Where to Stay in Rotterdam: Hotels, Hostels and AirBnBs

Are you looking for locations and where to stay in Rotterdam? Whether its for a short visit or much longer, work related or for leisure? Read these top choices by international travellers have been in your shoes and found some great places to sleep. Whether your preferred choice is a hostel, hotel or even AirBnB theres plenty of locations to choose from. 

Which Locations To Stay In Rotterdam

Where to stay in Rotterdam is a good question to ask, as the city has some great locations to stay in, where you can find a decent place to sleep too. For some who have shared where they stayed below arrived in Rotterdam for a conference, for others they came for the city. Since I have lived here for more than 7 years as an Expat I have grown to know what some of the best locations are. Some areas I’d recommend are the following:

• Katendrecht
• City Center
• Kop van Zuid / Wilhelminapier
• Oude Noorden
• Kralingen

For more information on the areas please see here!

Where To Stay In Rotterdam

Here our top 10 collaborations with international travellers of where to stay in Rotterdam!

1. Ibis Rotterdam

Hotel Ibis Rotterdam is the perfect central location in Rotterdam’s Wijnhaven. I have stayed at this hotel about three times now and really like the location, quiet neighbourhood, cleanliness, modern but simple furniture. It is one of the better Ibis hotels from this chain that I have stayed in.

I can walk pretty much to Markthal, Cube houses, Witte de Withstraat, Cool district, Erasmus bridge, all within a 5-20 minute walk. As a Accorhotels member, I also get perks of getting a welcome drink, priority checkin and checkout, and if I have to sleep in a little bit, I can request for a later checkout. Price ranges from €65-130 per night depending on demand and what is going on in Rotterdam at the time.

Travel with Alaine at Travel With Alaine – Check out her Instagram here!

2. Citizen M

We have a lot of experience staying in Rotterdam. We’ve visited for just a few days, stayed longer-term for a month, and now are lucky enough to call this city home. If you’re looking for a great location at a good value, we think the Citizen M is the perfect place to stay in Rotterdam. It’s right in the middle of the city, surrounded by Rotterdam’s coolest attractions including the Cubic Houses and the Markthal. It overlooks the picture-perfect harbor, Oudehaven and the famous Witte Huis (the first skyscraper in Europe).

The Nieuwe Maas river is within strolling distance, where you can admire Rotterdam’s three bridges. And it’s steps away from one of the city’s main transit hubs, Rotterdam Blaak, so you can easily travel throughout Rotterdam by Metro or tram, or further afield in the Netherlands by train.

The Citizen M is also quite stylish and cool. The rooms are small, but efficiently designed and comfortable. And entertaining! They are equipped with a huge TV with free movies and different coloured lights to suit your mood. Rates at the Citizen M range between approximately 65-125 EUR for a double room depending on your dates and how far in advance you book. One tip: try to check in early if you want a view of Oudehaven.

Written by Sarah and Justin at Travel Breathe Repeat – Check out their Instagram here!

While searching for where to stay in Rotterdam, you might want to also check out things to do in Rotterdam! See here our Rotterdam Top Highlights during winter you shouldn’t miss! 

3. Hostel ROOM

I spent a week in Rotterdam for a travel blogging conference Traverse, and I stayed at a lovely place, Hostel Room Rotterdam. Right after the check in, I knew I was going to love that place. The girl doing the check in was very friendly! She gave me a ticket for a free welcome drink (I had a well-deserved beer!), and she showed me their library, where you can do book swapping.

There are different type of rooms, from private double room to 14-bed dorm, and prices go from 17.50 euros per person night to 80 euros per room. They’re all comfy, and have everything you need: free lockers, linens, soft comforters and reading light. You can also ask the staff for a hairdryer, a iron or use of the washing machine.

In the morning, you can enjoy their awesome breakfast (fruits, toasts, ham, cheese, juice, coffee, tea etc). And all day long, you can order food (pastas, sandwiches, nachos, hot dog, soup etc) and of course drinks (soft, beer, wine, cocktails…). If needed, you can cook yourself, they have a kitchen for their guests. They always propose having activities (guided tour, live music, karaoke nights, quiz nights, table soccer etc). It’s impossible to get bored!

