📍 A day in Rotterdam
on June 2, 2026
After spending my first day at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026, I decided to dedicate my Sunday to simply exploring the city.
The program was ultimately quite simple:
- Rotterdam Central
- stroll through the city center
- Markthal
- Cube Houses
- boat trip
- zoo
- then return to Zuidplein before the evening bus.
And honestly, Rotterdam is very well suited to this kind of stress-free day.
Arrival at Rotterdam Centraal
The day began at Rotterdam Centraal.
Even if you're not particularly interested in train stations, this one is immediately impressive: Large, modern, very clean and above all extremely fluid.
You can feel that Rotterdam is a city designed around:
- transport
- cycling
- pedestrians
- and rapid travel.
From the station, many interesting places are easily accessible on foot or by tram.
Discovering the city center
Rotterdam city centre is very different from Amsterdam.
The streets are wider, the buildings more modern, and the atmosphere calmer than I expected.
We constantly alternate between:
- recent buildings
- shopping areas
- cafes
- places available
- and contemporary architecture.
The city gives a very pleasant impression for walking without necessarily having a specific route.
The Markthal
The Markthal is probably one of the most famous places in Rotterdam.
The immense arched building immediately attracts attention.
Inside :
- food stalls
- local specialties
- cafes
- street food
- tourists
- residents
- photographers.
The place is constantly alive.
The ceiling covered with giant illustrations gives the place a real identity, and the atmosphere blends local market and tourist attraction.
It's also a great place to take a break during a day of sightseeing.
Cube houses
Right next to the Markthal are the famous Cube Houses.
Even having seen them in photos, the result is surprising in real life.
These sloping houses give the neighborhood a completely unique identity.
There is a lot around:
- of visitors
- of cafes
- small shops
- and people simply sitting and observing the neighborhood.
The old port right next door also provides a much calmer and more pleasant atmosphere.
Boat trip
One of the most enjoyable moments of the day was probably the boat ride.
Seeing Rotterdam from the water truly allows you to understand the city differently:
- the bridges
- modern buildings
- the old docks
- port areas
- large, recently built buildings.
The contrast between industrial areas and new neighborhoods is very visible.
And above all, it reminds us how deeply Rotterdam remains a city linked to its port.
Rotterdam Zoo
The afternoon continued with a visit to Rotterdam Zoo.
The park is huge and very well maintained.
It includes different themed areas with:
- African animals
- tropical areas
- aquarium
- birds
- large outdoor spaces.
The atmosphere is quite calm despite the number of visitors.
After the excitement of TwitchCon the day before, it was also a good way to slow things down a bit before returning.
Zuidplein and return to Ahoy
At the end of the day, we headed towards Zuidplein.
The area around Rotterdam Ahoy had a very different atmosphere than the day before during TwitchCon: much calmer, with visitors gradually starting to leave.
It was quite strange to see the area around the living room again after all the energy of Saturday.
General Impression
This second day showed another side of Rotterdam.
Beyond its modern architecture, the city is above all a pleasant place to live:
- easy to browse
- well organized
- very accessible on foot
- with plenty of open spaces.
And finally, the mixture between:
- modern city center
- old port
- large buildings
- green spaces
- efficient transport
- and international atmosphere
makes Rotterdam very different from other Dutch cities.
That was probably the best way to end this TwitchCon weekend.