All activities / Museums & Galleries / Rotterdam
Museums & Galleries in Rotterdam
The Netherlands' second city and Europe's largest seaport, rebuilt in bold modern architecture after wartime destruction. Around the green Museumpark it has become a centre for contemporary art, design and architecture, anchored by the mirrored Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Kunsthal.
Why here
Rotterdam is the one Dutch city where the architecture is the art, and its cultural quarter around the Museumpark is the sharpest place to see it. The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, opened in 2021, is the world's first publicly accessible art storage building, a mirrored bowl by the firm MVRDV that reflects the whole city back at itself and lets you walk among the entire collection of the Boijmans museum, roughly 150,000 works packed on racks and in glass cases across its floors while the main museum is closed for renovation, topped by a rooftop forest and restaurant. A short walk away, the Kunsthal, designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA and opened in 1992, holds no permanent collection at all and instead runs a fast rotation of exhibitions across art, design, photography and fashion, so it is different on every visit. Together with the modern skyline of the Cube Houses, the Markthal and the Erasmus Bridge, they make Rotterdam a museum city about looking forward rather than back.
Best months
Both venues are open Tuesday to Sunday year round and work well in any weather, which makes Rotterdam a strong wet-day or winter option. The Depot uses timed tickets and its rooftop and evening tours book up, so reserve online. The Kunsthal's shows change through the year, so it is worth checking what is on before a visit. The Museumpark links the two on foot within a few minutes, along with the Chabot and other institutions.
Getting there & around
Rotterdam Centraal is about 40 minutes by intercity train from Amsterdam and 25 from The Hague, and the Museumpark is a short tram or metro ride or a 20-minute walk from the station. Book Depot tickets, and any rooftop or behind-the-scenes tour, on the museum's own site in advance. The Kunsthal, Depot and Museumpark sit within a few minutes of each other, so one afternoon can take in both plus the surrounding modern architecture on foot.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (2)
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
OrganizerThe Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam's Museumpark is the world's first publicly accessible art storage facility, opened in 2021 as a mirrored, bowl-shaped building by the firm MVRDV. Inside, visitors walk among the full collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, around 150,000 objects held on open racks and in climate-controlled glass stores, while the main museum is closed for a long renovation. A forest and restaurant sit on its rooftop.
Kunsthal Rotterdam
OrganizerThe Kunsthal Rotterdam is an exhibition hall in the Museumpark designed by Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA and opened in 1992. It keeps no permanent collection and instead programmes a rapid succession of exhibitions each year across visual art, design, photography and fashion, from Signac and Helen Levitt to design shows, alongside an auditorium and education programme. Because the shows turn over constantly, the building is different on nearly every visit.