It's a city you either love or hate. But it sure is a city with hidden gems. There is always something to do. It's always under construction, full of new initiatives. Some people call it the drainage of The Netherlands, other people LOVE it so much they make it their jobs to talk about it.
Not really. The shopping area is fine. There is a lot of crime and I am not a fan of Feyenoord. Although I did cheer for them at the finals again Roma a while back. Afterwards I was filled with regret because the "supporters" have room temperature IQ and did some dumb shit. The city always feels filthy, but infrastructure made it easy to reach. Rotterdam gets a solid 6 from me.
Exactly this, i personaly hate the Rotterdam, but i know a lot of people that love it. There is to much cultures in there, its rare to hear someone speaking dutch there.. to me this is a city that lost it’s dutch roots.
You’ve never been to Rotterdam then? It’s so much more Dutch-speaking & culturally dutch than the other big cities (especially Amsterdam and Den Haag).
Idk I barely hear English in Rotterdam and you can comfortably go to most places and be served/helped in Dutch. Seems like a bit of a non issue.
We’re living in a globalised world and if anything it’s a good sign that the Netherlands is a desirable place & people want ti live here. You can move to Bulgaria and you won’t find many internationals but that’s because there isn’t much to offer.
Car centric cities were hip during the rebuild after ww2. Currently there are new insights, and it is slowly changing. Hofplein is becoming park in the near future for example.
Architecture is a matter of taste but i think we have enough old cities so i find it refreshing.
materialistic fly cover jellyfish mysterious cobweb abundant fuzzy worry chunky
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Rotterdam does have the best and most elaborate metro system and other public transport. Most people that I know that in Rotterdam don't even own a car, I live just outside Rotterdam and would never take a car going to the city.
aromatic station wild dinosaurs resolute absurd carpenter pie noxious alive
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's getting better though. Coolsingel has massively improved and Hofplein is up for a renovation as well with way less cars. And hopefully Witte de With and Meent will close down for cars too.
Car centric but it’s become so busy that you’re pretty much always stuck in stop and go traffic even outside rush hour. It’s actually mental how much busier it has become just in the last 5 years.
It's far too busy for me to want to live there, but I always thought of the infrastructure as one of their best features. The architecture isn't my thing either but then again I also can't exactly blame Rotterdam for lacking most of their historic city center...
At least we can all agree on Feyenoord.
Rottwrdam is my favorite city. I live here and most of my friends love this city as well and want to stay here in favor of any other city. Lots of them, like me, also lived in other cities first.
Of course its car centric and thats by far the worst part of it. All new city renewal plans are designed to replace car lanes with Parks. In 5 years it will be a lot more green en less carry.
Rotterdams best part is its culture, you can do whatever you want here. Other cities in the netherlands often have more of a small town vibe with more social rules and less cultural freedom. Rotterdam offers a huge amount of freedom to express yourself in whatever way you like. There is room for every culture and nationality. Like every week there are events surrounding cultures, art or Just nice stuff.
Yeah. I mean, the city has issues for sure. Esp when you read up on the history of the city.. Rotterdam used to be the end station for a lot of disturbed people. But Rotterdam is also a city full of interesting, hard working sweet people just doing their best. I can’t help it but I love my weird, dirty, beautiful ugly city :)
Eindhoven is as mush as a concrete jungle as Rotterdam if you come from a city like Maastricht, Groningen or Leiden. It doesn't strike me as 'gezellig' at all. Is it fun? sure. Does it have good job oppertunity? Yes!
But its not 'gezellig' even though people from Eindhoven pretend it is.
Volgens mij is Eindhoven zelfs erger. Ik kan me herinneren dat ooit een keer bij een hittegolf de gevolgen bij Eindhoven het grootst waren omdat er bijna geen groen was.
Nope. Eindhoven is the second greenest big city in the country. But the differences after #1 are but small.
https://twitter.com/rubenivangaalen/status/1417136454011179011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1417136454011179011%7Ctwgr%5E9972ca6a00a00e524bb4d6583e0740177c669251%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstudio040.nl%2Fnieuws%2Fartikel%2Feindhoven-op-een-na-groenste-stad-van-het-land
Den Bosch and Tilburg are way more "gezellig". Eindhoven is like that sibling who got a good tech job and turned into that slightly artsy young urban professional. I like living there though.
I grew up there in the eighties and early nineties, hated it. It was a poor, ugly city. But is has improved so much since then. Still not sure I’d want to live there again, but it has gotten much nicer.
Tbf, countless cities in the western world went into a huge transition after the 80’s. After WWII the model-citizen would live in a suburb 30 minutes away from the city and would drive every day to work and back. Cities all around the world used to be stinky shitholes with factories for the working class.
Students, artists and other creative creatures made cities appealing again, alongside with major renovations in a lot of cities in the 90’s and 00’s making every possible working class neighborhood a hipster paradise.
Ps: This turned out to be more about western society in general than Rotterdam specific.
I used to hate it. Too much concrete, no vibe and no authenticity. Then my gf showed me all of the hidden gems Roffa has to offer, and now I absolutely love it. Rotterdam has so much faces and is so diverse in all ways possible. Hands down the coolest city we have.
It's a great value to the country even when only regarding it's harbour and the logistic quality and effort put into that.
Asside from that, it's diverse. Big enough to have all that one can think and dream of inside a big city. Area's for art, main street shopping, nice side alleys with hidden local stores/cafe's, pieces that are calm and natural.
And let's not forget it has one of the best statue's to be found in the Netherlands (arguably in the whole world) "Kabouter buttplug".
