style roofs. The show house has been turned into a museum, so you can experience life inside a cube house for yourself.
For modern architecture with a side-helping of street food head to the Markthal. Shaped like a giant horseshoe with a vast glass front, you can spot this landmark a mile away. Inside, the market is the size of a football pitch and crammed with street food stalls and those selling fresh produce.
Take time out to sample everything this enterprising space has to offer – from mouthwatering churros to spicy Vietnamese Pho, delicate macarons to ubiquitous Dutch stroopwafel.
Hit the museums
Get a culture injection at Rotterdam’s Museumpark. A cluster of world-class museums are framed by manicured parks and a water reservoir. Step into Museum Boijmans – Van Beuningen art gallery, which features everything from Van Gogh, Monet and Dali to the cutting-edge works of today’s crop of Dutch artists.
Discover the old capital
Head to the thriving coastal city of The Hague (Den Haag), home to the European Court. Once here, step into Mauritshuis art gallery where the works of Rembrandt and Holbein adorn the walls and Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring resides.
Explore the old royal palaces of the center in this former capital city. Head to the bohemian suburb of Scheveningen by the sea and eat at one of the buzzing seafood restaurants.
On the way to The Hague from Rotterdam Airport stop at Delft, birthplace of one of Holland’s most famous painters. Wander a warren of cobbled streets and canals as you discover the picturesque 17th-century town that Vermeer called home. The center is crowned with a Renaissance-style town hall while water lilies float on peaceful canals.
Find traditional Holland
Visit Kinderdijk where a huddle of 18th century windmills rise out of the reeds of the wetlands. The area is a UNESCO-protected site and a maze of waterways and mills winds through the countryside just begging to be explored.
Head to the world-famous city of Gouda on market day to sample some of the famous cheese of the same name. The market dates back to the 14th century and traditions remain intact with the wheels of cheese wheels still delivered by horse and cart and sold by farmers in front of the old City Hall.
Renting a car at Rotterdam Airport gives you the freedom to explore the different sides of the Netherlands, from cutting-edge modern cities to 18th-century windmills and charming traditions.