Rotterdam/Delfshaven

Delfshaven is a district of Rotterdam. The former city, the name of which literally means harbour of Delft, was founded in 1389 as a harbour settlement of Delft, which through a canal was supposed to secure Delft's access to the river Meuse (Dutch: Maas). The former city is best known as the hometown of controversial colonial hero Piet Heijn, but is also somewhat notable for its production of gin.

Get in

By car

Most of Delfshaven can be reached via A20 exit 12, Rotterdam-Delfshaven. For the historic part of Delfshaven, first follow roadsigns Delfshaven and soon thereafter Historisch Delfshaven.

By public transit

Delfshaven is served by the Rotterdam metro and tram network. Its metro stations are 🌍 Coolhaven  A  B  C , 🌍 Delfshaven  A  B  C  and 🌍 Marconiplein  A  B  C . All of these are served with a train every 10 minutes.

Additionally, tramlines  4 ,  8 ,  21 ,  23  and  24  run through the district. All of these connect to Rotterdam's main train station. 21 and 24 also connect to nearby Schiedam.

See

  • 🌍 De Dubbele Palmboom (Dutch Pinball Museum), Voorhaven 9. This monumental building, originally built in 1825 but having since undergone a major restoration, is a former grain warehouse, only to be repurposed in 1861 as a distillery. It housed a dependency of the Rotterdam Museum from 1975 to 2012. It nowadays houses the Dutch Pinball Museum. (updated Jul 2021)
  • 🌍 Pilgrim Fathers Church (Oude- of Pelgrimvaarderskerk), Albrechtskolk 20. Founded in 1417 as a chapel. The 'Old Church' has been a protestant church since 1574, and thanks its main name to the Pilgrim Fathers, English settlers banished to Leiden. Many of them stayed there, but some chose to embark for the new world on the Mayflower, establishing the Plymouth Colony. Before embarking for the new world, they had their last sermon in this church. (updated Jul 2021)
  • 🌍 Statue of Piet Heyn, Piet Heynsplein. This 1870 sandstone statue is, and always has been controversial. It commemorates Piet Heyn, a commandant of the Dutch West India Company, eventually working his way up to lieutenant-admiral of Holland and West-Frisia, housed in Hoorn. In 1628, during the Dutch war against Spanish overlordship, Heyn managed to capture the Spanish silver fleet, taking a massive sum of money from the Spanish treasury into that of the Dutch Republic. The statue and Heyn as a person are controversial since this money has subsequently partially been invested in the slave trade. Though Heyn himself would not have had a decisive say in this matter, the statue has been covered with slurs against the Dutch colonial past in recent times. (updated Jul 2021)
  • 🌍 OorlogsVerzetsMuseum (Museum Rotterdam '40 -'45 NOW), Coolhaven 375 (Underneath the Pieter de Hoochbrug near Coolhaven  A  B  C ). Tu-Sa 10:00 - 17:00, Su 11:00 - 17:00. The small 'War and Resistance Museum' paints life in Rotterdam and the Netherlands during the Second World War. Attention is also given to the military developments of the time and the destruction of the city of Rotterdam. Lectures and evenings with documentaries are often on the programme. Below the age of 17 free. 17 or over: €9. (updated Jul 2021)
  • 🌍 De Distilleerketel, Voorhaven 210 (Metro: Delfshaven). W 13:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00. De Distilleerketel ('the Distillers' Kettle) was rebuilt in 1986 after the original mill was destroyed in World War II. The original mill from 1727 was meant for grinding malt for the numerous distilleries in Delfshaven. Now it works as a mill for grinding wheat on a commercial basis. 
  • 🌍 Shipyard 'De Delft', Schiehaven 15 (Take tramway 8 from Rotterdam Centraal towards Spangen and get off at Oostkousdijk), ☏ +31 10 276 01 15, fax: +31 10 244 03 62. Tu-F 10:00-16:00, Sa Su 11:00-17:00. Follow the construction of the 18th-century ship-of-the-line 'De Delft' from close-by. 'De Delft' will become one of the largest ship replica's in the world. Adult €6, child 4-12 €3, child under 4 free. 
  • 🌍 HH. Laurentius en Elisabethkathedraal, Mathenesserlaan 305 (Claes de Vrieselaan  4 ). The cathedral of Rotterdam (Roman Catholic) is a somewhat heavy neo romanesque creation from 1907. The interior is quite well proportioned and atmospheric. Sunday mass is at 11:00 (sometimes with a good choir). Besides assisting at the normally well attended mass you can walk in before or after to have a look inside. (updated Jun 2016)
  • Right on the edges of Delfshaven you will find some of the more notable destinations of Rotterdam, such as the Euromast or the Van Nellefabriek.