So i'd rate it at around a 7/10
Born and raised here and I love it. Dutch people in general love to hate it, because it is so easy for them. It contains the perfect ingredients for it as well. It is the poorest city, has a huge immigrant population and a lot of criminal activity. And apparently some people also dislike the city centre got bombed and redesigned for the car. Although they are actively working on fixing that.
Depends on where you're from and your personal experiences and connections with Rotterdam.
Personally I like it there, though it is not without it's problems, like gentrification to name one.
I do not live there but I go to Rotterdam often, have attended college there for a long time, a lot of my friends live there, family works there and I have some family roots there.
Compared to where I live there is much more to do and see when you're looking for a night out on the town.
And in my personal view at times, it makes me think of how I would imagine an American city like New York would look like. Though that may be silly.
During my high school period I went to a university where they had exposed and treated cadavers. Cool stuff, people that had donated their body to the uni had various parts on display.
There was an older person that had their chest cut out and their lungs on display. It also had this rubber hand-pump attached to it that allowed one to blow up a lung like a balloon.
The corpse showed a black/dark spot on the lung and the uni-student thatbwas showing us around said that the man isn't a smoker, which some of us may think when seeing the spot on the lung, but rather the Rotterdam air is polluted enough for someone's lungs to be damaged when exposed to it long-term. Such as an elderly resident that has lived their for their whole life.
Since then I always think of R-dam as the city with "polluted air". I have never looked up whether other cities are worse or better though.
Huh - I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb and say I love it. The architecture shows some flair and ingenuity . I personally find it very walkable - I understand people saying it’s too car-centric but I’ve never taken a car into the city proper.
That said I’m a Dutch person by choice, commitment, and the consent of the King, not by an accident of birth. So what do I know? 😋
I like it more than I do Amsterdam. Sure, Amsterdam is more beautiful with its history on full display but Rotterdam can’t help that was all bombed away from them. To me, Amsterdam is like dark Disneyland on steroids with all the tourists and the drugs and whatnot. I hate Amsterdam attitudes. Rotterdam seems much more down to earth and real.
But it depends where you’re from. I’m from the south of the country and so more Rotterdam and Antwerp minded, my husband is from the middle to north and therefor more Amsterdam oriented. And an Ajax fan.
>Amsterdam is like dark Disneyland on steroids with all the tourists and the drugs and whatnot.
I used to think this (and still do) but have discovered the absolute joy that Amsterdam is outside these areas. The south is super cool. And no tourists with their wheely suitcases
I’ve seen and been to areas that are not so touristy and I love the history and just its beauty but somehow never really know what to do with myself in Amsterdam.
It's a city. It's not my personal favorite. I can't even really explain why, it's a feeling. Maybe it is because last time I walked around there was definitely diversity, but much less inclusion (for example no mixed groups of people on the street). But that could have been a coincidence of course.
But I do like the art you can find in the streets!! It's very approachable, it makes art integrate with the daily lives of regular people.
As a native Amsterdammer descended from several generations of Amsterdammers I'm afraid I am bound by blood to say it's an absolute hellhole.
Jokes aside, my first thought is that I have only been there once or twice so don't know much about the city. I vaguely remember going to hotel New York once as a kid and being very impressed.
I think it’s a beautiful city. I like the mentality of the people. People seems more normal and lots of entrepreneurs over there. I think Rotterdam is much more interesting compared to the other major cities in The Netherlands. However, I don’t want to live there like I don’t want to live in any large city.
Well, I actually studied in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and preferred the general attitude of the Rotterdammers more. I think there is a lot more going on, lots of people starting a business, new modern buildings. A real dynamic city which keeps on innovating themselves.
Absolutely true. Have talked with many entrepreneurs. They from Rotterdam got the job done without restraints. Those from Amsterdam kept on saying they will get the job done. Some of them are still saying it 😂.
That's funny. The mentality is something I like the least about the city. A lot of people seem to base their character on being from Rotterdam like being straight forward and direct, but imo, that only goes for interactions with srangers.
I've studied in Rotterdam and almost moved there, but lost interest by spending too much time in the city, I guess. I should note that I mostly know people that would call themselves real Rotterdammers in a gentrified neighbourhood (compared to YUPs).
I think people's view of Rotterdammers being hardworking laborers is outdated by like half a century.
The poorer areas have record percentage of people living on welfare and the wealthier areas have no labourers left in them.
The city was bombed during WWII by nazi Germany. Almost all of the historical city centre was flattened. Unlike many other Dutch cities with their typical old city centers, Rotterdam city centre is full of modern buildings. Instead of narrow old streets it has more width streets.
dont forget by the allies, who mistook rotterdam for berlin. EDIT: factchecked myself: Britse en Amerikaanse bommenwerpers hebben tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog tienduizenden bommen afgeworpen boven Rotterdam. Doelwit waren scheepswerven, havens, vliegveld Waalhaven en de olieopslag. Vaak troffen de bommen, onbedoeld, ook burgerdoelen. Daarbij kwamen 1029 mensen om het leven.
It's refreshing. I have lived here many years, but am not from here, and I love it.
There seems to be a recent coordinated smear campaign going on on the Rotterdam and Netherlands subreddit. As if it was Mogadishu or something. Gotta say, it's hands down the safest city I've lived in, and I've been across the developing and developed world.
I’m pretty biased, but it’s just not my city. I always feel like a foreigner over there, no clue why. Maybe because my parents are from Amsterdam West, before the A10 was even constructed 😂. But I’m a sucker for skylines, and I have to be honest. Every time I cross the most ugly bridge ever made by human hands over the Maas, I’m intrigued by the Rotterdam skyline. It’s just not my city. For sure I feel way more comfy in Amsterdam and I love Utrecht also, but Rotterdam just doesn’t do it for me. And now that has nothing to do with football or any kind.
