Rotterdam off Blaak: Van Nelle, Delfshaven and Fenix
A UNESCO-listed factory, a town the 1940 bombing passed by, and a warehouse turned into a museum of migration.
- Where
- Van Nelle and Delfshaven to the west
- When
- A weekend for Van Nelle
- How long
- Half an hour to an hour each
Hidden Rotterdam lies off the Blaak square: the Van Nelle factory and Delfshaven to the west, Katendrecht across the river, Kralingen to the east. Three of the seven places need no ticket, but two run to a calendar — the factory lets you in only at weekends, and the Kralingen windmills three days a week.
The Van Nelle factory
A tobacco, coffee and tea factory built between 1925 and 1931 and UNESCO-listed since 2014. It is all glass and steel, with conveyor bridges flying between the wings, and it was designed so that the workers had daylight. Today it holds offices, so you get inside only at weekends, on guided tours run by the Chabot Museum; from outside it can be seen from the street at any time.
Delfshaven
Delfshaven was a town in its own right until 1886, when it asked to join Rotterdam, and the German bombing of 14 May 1940 passed it by. On 1 August 1620 the Speedwell carried the Pilgrims from here to Southampton, and from there they went on to America; the old Delfshaven church is now named the Pelgrimvaderskerk after them. The quarter is small and walked in an hour.
Fenix and the Tornado
A former Holland America Line warehouse in Katendrecht has been a museum of migration since May 2025. From inside it the Tornado, a double-helix staircase, climbs to a viewing platform twenty-four metres up, looking across the river to the centre. A ticket is €15 and includes the Tornado; there is no separate ticket for the viewpoint alone. The Plein on the ground floor, a covered square with a cafe, is open without a ticket. The museum is shut on Mondays, except in the Dutch school holidays.
Four more
- The White House — an 1898 building, 43 metres high, on completion the tallest office building in Europe. It came through the 1940 bombing damaged but standing, and stands by the Oude Haven.
- The ss Rotterdam — the former flagship of the Holland America Line, permanently moored in Katendrecht, not far from Fenix. It is a hotel now, and the ship can be toured every day from 10 to 5 with an audio guide for €13.45.
- The Kralingse Bos — woods and the Kralingse Plas lake on the east of the city. On the shore stand the windmills De Lelie, from 1777, and De Ster, which still grind spices; they open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 to 4.30.
- The Euromast — a 1960 tower with a viewing platform at 96 metres and a glass cabin that rotates as it climbs to 185.
One hack
Two places on this list run to a calendar, and only one day of the week covers both: Saturday. That is when the Van Nelle tours and the Kralingen windmills are both open, and Fenix runs from 10 to 5. If you are in town Monday to Friday, pick Wednesday or Thursday for Kralingen and see Van Nelle from outside.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Can you go inside the Van Nelle factory?
Only at weekends, on guided tours run by the Chabot Museum, since the building holds offices today. From outside it can be seen from the street at any time.
What survived the bombing of 1940?
Delfshaven, which the bombing of 14 May passed by, and the White House of 1898, which was left standing, damaged.
Where is there a viewpoint besides the Euromast?
The Tornado on the roof of the Fenix museum in Katendrecht, twenty-four metres up, looking across the river. It is reached only with a museum ticket, €15.
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