Delfshaven Rotterdam – All our local tips

There is one great difference between Rotterdam and most other cities in the Netherlands, and that is the lack of an old city centre.

During the WW2 bombings in 1940 the whole of the city centre in Rotterdam had been destroyed and rebuild in the following decades. To get a glimpse of how Rotterdam looked like in days past, go to Delfshaven.

Take the Caland-line subway to Delfshaven and head East towards the canal. Here you will find an Amsterdam like canal with traditional Dutch architecture and some nice bars like Soif and De Oude Sluis.

If you want to spend time at a real traditional Dutch bar, a ‘kroeg’, De Oude Sluis is one of the best places to go. At first it seems very cosy and has a nice selection of beers, but the real gem is located at the back of the café. There is a room, suspended above the canal. Although designated for smokers, for non-smokers it is worth to withstand the smoke and enjoy the view and excellent selection of beers.

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De Oude Sluis | Bars | Beer € 2.75
Havenstraat 7-A | Delfshaven
until 02:00 daily

If life is a journey of the senses, make sure you include Ivy on the way. Take a full evening out to expose yourself to an eclectic range of tastes, sensations and surprises. Prepare for a festive workout for tastebuds and palate complete with warming up and cooling down.

You need to go to the Lloydpier on the river in a westerly direction, where renovated warehouses and modern architecture house young innovative startup companies, designer studios and galleries – a perfect spot for Ivy that matches all those artistic qualities.

Walking in you face a modern interior, a young and enthusiastic serving staff, keen on explaining in subtle details the dinner program. A fully open kitchen brims with activity and meticulous finesse, where the fully white brigade mills around in a disciplined, muted shoulder to shoulder synchrony resembling a bee hive.

And all of this leads to fun and excitement, to let your tongue attempt to trace an unexpected mix of ingredients. Give the sommelier a free hand to and let the sampling wines match and intensify the multiple courses ( take 5 or 7 ) or take ample time to look over the more than thousand wines on the list. Ivy wants you to have a meal, that makes you think, wonder and delight – in the end you will happily realize that you ate and drank while doing it.

The fall is most complimentary to IVY: a steady stream of accolades from the national press, a Michelin star and a top ten spot in the national selection by the Specialbite.com site and the Promise of the year 2010 award for chef Francois Geurds by Gault Millau all endorse our recommendation to celebrate your choice lunch or dinner here.

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IVY | Restaurants (Modern top biological, seasonal and vegetarian) | Menu from € 75.00 – 115.00
Lloydstraat 294 | Delfshaven | +31104250520
Tue – Sat lunch from 12:00 & dinner from 18:30

(TIP: Combine this spot with a visit to Stroom, Verhip (check the Verhip article), Wijn of Water (check the Wijn of Water article) or Ivy)

The harbour is moving to the West. And as it moves, it is leaving wonderful harbours to redevelop as residential and commercial areas. The Lloydkwartier is an excellent example of that. The old storehouses are redeveloped into lofts and restaurants and new high rise buildings are built for studios and companies.

However, the harbour is not yet really gone! Although the docks and transfer cranes have moved, there are still ships to be seen in the Lloyd quarter. if you walk to the Maas bank you can get right next to them. I really like this cool industrial feel that is typical for Rotterdam.

If you follow the banks in direction West, you will end up at a lovely, lonely place at the tip of the pier: het Lloydhoofd. This is my favorite spot to sit, think and watch the harbour. At any time of the day, this is the perfect place to relax and chill.

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Lloydhoofd | Relaxing | Free
Lloydhoofd | Delfshaven
24 hours daily

Delfshaven, a very famous and authentic harbour in the Netherlands, had their annual ‘open house days’. And so me and my son ended up at the Pilgrimfather’s Church. This church was originally catholic, but now houses a Christian community, ancestors of the American pilgrims. Their arrival is still celebrated at Thanksgiving Day.

Because of this Catholic origin, the church is more decorated then most Christian churches. Well, they told me so, since I have not been in many churches. Especially their leaded lights are very pretty, showing scenes from the big book and some about the Pilgrimfather’s History. Especially the two high leaded lights in the back which show the six days of creation are beautiful.