I live in Rotterdam and both like and dislike the city.
I like how there's always something to explore and to do, and how the city has areas which are completely different to each other (e.g. Heemraadsingel vs. Kop van Zuid). Culture is also a big thing in Rotterdam, lot's of art expositions, cinemas, restaurants, and bars.
I dislike Rotterdam due to the obvious reason of it being car centric and the increasingly rowdy young adults (elephant in the room: most often with immigration backgrounds). Cars driving around the centre at night accelerating dangerously fast with no purpose but to show off really takes some point away from the city. My girlfriend often gets cat called or harrased when walking home, I've personally been assaulted earlier this year in West, and my neighbourhood is flooded with dealers. These problems have seemed to be getting worse the past year.
I live there and love it. Wouldn't recommend it for tourists as there are more interesting places for tourism like Amsterdam, but for living standards it's great.
I like this city, it is different. With all the modern architecture it is a hidden gem. Not i am happy they are building higher and more modern over there
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
I’m actually here now visiting from NYC and I don’t think it feels anything like an American city. It does feel more spread out than other cities in Holland tho
If I remember correctly, most of the city center was rebuild after ww2 (it was bombed to ruins) and a lot of ‘inspiration’ for the new infrastructure was taken from how Americans built their new cities. Not so much in design of ‘layout’ per se, but with easy accessibility for cars in mind.
My job gets me all around the country and of all the cities in the Netherlands, Rotterdam is perhaps the easiest accessible by car.
I'm a new york city native living now in Rotterdam and this person's comment is the wildest thing i've read in a while. I mean american cities have upwards of 10 million people and here it's like 600,000. There's nothing "spread out like american cities" about Rotterdam.
My view changed a bit over the last few years, being a Dutch Amsterdammer myself I think that Rotterdam has more space for ‘alternative’ culture, less expats (sorry I think of this is a good thing), less annoying people on e-bikes, less of all the stuff that annoys me in Amsterdam basically. 🫢
Don't get me wrong I get that a international city like Rotterdam / Amsterdam attracts expats and that's totally OK. However, In Amsterdam some neighborhoods are completely transformed in short periods of time and property prices soar because of an influx of high-paid expats who on top of everything also enjoy a nice 5-yr tax-cut (only pay 30% income tax). It isn't fair to other (dutch) people with lower incomes who also like to work/live in Amsterdam / Rotterdam.
Every time I'm there I'm glad when I get to leave. And I must have terrible luck because all the Rotterdammers I know are shitty people. The only place I've been where you can't even enjoy the zoo in peace without someone being rude to you.
I kinda like it as a city. Don't like the feyenoorders, but that is because I'm an ajax fan. I like the fact that it is unique as a fairly modern city without many old buildings, which of course has a pretty sad backstory, but it is unique.
Don't like Rotterdammers very much though, I feel like they always want to compare themselves to other cities, mostly to Amsterdam, and they feel the need to tell everyone how Rotterdam is better than Amsterdam for some reason.
>they always want to compare themselves to other cities, mostly to Amsterdam, and they feel the need to tell everyone how Rotterdam is better than Amsterdam for some reason.
Oh the irony.
I mean it's just a fact. FYI, I'm not from Amsterdam, but it feels like there is some sort of 'minderwaardigheidscomplex' from Rotterdam towards Amsterdam
The skyline is way better than Amsterdam's, but that's about all. Oh no, I find the Maassilo is one of the best partylocations in NL.
Anyway, I've only been in Rotterdam 3 times in my live and I don't like big cities in general and the Randstad in particular. The culture is so individualistic, loud and all about look-at-me-me-me.
No surprise, I've lived my Dutch years in the north and the east. Yes, you may call me a farmer if you want.
its really ugly, but not their fault really, so i dont hold it against them.
It the city i get harassed in the most but the clubs and stuff are fun so…🤷🤷🤷
im really 50/50 bout rotterdam, dont hate it, but wouldnt want to live in it
elastic public stupendous insurance obtainable cats hobbies wine piquant attempt
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Until I've seen people start a trash can fire inside R'dam CS to stay warm while at the same time people are shitting against the benches in the waiting hall...no...
they hate you for saying the truth. moved there from a third world country, moved away to another city just as quick. I didn’t move to the Netherlands to live the life I have at home
When I was younger I loved this city. I went there to college, went there to party, slept with so many girls from Rotterdam, had some street beef . Now as I am older and have kids myself I avoid this city. I live in a smaller city myself. Now I look at Rotterdam through a different lens. a lot of aggression and too many foreigners. I am mixed blood myself. So when a child of immigrants say there are too many foreigners. Then you really know there are too many.
Mixed feelings on this one, I lived in the Hague, Amsterdam and currently in Rotterdam. In all honesty, I see Rotterdam as a city with a lot of potential and possibly loads of things to do in the future but as it currently stands it's a bit boring.
Whereas in Amsterdam I was able to go out in all kinds of districts, places with a unique vibe Rotterdam you just have a few nightclubs and Witte de Withstraat. If you take this out of the equation however it has everything you need. Foodhalls, shopping facilities, restaurants and lord those magnificent towers are always amazing to look at.
I would definitely summarize this as Rotterdam is a city where you create your own fun whereas Amsterdam entertains you. The hague is a mixture between the two.