The icing on the cake? The staff is welcoming, friendly, and helpful! They have a nice terrace, and the hostel is located in the city center! Feel free to come whenever you want to, Hostel Room Rotterdam is open 24/7!

Written by Roobens at Been Around The Globe – Check out his Instagram here!

4. NHOW Hotel

What a gorgeous location the NHOW is to stay at for our anniversary weekend.  My husband had booked it as a surprise getaway with a skyline view of the Erasmusbrug. We had a delicious choice of breakfast making the start to the day perfect.

You can find the hotel at Kop Van Zuid, a location that seems to be pretty lively! It is very close to Hotel New York and a new Fenix Food Hall with lots of different bites to eat and drink. We loved the atmosphere of the city with everyone open to helping us find the right direction.

We even took a water taxi route close from the hotel to the Euromast for the 360°c views of the city from the other side. But coming back to clean sheets and a luxurious bathroom made it the best feeling in the world. Would definitely recommend to other couples looking for a weekend break!

Written by a friend.

5. AirBnB in Rotterdam

When we attended Traverse in Rotterdam we stayed in a wonderful Airbnb along Class de Vrieselaan. We weren’t quite sure where to stay in Rotterdam so did some research on different kinds of accommodation. We like to stay in Airbnb places as we like to cook our own meals and if possible be located in a neighbourhood with people going about their day to day lives.

Our Airbnb was perfect. Located between two main streets in a diverse neighbourhood, it was surrounded by plenty of shops, a supermarket and loads of public transport options. Our apartment was on the third floor and had beautiful views across the lush green gardens of the neighbourhood. We managed to strike it lucky with the weather in Rotterdam which was very tropical – so an apartment with plenty of windows, fresh air and gorgeous views was exactly what was required.

Written by Cath & Andy at Red Door Ponderings – Check out their Instagram here!

6. SS Rotterdam

Are you looking for something really unique? You should book yourself a night at the SS Rotterdam. I stayed here for one night with my partner as a gift. So we’re not sure what it costed, but it was pretty awesome! As Rotterdammers ourselves, we know the city since we were children. But to stay on the SS Rotterdam was something unique!

Located in Katendrecht, this is the permanent place for the cruise ship. Once sailing to places like New York. The food was delicious and we loved you could get drinks on the top deck!

Our room itself was very spacious, not like some cruise ships where they squeeze you in. The crew, since we are talking about a ship, was super friendly and welcoming too. What we loved the most is finally trying the water taxi in Rotterdam. They have their own dock so you can jump straight on and head to the other side for some shopping!

Written by a friend.

While searching for where to stay in Rotterdam, you might want to also check out things to do in Rotterdam! See here our Rotterdam Top Highlights during summer you shouldn’t miss! 

7. King Kong Hostel

King Kong Hostel is a ‘hip spot’ with great décor and amenities that welcomes a range of travellers, from adventurers to ‘business-packers’
alike.

Given the central location, it’s a great place to stay if you like being in the heart of the city and action. There are great restaurants and bars, all within walking distance all along Witte de Withstraat.

Though the hostel touts they serve travellers from backpackers only needing a bunk in dorm, to couples or those traveling for business that may prefer a private room, I’d caution the latter to take into account the fluctuating noise levels might disturb the stay of a conventional business traveler.

The environment is mostly accommodating and comfortable for a range of guests. If you’re budget conscious booking a dorm room, prefer preparing meals or taking a night off from the bar scene, there is an on-site guest kitchen and a cozy spot to have a movie night.

Note: The guest kitchen is public space, so be mindful that your personal standard may not always be met in shared facilities.

However, if you’re a similar to me, in that you’re not overly concerned with breaking the bank, ‘adulting’ a bit and beyond the dorm stays, a private room is a comfortable fit. I’d suggest booking one and enjoying any of the many places to have great meals during your stay.

