4 Highlights for Kids in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Almost completely rebuilt following its near-total destruction by Nazi bombs in 1940, Rotterdam doesn’t look like Europe’s other great cities. But amid its sleek, modern buildings, families traveling in the Netherlands will find beautiful parks, public art and a lively cultural scene. In fact, plans are underway for Rotterdam to become a new center for European culture.

Begin at Old Harbor (Oude Haven), a good place to immerse your family in what made (and still makes) Rotterdam a vibrant international city. Europe’s largest harbor made the city an important trade center almost from its founding in the 13^th century. Today, the vast Europort is busy with a steady flow of shipping and commercial vessels, while the Boat Basin at Old Harbor is filled with restored historic boats and houseboats.

Maritime Museum Rotterdam
You might not think a maritime museum would interest kids, but Maritime Museum Rotterdam is a lot more than ship models, replicas and navigation instruments. Outside is the 19th-century ironclad Buffel, an old lightship, and more than a dozen other historic vessels. At the Kids Marina, young travelers can play captain of their own kid-sized version of a cargo or passenger ship.

Miniworld Rotterdam
If plan to travel elsewhere in the Netherlands, your kids can get a sneak preview of some of the landmarks at Miniworld Rotterdam. Set in realistic miniature landscapes and waterways, this immense exhibit includes modern and historic buildings and scenes from Rotterdam and throughout the country. Connecting these scenes are a fleet of miniature railway trains with nearly 2,000 pieces of rolling stock.

Rotterdam Zoo
Natural habitats and preservation of endangered species are priorities of Rotterdam Zoo, where you can observe animals in realistic environments from a swamp to the steppes of Mongolia. Endangered animals in the zoo include Asian elephants, Asiatic lions, Eastern black rhinoceros, Pigmy hippo, Komodo dragon, polar bear, red panda, Sumatran tiger and the critically endangered Western lowland gorilla.

Kinderdijk Windmills
Less than 15 miles from the city is one of the most popular Netherlands attractions, Kinderdijk’s Windmills. Enrolled as a UNESCO World Heritage site, 19 beautifully preserved windmills from the mid-1700s made this below-sea-level region livable until modern water management techniques were developed. Two of the mills have museums, and you can take a boat tour of surrounding canals.