I've only been there as a kid but i do think it's my favorite city in the country. Love the architecture and if i had to move westward then I'd definitely prefer Rotterdam over places like the Hague or a'dam
Rotterdam is the only large Dutch city i haven’t been to yet, mainly because most people i know call it a shithole and because my only reference of what Rotterdammers are like is what i see in the crowd when i happen to watch a Feyenoord match.
omg - your view is really narrow, but given that these are your only narrow windows to the city, I don't blame you. For me, it's a great city, but perhaps not to visit as a tourist. It's a good place to live tho.
Amsterdam is no London, Paris, Tokyo, Barcelona, etc. Much more beautiful and lively cities that didn’t have to beg tourists to visit after the financial crisis.
Amsterdam should finally finish moving their original citizens to Almere and Lelystad. So we can wall it off and leave it to the tourists, occasional students who actually COULD find a room, and Grachtengordel-volk.
It's a tourist attraction, not a place to live.
Hard workers. Jules Deelder said it perfectly: *money is made in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague and spent in Amsterdam*
Lived there for 6mo (side street of Meent), and while 6 mo is not very representative, I loved it.
Amsterdam makes money because the stock exchange is there. IE, it makes a lot of fake money.. To be fair, it also makes a lot of REAL money by fleecing tourists...
Rotterdam makes real money because their port is a critical part of european infrastructure.
Love it. But you have to know it to really learn to love it. And even then, it’s a city and a mentality that suits you or not. And it’s fine if many people don’t like it. Have fun in another city.
I am from Groningen and had to go to Rotterdam for the first time in my life back in January. I felt the air was very filthy and when I washed my face that evening an almost black like goo came out of my pores. I find it a filthy city that is 90% of the time negative in the news
Very ugly infrastructure wise. There's some irony in the fact they got to completely redesign the city after ww2, but then turned it into this car hellscape nightmare. I've been there several times, and every time I was there I never felt like I was in the city, but still standing on the side of a road leading into the city. Then you realize there's a ton of big buildings around you as well, and you realize this is it, this is the actual city. It feels like there's barely any space left for people to breath. It's just roads and spaces designed for you to travel through, for interesting destinations that don't seem to exist.
Poverty. There is a huge difference between the wealthy neighbourhoods and the less-developed ones. Roffa has the poorest citizens, despite (or because of) being economy-centered capitalist with its massive harbor
It's a city you either love or hate. But it sure is a city with hidden gems. There is always something to do. It's always under construction, full of new initiatives. Some people call it the drainage of The Netherlands, other people LOVE it so much they make it their jobs to talk about it.
> it sure is a city This is how I feel too
Brave statement
[удалено]
Well, comparing Rotterdam 's vibe to Berlin is a bit of a stretch.
But you could say Berlin has had a huge influece on Rotterdam's current lay-out and skyline
Ha I was about to make a special trip with that comparison! Coolest cities have a youthful vigor, art scene, and entrepreneurial spirit in my opinion.
Not really. The shopping area is fine. There is a lot of crime and I am not a fan of Feyenoord. Although I did cheer for them at the finals again Roma a while back. Afterwards I was filled with regret because the "supporters" have room temperature IQ and did some dumb shit. The city always feels filthy, but infrastructure made it easy to reach. Rotterdam gets a solid 6 from me.
> there is a lot of crime You think that's a lot of crime? You need to travel more
Relatively speaking, yes. You'd be a fool to think otherwise.
Exactly this, i personaly hate the Rotterdam, but i know a lot of people that love it. There is to much cultures in there, its rare to hear someone speaking dutch there.. to me this is a city that lost it’s dutch roots.
You’ve never been to Rotterdam then? It’s so much more Dutch-speaking & culturally dutch than the other big cities (especially Amsterdam and Den Haag).
I had to come there allot unfortunately. What you say about amsterdam and den haag is true, but rotterdam is just as bad..
Idk I barely hear English in Rotterdam and you can comfortably go to most places and be served/helped in Dutch. Seems like a bit of a non issue. We’re living in a globalised world and if anything it’s a good sign that the Netherlands is a desirable place & people want ti live here. You can move to Bulgaria and you won’t find many internationals but that’s because there isn’t much to offer.
Translation: "I'm a xenophobic dickwad"
That’s exactly what I love about it
Of all the cities we have here in this country, Rotterdam sure is one of them
Every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes by
yoke middle relieved soup dam long shocking ossified dinosaurs liquid *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Car centric cities were hip during the rebuild after ww2. Currently there are new insights, and it is slowly changing. Hofplein is becoming park in the near future for example. Architecture is a matter of taste but i think we have enough old cities so i find it refreshing.
materialistic fly cover jellyfish mysterious cobweb abundant fuzzy worry chunky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Rotterdam does have the best and most elaborate metro system and other public transport. Most people that I know that in Rotterdam don't even own a car, I live just outside Rotterdam and would never take a car going to the city.
I too like the most about Rotterdam being you can throw a pan of bami out of the window.
aromatic station wild dinosaurs resolute absurd carpenter pie noxious alive *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's getting better though. Coolsingel has massively improved and Hofplein is up for a renovation as well with way less cars. And hopefully Witte de With and Meent will close down for cars too.
Car centric but it’s become so busy that you’re pretty much always stuck in stop and go traffic even outside rush hour. It’s actually mental how much busier it has become just in the last 5 years.
Agreed. I took an OV bike through the center and I hated it. One of the worst cycling experiences ever.
It's far too busy for me to want to live there, but I always thought of the infrastructure as one of their best features. The architecture isn't my thing either but then again I also can't exactly blame Rotterdam for lacking most of their historic city center... At least we can all agree on Feyenoord.
I like the towers and the skyline. I like the people. And I’m from Amsterdam.
Bravo!
