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Museumhaven van het Maritiem Museum. Foto door Theo de Man.

Maritime Museum Rotterdam: An expedition in the heart of the city centre

By Kim Longwood
January 27, 2023

If you are passionate about boats, ships, the sea and everything related to these things, then you must visit the Maritime Museum. This interactive museum is located in the centre of Rotterdam, next to an iconic part of the harbour. Appropriate, right?

The Maritime Museum is fun for young and old, has exhibitions and activities especially aimed at children and has a world-class museum collection. The museum has one of the largest maritime collections in the world. If that sounds like a maritime dream to you, the time to plan your visit is now!

Discover more museums in Rotterdam!

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Maritime Museum Rotterdam: practical information

Een activiteit die leuk is voor alle leeftijden. Het Maritiem Museum Rotterdam bevindt zich in één van de grootste en oudste museumhavens van Nederland en hier leer je meer over het verleden én heden van de Rotterdamse haven. Met tentoonstellingen, activiteiten en een collectie aan historische schepen en kranen ben je hier wel even zoet. Ideaal voor bijvoorbeeld een regenachtige dag of als je op pad bent met kinderen. 

Photo by Theo de Man.

Visit plans & entrance fees Maritime Museum

You can easily plan your visit via the Maritime Museum Rotterdam website. Here you buy tickets or book a time slot with your museum card, for example.

  • Adults – €17,50
  • Children 4 to 15  – €12,50 (only access accompanied by an adult)
  • Children up to 4 years – Free
  • CJP and students – €11,50
  • Museumkaart, Rotterdampas, Jeugdvakantiepaspoort (JVP), ICOM, VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART (18+) and members vereniging Rembrandt, NedLloyd Pensioenfonds – Free

Buy your tickets for Maritiem Museum Rotterdam in advance.

Maritiem Museum Rotterdam opening times

Tuesday to Saturday: 10 AM to 5 PM
Sunday and holidays: 11 AM  5 PM

Location Maritiem Museum

The Maritime Museum is located in the heart of the city centre, at the Blaak-Coolsingel intersection. The location is also referred to as the Maritime District. The museum is easily accessible by public transport, bicycle or on foot and is within walking distance of the Erasmus Bridge, Central Station and the Markthal.

Adres

Leuvehaven 1, 3011 EA Rotterdam

 

Maritime Museum Rotterdam: museum harbour

Museum harbour of the Maritime Museum. Photo by Theo de Man.

The oldest and largest museum harbour in the Netherlands

Do you want to experience how the port of Rotterdam once started? Even before you enter the museum building you will see impressive boats. These boats can also be visited.

Historic ships are moored in this harbour and there are special guest ships. In the workshops of the Maritime Museum you will discover the secret of maritime crafts and shipbuilding. An audio tour through the museum harbor is always possible, which is a permanent part of the exhibition.

 

Maritime Museum Rotterdam: exhibitions & activities

Fun activities at the Maritime Museum. Photo by Marco de Swart.

Exhibitions

In Maritime Museum Rotterdam you can visit many changing exhibitions. Sometimes it is about the port and sea monsters or about the destination for a port city like Rotterdam.

But there is one exhibition that is always on view, namely the offshore experience. This is a challenging search for energy at sea. During this exhibition you will imagine yourself on board of a platform at sea and up to three kilometers under water.

In addition, there is Professor Plons, an adventurous exhibition aimed at children. In a playful way, kids get to know different ships, but also the work that is done in the port and how products are transported by ship across the world.

Activities

In addition to exhibitions, many activities take place in or outside of the museum, that are linked to Maritime Museum Rotterdam. For example, Chinese New Year, film screenings related to water or ships, or a cruise through the Maritime District. You can also see the museum’s blacksmith in action in the workshops.

 

Maritime Museum Rotterdam: museum collection

Maritime Museum collection. Photo by Fred Ernst.

World class museum collection

The Maritime Museum has a museum collection that is among the best in the world. It is one of the largest collections in the world, illustrating six centuries of Dutch maritime history. The collection consists of about 1 million objects that cover Dutch maritime history from the end of the fifteenth century to the present day.

We can of course tell you all about this, but we really hope that this article has made you want to visit the Maritime Museum Rotterdam. It’s really worth it. You will undoubtedly be impressed by all the beautiful objects, but you will also have a lot of fun with the interactive parts.

 

Discover the influence the maritime world has on everyday life. Start planning your visit to Maritime Museum Rotterdam!

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