Brienenoord Island Rotterdam – Nature escape

I stumbled upon this island by mistake while looking for relaxing spots in Rotterdam. I thought, maybe I'll give it a visit and check it out. There wasn't really a lot of information about it, so I went there with zero expectations.

But boy, was I surprised! This little island, right on the Maas, is so beautiful! It has walking paths, however, it is mostly a natural paradise. The birds seem to agree, as they flock to this island and made it a home for themselves. Moreover, this island is a protected area, as it is also home to wild cows.

However, this island was not always there. It was actually man-built to build the bridge right next to it, Van Brienenoordbrug, which was built in 1965. Over the years, nature did its thing and completely consumed this new land.

Definitely a place worth visiting. It takes around 2 hours to explore the island fully.