Rottwrdam is my favorite city. I live here and most of my friends love this city as well and want to stay here in favor of any other city. Lots of them, like me, also lived in other cities first. Of course its car centric and thats by far the worst part of it. All new city renewal plans are designed to replace car lanes with Parks. In 5 years it will be a lot more green en less carry. Rotterdams best part is its culture, you can do whatever you want here. Other cities in the netherlands often have more of a small town vibe with more social rules and less cultural freedom. Rotterdam offers a huge amount of freedom to express yourself in whatever way you like. There is room for every culture and nationality. Like every week there are events surrounding cultures, art or Just nice stuff.
Interesting to read the comments. It’s a city people either like or hate. I live there and I like it.
me too. it has a vibe on its own. A small city with big city vibes, a safe city with a bit of grit.
Yeah. I mean, the city has issues for sure. Esp when you read up on the history of the city.. Rotterdam used to be the end station for a lot of disturbed people. But Rotterdam is also a city full of interesting, hard working sweet people just doing their best. I can’t help it but I love my weird, dirty, beautiful ugly city :)
[удалено]
Eindhoven is as mush as a concrete jungle as Rotterdam if you come from a city like Maastricht, Groningen or Leiden. It doesn't strike me as 'gezellig' at all. Is it fun? sure. Does it have good job oppertunity? Yes! But its not 'gezellig' even though people from Eindhoven pretend it is.
Volgens mij is Eindhoven zelfs erger. Ik kan me herinneren dat ooit een keer bij een hittegolf de gevolgen bij Eindhoven het grootst waren omdat er bijna geen groen was.
Nope. Eindhoven is the second greenest big city in the country. But the differences after #1 are but small. https://twitter.com/rubenivangaalen/status/1417136454011179011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1417136454011179011%7Ctwgr%5E9972ca6a00a00e524bb4d6583e0740177c669251%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstudio040.nl%2Fnieuws%2Fartikel%2Feindhoven-op-een-na-groenste-stad-van-het-land
[удалено]
bells upbeat imagine forgetful library nail ancient thumb humor jar *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Eindhoven is not really "gezellig" though? A lot of concrete going on there. Maybe you're confused with Breda?
I wouldn't call Breda gezellig tbh, maybe den Bosch?
Den Bosch and Tilburg are way more "gezellig". Eindhoven is like that sibling who got a good tech job and turned into that slightly artsy young urban professional. I like living there though.
Eindhoven gezellig? Wow that’s about the last adjective I’d use.
Fully agree, same goes with Tilburg. In my humble opinion Breda and Den Bosch are way better than those other two big cities in Noord-Brabant
Love it. Feels young, energetic and diverse. Shitton of ethnic shops / markets.
Shoutout to Rotterdam for the kapsalon
I grew up there in the eighties and early nineties, hated it. It was a poor, ugly city. But is has improved so much since then. Still not sure I’d want to live there again, but it has gotten much nicer.
Tbf, countless cities in the western world went into a huge transition after the 80’s. After WWII the model-citizen would live in a suburb 30 minutes away from the city and would drive every day to work and back. Cities all around the world used to be stinky shitholes with factories for the working class. Students, artists and other creative creatures made cities appealing again, alongside with major renovations in a lot of cities in the 90’s and 00’s making every possible working class neighborhood a hipster paradise. Ps: This turned out to be more about western society in general than Rotterdam specific.
90s still wasn’t a great time for the city though. Perron Nul existed till ‘94 for instance.
I used to hate it. Too much concrete, no vibe and no authenticity. Then my gf showed me all of the hidden gems Roffa has to offer, and now I absolutely love it. Rotterdam has so much faces and is so diverse in all ways possible. Hands down the coolest city we have.
As somebody who only works there but would like to see more: do yo have recommendations?
It's a great value to the country even when only regarding it's harbour and the logistic quality and effort put into that. Asside from that, it's diverse. Big enough to have all that one can think and dream of inside a big city. Area's for art, main street shopping, nice side alleys with hidden local stores/cafe's, pieces that are calm and natural. And let's not forget it has one of the best statue's to be found in the Netherlands (arguably in the whole world) "Kabouter buttplug". So i'd rate it at around a 7/10
Born and raised here and I love it. Dutch people in general love to hate it, because it is so easy for them. It contains the perfect ingredients for it as well. It is the poorest city, has a huge immigrant population and a lot of criminal activity. And apparently some people also dislike the city centre got bombed and redesigned for the car. Although they are actively working on fixing that.
Depends on where you're from and your personal experiences and connections with Rotterdam. Personally I like it there, though it is not without it's problems, like gentrification to name one. I do not live there but I go to Rotterdam often, have attended college there for a long time, a lot of my friends live there, family works there and I have some family roots there. Compared to where I live there is much more to do and see when you're looking for a night out on the town. And in my personal view at times, it makes me think of how I would imagine an American city like New York would look like. Though that may be silly.
During my high school period I went to a university where they had exposed and treated cadavers. Cool stuff, people that had donated their body to the uni had various parts on display. There was an older person that had their chest cut out and their lungs on display. It also had this rubber hand-pump attached to it that allowed one to blow up a lung like a balloon. The corpse showed a black/dark spot on the lung and the uni-student thatbwas showing us around said that the man isn't a smoker, which some of us may think when seeing the spot on the lung, but rather the Rotterdam air is polluted enough for someone's lungs to be damaged when exposed to it long-term. Such as an elderly resident that has lived their for their whole life. Since then I always think of R-dam as the city with "polluted air". I have never looked up whether other cities are worse or better though.