As with most establishments of this caliber, the facilities are great and the staff is friendly and helpful.

Written by Locaux – Check out the Facebook here!

8. Air BnB in Rotterdam

I definitely recommend considering an AirBnB for your stay in Rotterdam, but just be aware that you double-check the location to make sure it really is where you want to be. I visited for a few days with friends and we used Air BnB to book a lovely two-bedroom apartment on Prins Hendrikkade, on the island in the middle of the river, known as Noordereiland. It looked pretty close to the city centre but it was in fact around a 30-45 minute walk, and although there were bikes available for use at the apartment, we couldn’t figure out how to unlock the chains – and I would probably have been too small to ride any of them anyway!

So, we ended up relying on Ubers, buses and the occasional water taxi, which meant that we could probably actually have stayed in a nice hostel in the city centre for the same amount of money. The lesson of the story – make sure the location of the AirBnB is close enough to your ideal location!

Written by Kacie at the Rare Welsh Bit – Check out her Instagram here!

9. The Student Hotel Rotterdam

I stayed at the Student Hotel during a weekend trip to Rotterdam in the summer. I didn’t know where to stay in Rotterdam at first, but after someone recommended the Student Hotel I booked a room. It was the perfect location with only 10minutes walking to the city center. However there is a tram stop right outside for those who buy a public transportation OV card. I also borrowed a bike!

It had a very nice vibe to stay here, with decent size clean rooms too. The hallways and public areas were bright and open too. With the name student hotel, there are definitely students staying here as the university is not far away. But I certainly had no problems with any other guests regarding noise during my stay.

The staff are very welcoming and helpful to tips and local things to do for Rotterdam, and they helped me with finding some live music locations. If we were to return to Rotterdam, I would definitely book myself into the Student Hotel again!

Written by a friend.

10. Thon Hotel Rotterdam City Centre

I had to spend 4 days in Rotterdam during a work visit with some colleagues. We had chosen the Thon Hotel close to the water based on the location. We all had fantastic spacious rooms with desk areas, and a view of the Rotterdam Erasmusbrug. Shower and bathroom area very modern too! Was great to see it at night from the bedroom, with plenty of privacy from any other buildings.

Since we were out the whole day for work, the buffet breakfast was a delicious start to the day. Plenty of choice and all seemed very fresh. There seemed to be high standards of cleaning too as we didn’t see a piece of food out of place!

On our last day with free time we explored the city, easy by foot from this hotel. But we did see a tram right outside. I’d love to bring my wife one day to Rotterdam, but for now and with work colleagues it was a great choice!

Written by a colleague.

Read more of our Rotterdam posts! 

Rotterdam Markthal

Rotterdam in Winter

Rotterdam in Summer

Spring Photoblog of Rotterdam

The Famous Cubic Houses

Rotterdam Museum ’40-’45 NU

Rotterdam Open Monument Day

Rotterdam Rooftop Days

Rotterdam Helicopter Tour

World Harbour Days Festival

Discover the prettiest neighborhood Kralingen

Summary

We hope this helps you with where to stay in Rotterdam for your trip. Whether it’s for a business trip or leisure!! To help with your visit to Rotterdam, we have a summer guide and winter guide with top highlights and local secrets that you shouldn’t miss.

Tips:

• If you are planning to visit Rotterdam, keep in mind that most places is easy accessible with the really good tram, bus and metro system.
• Looking for something more unique to Rotterdam? Stay in one of the famous Cubic Houses in Rotterdam!
• Do your research and plan based on your itinerary.  If you have a car or not as parking can be limited at some locations.
• Choose where to stay in Rotterdam based also on how long you are spending in the city. I think it’s better to pay a little extra and be in city center if you are visiting on a short visit. Everything like the Rotterdam Markthal and Cubic houses are pretty walkable!

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Are you looking where to stay in Rotterdam? Or have you ever stayed in Rotterdam before? We’d love to hear more in the comments!