I have not been raised religiously and never went to any divine service. Still… I am a believer nonetheless. I always wanted to go to a service on Christmas Eve and when I asked about it, I was invited to come on a Sunday too. My son and I were both interested, so now I do come on Sunday sometimes, when times allow. The atmosphere is very warm and open. Besides the relax atmosphere which remind me of meditation, I very much enjoy the singing.

Because of it’s roots as being the ancestors of the American pilgrims, it’s kind of international. Although the services are Dutch, they keep open house a lot. They also have a big organ, which is played a lot during service and also special performances during the week.

Check the calendar for activities and open church.

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Pelgrim Vaderskerk | Art & culture | Free
Aelbrechtskolk 20 | Delfshaven | +310104774156
Sun 10:00 & 17:00

Everywhere in Rotterdam old buildings are knocked down or refurbished in order to modernize the city. Personally, I like this renewal, if done with respect for the context. However, I do appreciate it if I find a nice old place with a lot of character. A few years ago I accidentally entered this place to hide for the rain as, waiting for Wijn of Water (check Wijn of Water article).

Immediately upon entrance I was warmly welcomed by the bartender and everybody at the bar. I had not encountered such love in Rotterdam. Ever since, I drop by there once a while. And I am not the only one. Even better, it is getting cosier and cosier every time.

So how does this relate to the modernization introduction? Verhip is a cosy old bar in the middle of the rapidly modernizing ‘multi-media-business-park’ in Rotterdam. It is nice to see that good places are preserved, instead of sacrificed for the sake of progress.

Anyway, it is a popular hangout for both people working at the ICT and multimedia companies in the area, as for the Rotterdam people that want to escape the busy centre. But that doesn’t mean it will not get busy here. Go there on Sunday afternoon, and enjoy a glass of beer or coffee at the terrace or inside at the bar and enjoy the company of real Rotterdammers.

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Verhip | Bars | Lunch € 6.75
St. Jobsweg 21 | Delfshaven | +31104766869
Mon-Fri: 11:30 – 23:00, Wkn: 16:00 – 1:00

The picture shows the unorthodox non conventional style of Wine or Water: the chef at ease peeling potatoes, the old rowing boat on the left functions as the herb garden, the terrace hidden behind and embraced by the surrounding containers, a ship moored along the quay.

Originally planned as a temporary restaurant, this wonderfully creative place still is where it was and hopefully it will remain. The architect put this unique restaurant together by gathering up several sea containers, connected them, put them on top of each other, and voilà. A quiet place, on the edge of the waterway leading to the North Sea , with a staggering view, especially at night from the large terrace.

Good cooking (fusion, Italian, French), reasonably priced, with a nice wine list or the option to let the wines by the glass suit your choices. This is the place to be on a warm summer night overlooking the river or on the inside for a cosy tete-a-tete.

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Wijn of Water | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Dinner € 25.00
Loods Celebes 101 | Delfshaven | +31104778454
Terrace (open if at least 18 degrees C ) Wed – Sun from 12:00, dinner Wed – Sun from 17:30

WORM in Delfshaven is one of the most cutting-edge cultural hotspots in the Netherlands. Go to WORM for concerts of electronic music and sound-art, films, workshops, masterclasses and the awesome WORM-shop. But do not expect your average known band-nights; WORM is experimental and avant garde! More often than not, I was at WORM and thought the performances went beyond my comprehension. However, these evening have been engraved in my memory for being at least impressive.

Furthermore, not only art and culture is shown, it is created as well in the labs and studios. The creations are about art, technology, music, sound, cultural reflection and innovation beyond your imagination!

WORM is located in a nice old building in historic Delfshaven. Although it is slightly off the map, it is worth the trip. Check their website for interesting events and performances or go to their shop that is open daily from 12 to 18h, except for Sundays that is.

Please note, WORM is not a mainstream attraction, go to their website to see if this is your kind of ball game.

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WORM | Art & culture, Music, Shopping
Achterhaven 148 | Delfshaven
Shop: Tue – Sat 12:00 – 18:00, for events check their website