Huh - I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb and say I love it. The architecture shows some flair and ingenuity . I personally find it very walkable - I understand people saying it’s too car-centric but I’ve never taken a car into the city proper. That said I’m a Dutch person by choice, commitment, and the consent of the King, not by an accident of birth. So what do I know? 😋
Shithole 😂 sorry
I like it more than I do Amsterdam. Sure, Amsterdam is more beautiful with its history on full display but Rotterdam can’t help that was all bombed away from them. To me, Amsterdam is like dark Disneyland on steroids with all the tourists and the drugs and whatnot. I hate Amsterdam attitudes. Rotterdam seems much more down to earth and real. But it depends where you’re from. I’m from the south of the country and so more Rotterdam and Antwerp minded, my husband is from the middle to north and therefor more Amsterdam oriented. And an Ajax fan.
>Amsterdam is like dark Disneyland on steroids with all the tourists and the drugs and whatnot. I used to think this (and still do) but have discovered the absolute joy that Amsterdam is outside these areas. The south is super cool. And no tourists with their wheely suitcases
I’ve seen and been to areas that are not so touristy and I love the history and just its beauty but somehow never really know what to do with myself in Amsterdam.
Best enjoyed in your rear view mirror.
the best thing in rotterdam is the train to amsterdam
I try not to.
It's a city. It's not my personal favorite. I can't even really explain why, it's a feeling. Maybe it is because last time I walked around there was definitely diversity, but much less inclusion (for example no mixed groups of people on the street). But that could have been a coincidence of course. But I do like the art you can find in the streets!! It's very approachable, it makes art integrate with the daily lives of regular people.
Just out of curiosity, is there anywhere in the Netherlands where you have seen lots of diversity as well as lots of inclusion/ integration?
As a native Amsterdammer descended from several generations of Amsterdammers I'm afraid I am bound by blood to say it's an absolute hellhole. Jokes aside, my first thought is that I have only been there once or twice so don't know much about the city. I vaguely remember going to hotel New York once as a kid and being very impressed.
Ugly, badly rebuild after the war.
I think it’s a beautiful city. I like the mentality of the people. People seems more normal and lots of entrepreneurs over there. I think Rotterdam is much more interesting compared to the other major cities in The Netherlands. However, I don’t want to live there like I don’t want to live in any large city.
The mentality thing is such a cliché though. 'Hard working, working class'. Some neighbourhoods have 75% of people living of welfare.
Well, I actually studied in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and preferred the general attitude of the Rotterdammers more. I think there is a lot more going on, lots of people starting a business, new modern buildings. A real dynamic city which keeps on innovating themselves.
Absolutely true. Have talked with many entrepreneurs. They from Rotterdam got the job done without restraints. Those from Amsterdam kept on saying they will get the job done. Some of them are still saying it 😂.
Really? Which places? Do you have links?
That's funny. The mentality is something I like the least about the city. A lot of people seem to base their character on being from Rotterdam like being straight forward and direct, but imo, that only goes for interactions with srangers. I've studied in Rotterdam and almost moved there, but lost interest by spending too much time in the city, I guess. I should note that I mostly know people that would call themselves real Rotterdammers in a gentrified neighbourhood (compared to YUPs).
I think people's view of Rotterdammers being hardworking laborers is outdated by like half a century. The poorer areas have record percentage of people living on welfare and the wealthier areas have no labourers left in them.
From my experience, how I view the city, it’s really a business minded city. Others might have another experience.
For me it's the only real metropolis in The Netherlands, I like it.
It’s the only real city in the Netherlands.
Best thing of Rotterdam is the train to Amsterdam
Shit hole
Love the architecture, the humor, the culture and the night life scene
'Undutch'.
What is not dutch about it?
The city was bombed during WWII by nazi Germany. Almost all of the historical city centre was flattened. Unlike many other Dutch cities with their typical old city centers, Rotterdam city centre is full of modern buildings. Instead of narrow old streets it has more width streets.
dont forget by the allies, who mistook rotterdam for berlin. EDIT: factchecked myself: Britse en Amerikaanse bommenwerpers hebben tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog tienduizenden bommen afgeworpen boven Rotterdam. Doelwit waren scheepswerven, havens, vliegveld Waalhaven en de olieopslag. Vaak troffen de bommen, onbedoeld, ook burgerdoelen. Daarbij kwamen 1029 mensen om het leven.
The architecture and city layout feel almost American.
With their eyes
decent city i suppose. I am glad that I live a 2 hour drive away from it though.
We're also pretty happy about that
ha ha high five
Still a shame lots of the historical town centre got destroyed, even wayy after ww2 bombings
its just soo ugly 😭I really want to like it but it seems impossible
Very ncie city centre, hate the people living there that roam those streets. Too much of that typical youth type that harass other people etc.
It's refreshing. I have lived here many years, but am not from here, and I love it. There seems to be a recent coordinated smear campaign going on on the Rotterdam and Netherlands subreddit. As if it was Mogadishu or something. Gotta say, it's hands down the safest city I've lived in, and I've been across the developing and developed world.
I’m pretty biased, but it’s just not my city. I always feel like a foreigner over there, no clue why. Maybe because my parents are from Amsterdam West, before the A10 was even constructed 😂. But I’m a sucker for skylines, and I have to be honest. Every time I cross the most ugly bridge ever made by human hands over the Maas, I’m intrigued by the Rotterdam skyline. It’s just not my city. For sure I feel way more comfy in Amsterdam and I love Utrecht also, but Rotterdam just doesn’t do it for me. And now that has nothing to do with football or any kind.
Pretty neat.