Do
  • 🌍 Sparta-Stadion (Het Kasteel), Spartastraat / Spartapark-Noord (Spartastraat  8 ). Sparta, being one of the three clubs to have a somewhat regular foothold in the Dutch Eredivisie, find their origin in the neighbourhood of Spangen, and have their stadium there to this day. Sparta has been in the Eredivisie since 2020, though they've held a position in the Eredeivisie for all but ten years between 1957 and 2021. The club's stadium, nicknamed "Het Kasteel" (The Castle) gets its name from the iconic entrance on the side of the Spartastraat, which resembles a castle. (updated Jul 2021)
  • 🌍 De Fruitvis, Marconistraat 43, ☏ +31 102 440 222. M-F 09:00 - 18:00. Event venue hosting music, theatre, stand-up comedy, art and film. (updated Mar 2022)
  • 🌍 Batavierhuis, Pieter de Hoochweg 108, ☏ +31 103 163 141. Markets itself as a "maker space and house for talent development". The Batavierhuis is a society of sorts focussed primarily on music, but also other art forms, and hosts concerts and other events (albeit often Dutch-spoken), both from its members, known as "Batavieren", as well as external artists, in its own building. Tickets can be bought from their website. (updated Mar 2022)
  • 🌍 Grounds, Pieter de Hoochweg 125, ☏ +31 102 444 515. Event venue in the east of Delfshaven, mostly hosting music performances, also hosting the Rotterdam Flamenco Festival. (updated Mar 2022)

Buy
  • 🌍 Bigshops Parkboulevard, Vierhavensstraat. Large mall along the Vierhavensstraat with mostly larger chain stores including supermarkets, drug store, bedding stores, pet shops, and so forth. The entire roof of the Parkboulevard is a public park, with a length of around 1200 metres and one of the largest rooftop parks in Europe. (updated Jul 2021)
  • Many more, often smaller stores can be found along the Schiedamseweg between the Marconiplein and Delfshaven metro stations. This street as a whole is served by tramlines  4  and  8  as well.

Eat

Many restaurants are clustered in several main locations within Delfshaven:

  • 🌍 Schiedamseweg, surrounding the Delfshaven metro station. The entire street is filled with a few dozen smaller lunchrooms, cafés, but also a McDonalds. Most restaurants here are either specialised in Turkish cuisine, Moroccan cuisine, or Indian/Chinese cuisine. Additionally, there are a few ice cream parlors nearby.
  • 🌍 El Aviva, Schiedanseweg 22. Kapsalon is a wonderful variation of Shoarma that was invented at this restaurant in Rotterdam. It has now become famous all over the Netherlands. A delicious, greasy meal! (updated Aug 2023)
  • Among the harbours on the river Meuse.
    • 🌍 Schiehaven en Sint Jobshaven
    • 🌍 Parkhaven
      • De Zwarte Zwaan, Parkhaven 9, ☏ +31 102 440 571. W-Su 11:00 - 22:00. (updated Jul 2021)
      • Pannenkoekenboot, Parkhaven 13, ☏ +31 104 367 295. Tu-Th 09:00–17:00, F-Su 09:00–21:00. (updated Jul 2021)
      • Beren Boot, Parkhaven 15, ☏ +31 104 361 911, . The Beren Boot is a restaurant aboard a ship, as the name might suggest. Depending on the season, the boat either departs the harbour once per day (twice on weekends, sundays only between May and September) to offer a tour of the harbour during your dinner, taking 2½ hours in total. The times depend on the season, so check the website or call before planning your visit. Additionally, there are brunch-cruises every second Sunday of the month. Children age 3-12: €24.50, adults: €39.50. +€2 when not paying upfront.. (updated Jul 2021)

Drink
  • Bars and cafés can be found mostly around the Coolhaven (Willem Buytewechstraat), the old city centre (Voorhaven, Achterhaven) and the Schiehaven.
    • 🌍 Café 't Pakhuys, Voorhaven 46, ☏ +31 108 426 819. W-F 16:00-23:00, Sa 15:00-23:00, Su 15:00-20:00. Claims the title of smallest pub of Delfshaven, giving it a wonderful small-scale atmosphere. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Several breweries can be found around Delfshaven, and are accessible without appointments being necessary:
    • 🌍 Stadsbrouwerij de Pelgrim, Aelbrechtskolk 12, ☏ +31 104 771 189. W-Sa 12:00-00:00, Su 12:00-22:00. (updated Mar 2022)
    • 🌍 Stadshaven Brouwerij, Galileïstraat 24, ☏ +31 103 076 838. W Th 15:00-22:00, F 12:00-00:00, Sa 12:00-00:00, Su 12:00-22:00. Located in a 100-year old former fruit warehouse, this craft beer brewery is the second largest independent brewery in the Netherlands. You can also book a tour, most are in Dutch but one in English is offered on Thursday. (updated Sep 2023)

Sleep

Go next
  • Rotterdam's city centre — The heart of Rotterdam, which while having been lost in the Second World War, has found new life as a city centre that is unlike that of your average Dutch city, while still retaining many of the museums, restaurants, shops and nightlife that come with being a large city's central district.
  • Feijenoord — The former harbour district of Rotterdam, today being revitalised as a modern neighbourhood.
  • Schiedam — Historical city on the other side of the Merwedehavens.
  • Hoek van Holland — Rotterdam's beachfront, easily reached with metro line B.
  • Delft — The historically significant town that Delfshaven lends its name to. The city is known for its blue-white earthware (Delfts Blauw) and for its ties to the Dutch royal family, almost every deceased member of which having been buried in the church here.
Routes through Delfshaven
Vlaardingen ← Schiedam ←  W  E  → Beurs → Ommoord
Hoek van Holland ← Vlaardingen ← Schiedam ←  W  E  → Beurs → Nesselande
Spijkenisse ← Hoogvliet ← Schiedam ←  S  E  → Beurs → Capelle aan den IJssel


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