Sailing with the skyline in the background
Rotterdam in Noord-Holland is a modern city full of colourful architecture and striking modern monuments, a perfect location for sailing on the Dutch waterways. For water-lovers, the Nieuwe Maas river (a distributary of the Rhine) acts as a vast artery connecting the north sea to the port of Rotterdam: Europe’s largest harbour, bringing in trade ships and cruise ships from all over the world. Most boat rentals in Rotterdam tend to begin in and around the lakes not too far from the city centre, though you can pick up an electirc boat or cabin cruiser from as far away as Dordrecht and easily navigate to the heart of Rotterdam.
Boat rental in Rotterdam covers a wide range from small pleasure crafts. Choose from a canal boat, perfect for lazily exploring the canals of the city, a larger barge or a fully skippered yacht launched from the marina and deliverable across Zuid-Holland . You don't need a boating license, either - professonal skippers offer a relaxing boat tour across this iconic Dutch city.
The leafy village of Kralingen is popular with small pleasure boats, and Delfshaven on the right bank is the only area of Rotterdam to retain its historic charms: there's a small harbour, a windmill and lines of typical Danish houses set against the canals, making it a perfect option for boating.
Mooring options in Rotterdam are plenty, with rental points across much of Rotterdam Centrum and the city's lakes. Bear in mind the marina is reserved solely for professional use, but berths can be rented for anyone arriving by yacht.
Exploring the Rotterdam marina and the Erasmus suspension Bridge aboard a tour boat or one of Rotterdam’s iconic yellow and black taxi boats is a must. And from here, the maritime quarter offers an introduction to the history and inspiring future-forward vision of Rotterdam with long leafy avenues, period mansions and the Veerhaven marina providing plenty to look at. The Maritime Museum is of particular interest, while the striking yellow cubes of Kubeswoningen leaning against each other at perplexing 45-degree angles are perhaps one of Rotterdam’s most visually impressive, and best-known sights.
Hire a boat in the quiet inner-city village of Delfshaven to see Rotterdam as it once was, with rows of townhouses and a charming windmill parked on a corner of the 14th-century harbour — best seen from the waters of Coolhaven canal. With trendy boutique hotels, indie music venues and nearby Katendrecht’s thriving restaurant scene, the area is a perfect option to use as a base for boaters, walkers and cyclists.
While King’s Day takes much of the attention on the Netherlands’ cultural calendar, Rotterdam’s unique Water Weekend sees the canals and inland waterways of the city transformed with dragon boat races, pop-up islands and temporary beaches along the Rotte, making it an ideal time to explore Rotterdam by boat. Just outside of Rotterdam, Kinderdijkif and its delightful collection of windmills are one of the Netherlands' most unique UNESCO world heritage sights. But each year in September, the windmills are illuminated as part of the ‘Illumination Week’, and a perfect way to see it is from the water after the sun goes down.
From Rotterdam’s disarmingly modern centre to the leafy suburbs of Hillegersberg, home to the idyllic Bergse lake, these are the best bases for boat hire in Rotterdam.
There aren’t quite as many inner-city options for boating in Rotterdam as in Amsterdam but it’s a good starting point to see Meent market and to sail through the city centre under the glittering skyscrapers of Wijnhaven. From here you can sail along the river Rotte and under the Northern Bridge and connect to the Crooswijksesingel canal to see an old Heineken Brewery that pokes up next to the water.
As the only area of central Rotterdam to retain its pre-war charms, Delfshaven is ideally located to rent a boat to tour the typical (but rare in Rotterdam) Dutch architecture from the water. Here, gabled townhouses and antique windmills are laced along the banks of an attractive 14th-century harbour, from which the pilgrims set sail for the New World.
The huge lake in the middle of the Kralingse Bos parkland is perfect for lazy days practising your rowing or sailing in one of the Netherland’s prettiest parks. The tree-lined spaces are popular for an abundance of sports with forest runs, horse riding and restaurants to refuel, although it’s perfectly possible to sail from here to Lombardkade in the city centre if you’d prefer to stay on the water.
Located in leafy Hillegersberg, the Bergse Lake is the heart of a stunning stretch of open green spaces punctuated by contemporary villas perched on the lakeside. Explore the little town for a slice of old Holland with its convivial village centre visible from the lake.
Dordrecht, the Netherlands’ oldest city, lies to the south of Rotterdam and is a perfect option for sailors wanting a day out of town to experience the greenways and charms of the Nieuwe Merwede as it passes through the bucolic Nationaal Park De Biesbosch.
While fewer options exist here than in the capital, numerous pleasure crafts can be found across the city, with everything from convenient cabin cruisers and elegant yachts to tug boats converted into *“hot tugs”* available to hire.
A variety of Loungeboats is available in Rotterdam with converted seating with enough room for small, medium and large groups. The boats are generally self-driven with electric motors, and some have facilities for onboard BBQs and are simple enough for pretty much anyone to drive.
The lakes, Delfshaven and Dordrecht are good spots for renting Cabin Cruisers, and most, generally, have enough space for small groups, with beds and a small but convenient collection of amenities available should you wish to sail for more a day or more.
An eclectic variety of converted tenders are available in Rotterdam and come in various shapes and sizes — often unconventional — like perfect squares with built-in lounge seating. Most have been converted to include enough space for groups and can be hired with or without a skipper.
Cheap, cheerful and fun to operate, dinghies are available along the river Rotte but usually don’t have much more than space enough for two.
A small watercraft licence (Klein Vaarbewijs) or an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft) is a requirement for any boats that can exceed 20 kilometres an hour or are more than 15m in length. While anything smaller (which includes most pleasure crafts in the Netherlands’ major cities) is operable without a license.
The modern streets of the city centre are explorable year-round, and while the parks and lakes are striking throughout the year, the heavier September rainfall generally makes the Spring and Summer seasons best for boat hire in Rotterdam.
Rotterdam’s pleasure boats are available from €20 an hour for a dinghy along the river Rotte, and €25 an hour for electric-motor boats, and while most have a minimum rental period of 2 hours, charges are incremental, tending to become more economical the longer the rental period.
Skippered RIBS are available for watersports and thrill-seeking rides across the Rotterdam marina and start at around €60 an hour, while converted tenders and lounge boats are comparatively cheap for larger groups and are priced anywhere between €49 to €200 an hour.
Lees hier het verhaal van Sander en Beatriz en de Machinist010, een zelf ontworpen elektrische sloep in Rotterdam. Ze vertellen over de oorsprong van de boot, de verborgen parel van Rotterdam en waarom jij hun boot moet huren!
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Naast binnenlandse favorieten Amsterdam en Friesland, buitenlandse toppers als de Griekse kustplaatsen en de wonderen van de Adriatische Zee, zijn er een aantal vaargebieden binnen onze landsgrenzen die wat ons betreft iets meer aandacht verdienen.
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