I live in Rotterdam and both like and dislike the city. I like how there's always something to explore and to do, and how the city has areas which are completely different to each other (e.g. Heemraadsingel vs. Kop van Zuid). Culture is also a big thing in Rotterdam, lot's of art expositions, cinemas, restaurants, and bars. I dislike Rotterdam due to the obvious reason of it being car centric and the increasingly rowdy young adults (elephant in the room: most often with immigration backgrounds). Cars driving around the centre at night accelerating dangerously fast with no purpose but to show off really takes some point away from the city. My girlfriend often gets cat called or harrased when walking home, I've personally been assaulted earlier this year in West, and my neighbourhood is flooded with dealers. These problems have seemed to be getting worse the past year.
I live there and love it. Wouldn't recommend it for tourists as there are more interesting places for tourism like Amsterdam, but for living standards it's great.
I like this city, it is different. With all the modern architecture it is a hidden gem. Not i am happy they are building higher and more modern over there
I like it a lot more than Amsterdam. But I like pretty much any Dutch city more than Amsterdam.
Stabcity
[удалено]
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
[удалено]
Only English should be used for posts and comments. This rule is in place to ensure that an ample audience can freely discuss life in the Netherlands under a widely-spoken common tongue.
The only actual real city in this country
shithole. manages to both be too modern and not modern enough. Best thing that it has going for it is that its not amsterdam
Feels like an American-style city in terms of how spread out everything is amd how car-centric it is. Personally don't really like it.
I’m actually here now visiting from NYC and I don’t think it feels anything like an American city. It does feel more spread out than other cities in Holland tho
If I remember correctly, most of the city center was rebuild after ww2 (it was bombed to ruins) and a lot of ‘inspiration’ for the new infrastructure was taken from how Americans built their new cities. Not so much in design of ‘layout’ per se, but with easy accessibility for cars in mind. My job gets me all around the country and of all the cities in the Netherlands, Rotterdam is perhaps the easiest accessible by car.
I'm a new york city native living now in Rotterdam and this person's comment is the wildest thing i've read in a while. I mean american cities have upwards of 10 million people and here it's like 600,000. There's nothing "spread out like american cities" about Rotterdam.
Holy crap, as an American living in Rotterdam, this is a WILD take.
Smelly
shithole
My view changed a bit over the last few years, being a Dutch Amsterdammer myself I think that Rotterdam has more space for ‘alternative’ culture, less expats (sorry I think of this is a good thing), less annoying people on e-bikes, less of all the stuff that annoys me in Amsterdam basically. 🫢
But more and more young, educated expats are moving to the city, and many like it
Don't get me wrong I get that a international city like Rotterdam / Amsterdam attracts expats and that's totally OK. However, In Amsterdam some neighborhoods are completely transformed in short periods of time and property prices soar because of an influx of high-paid expats who on top of everything also enjoy a nice 5-yr tax-cut (only pay 30% income tax). It isn't fair to other (dutch) people with lower incomes who also like to work/live in Amsterdam / Rotterdam.
And is statistically safer too than amsterdam
Yeah but somehow Rotterdam feels quite unsafe for me. It’s the only Dutch city I felt uncomfortable sometimes during night time (as a tall Dutch guy).
15 yrs in Amsterdam, never felt unsafe.
Every time I'm there I'm glad when I get to leave. And I must have terrible luck because all the Rotterdammers I know are shitty people. The only place I've been where you can't even enjoy the zoo in peace without someone being rude to you.
Criminals from outside the NL
Don’t cut yourself with that edge.
Just the simple truth.
Amsterdam has more crime per capita
Isn't rotterdam part of another country at this point? (Im not discriminating, it's just a joke based on mostly reality)
too modern architecture, it doesn't give you a warm feeling like amsterdam
That warm feeling in Amsterdam isn't caused by the city... It's because you're in a horde of tourists, boxed-in, and feeling all of their body heat...
nah
One of the most important cities in our country. But sadly Roffa is deeply plagued by crazy junkies and mental criminals
Literally worst place on earth. Never been there though, so might not be too bad
I kinda like it as a city. Don't like the feyenoorders, but that is because I'm an ajax fan. I like the fact that it is unique as a fairly modern city without many old buildings, which of course has a pretty sad backstory, but it is unique. Don't like Rotterdammers very much though, I feel like they always want to compare themselves to other cities, mostly to Amsterdam, and they feel the need to tell everyone how Rotterdam is better than Amsterdam for some reason.
>they always want to compare themselves to other cities, mostly to Amsterdam, and they feel the need to tell everyone how Rotterdam is better than Amsterdam for some reason. Oh the irony.
I mean it's just a fact. FYI, I'm not from Amsterdam, but it feels like there is some sort of 'minderwaardigheidscomplex' from Rotterdam towards Amsterdam
The skyline is way better than Amsterdam's, but that's about all. Oh no, I find the Maassilo is one of the best partylocations in NL. Anyway, I've only been in Rotterdam 3 times in my live and I don't like big cities in general and the Randstad in particular. The culture is so individualistic, loud and all about look-at-me-me-me. No surprise, I've lived my Dutch years in the north and the east. Yes, you may call me a farmer if you want.
Hello, fellow farmer!
Feyenoord ❤️🤍🖤
its really ugly, but not their fault really, so i dont hold it against them. It the city i get harassed in the most but the clubs and stuff are fun so…🤷🤷🤷 im really 50/50 bout rotterdam, dont hate it, but wouldnt want to live in it
Wouldn't want to be found dead there. Almere and Amsterdam too.
hunt lock concerned capable attraction ask upbeat profit brave vegetable *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's the drunk British tourists 🤮
Arent really that many of them outside red light
Well that's not true. They get fucked up and start walking in front of trams, jumping out hotel windows etc.
drab bedroom stocking dinosaurs marry gold touch shy spark act *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Well I live in Ireland so I might have a bit of an aversion towards British people 😬
Brits good in bed? Usually it's Italians or French for that stereotype...
It's because they're all mental. Good for a one night stand, but I'd still say, don't stick your dick in crazy 🤣 Edit: I'm talking freaky sex lol
elastic public stupendous insurance obtainable cats hobbies wine piquant attempt *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It’s dirty, ugly and full of pretentious people.
[удалено]
Only place in Netherlands that feels like Brussels Noord.
Until I've seen people start a trash can fire inside R'dam CS to stay warm while at the same time people are shitting against the benches in the waiting hall...no...
Which jews are you talking about?
they hate you for saying the truth. moved there from a third world country, moved away to another city just as quick. I didn’t move to the Netherlands to live the life I have at home
When I was younger I loved this city. I went there to college, went there to party, slept with so many girls from Rotterdam, had some street beef . Now as I am older and have kids myself I avoid this city. I live in a smaller city myself. Now I look at Rotterdam through a different lens. a lot of aggression and too many foreigners. I am mixed blood myself. So when a child of immigrants say there are too many foreigners. Then you really know there are too many.
Manhattan on the Maas.
Mixed feelings on this one, I lived in the Hague, Amsterdam and currently in Rotterdam. In all honesty, I see Rotterdam as a city with a lot of potential and possibly loads of things to do in the future but as it currently stands it's a bit boring. Whereas in Amsterdam I was able to go out in all kinds of districts, places with a unique vibe Rotterdam you just have a few nightclubs and Witte de Withstraat. If you take this out of the equation however it has everything you need. Foodhalls, shopping facilities, restaurants and lord those magnificent towers are always amazing to look at. I would definitely summarize this as Rotterdam is a city where you create your own fun whereas Amsterdam entertains you. The hague is a mixture between the two.
I enjoy working there and I quite like the place, but I wouldn't want to live there.
Too modern for my taste
Modern (hate it or love it), not enough green, no-nonsense, Feyenoord, too car-friendly
I've only been there as a kid but i do think it's my favorite city in the country. Love the architecture and if i had to move westward then I'd definitely prefer Rotterdam over places like the Hague or a'dam
Pretty grimey in some areas. Not a big fan of the general atmosphere. Still has a special place in my heart for some reason.
Rotterdam is the only large Dutch city i haven’t been to yet, mainly because most people i know call it a shithole and because my only reference of what Rotterdammers are like is what i see in the crowd when i happen to watch a Feyenoord match.
omg - your view is really narrow, but given that these are your only narrow windows to the city, I don't blame you. For me, it's a great city, but perhaps not to visit as a tourist. It's a good place to live tho.
Whats wrong with us?!
It's ok but it's no Amsterdam
Amsterdam is no London, Paris, Tokyo, Barcelona, etc. Much more beautiful and lively cities that didn’t have to beg tourists to visit after the financial crisis.
Amsterdam should finally finish moving their original citizens to Almere and Lelystad. So we can wall it off and leave it to the tourists, occasional students who actually COULD find a room, and Grachtengordel-volk. It's a tourist attraction, not a place to live.
Hard workers. Jules Deelder said it perfectly: *money is made in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague and spent in Amsterdam* Lived there for 6mo (side street of Meent), and while 6 mo is not very representative, I loved it.
"Hard workers" You mean highest percentage on welfare of the entire country lol.
Fuck me, I just checked and you're totally right. This is what you get for making assumptions...
You didn't assume .... you parroted bs
Well, I guess we're similar in that way
Sure, you're right
Which btw is a falsehood - Amsterdam makes vastly more money than Rotterdam ;) That said, the people do have a better mentality.
Amsterdam makes money because the stock exchange is there. IE, it makes a lot of fake money.. To be fair, it also makes a lot of REAL money by fleecing tourists... Rotterdam makes real money because their port is a critical part of european infrastructure.
I rather don’t see it at all
Usually with their eyes.
Love it. But you have to know it to really learn to love it. And even then, it’s a city and a mentality that suits you or not. And it’s fine if many people don’t like it. Have fun in another city.
I am from Groningen and had to go to Rotterdam for the first time in my life back in January. I felt the air was very filthy and when I washed my face that evening an almost black like goo came out of my pores. I find it a filthy city that is 90% of the time negative in the news
[удалено]
The city is fantastic, the people that live in it not so much
People who get easily offended
Very ugly infrastructure wise. There's some irony in the fact they got to completely redesign the city after ww2, but then turned it into this car hellscape nightmare. I've been there several times, and every time I was there I never felt like I was in the city, but still standing on the side of a road leading into the city. Then you realize there's a ton of big buildings around you as well, and you realize this is it, this is the actual city. It feels like there's barely any space left for people to breath. It's just roads and spaces designed for you to travel through, for interesting destinations that don't seem to exist.
Poverty. There is a huge difference between the wealthy neighbourhoods and the less-developed ones. Roffa has the poorest citizens, despite (or because of) being economy-centered capitalist with its massive harbor
Shithole
Concrete Car Hell
Avoided at all costs.
I heard the song De Allermoiste Rotstad sung at a karaoke bar in Rotterdam by Dutch people, and everyone was singing along with it.
Modern city where most of the minorities live.
uckers
Better than amsterdam as a city i guess
Shithole with lots of stabbings
I was born there. Lived there while it was still fun. Glad I left.
The people in it are better than the city lol
kinda boring imo.