Living in Rotterdam

Over the years, Rotterdam has grown into a metropolitan city with over 170 nationalities.  The City was almost completely ruined during the Second World War. Thanks to a proactive rebuilding plan by the government, Rotterdam was rebuilt into a modern architectural haven, with a few medieval hotspots like Delfshaven, which were left unscathed by German bombs in WWII. 

While it is impossible to describe all that living in Rotterdam has to offer you, we hope this page can at least give you an idea of what to expect. The majority of the international programmes are located in Kralingen, the city centre and Rotterdam-west.

Student housing in Rotterdam usually implies that certain amenities are shared with others. These amenities include sharing of a kitchen, bathroom and shower. In almost all cases, you will have a fully furnished private room to yourself. Fully furnished usually implies a bed, closet and a desk. 

Experience teaches us that the longer students study or stay in Rotterdam, the easier and cheaper it becomes to find a room. Our advice is to start your search early. If you still do not manage to find a room before your arrival, you can always stay at a hostel in Rotterdam until you find a room (e.g. Stayokay Rotterdam).

Traveling by public transportation

It may be a good idea to have a look at how much it will cost to travel from your dormitory to school and/or the city centre.  You can calculate these costs on the website of the RET.  RET is one of Rotterdam’s main local public transport providers.  If the costs of public transportation are too high, consider travelling by bike. 

Rotterdam-noord (north)

Rotterdam north usually refers to the area above Rotterdam central station.  It is where the city’s zoo is located (Blijdorp) and is popular with young families. Areas in the north include Oude Noorden, Bergpolder, Liskwartier and Hillegersberg.  Like Blijdorp, these neighbourhoods are also popular with families because of the green spacious lifestyle, which is sometimes difficult to find in urban cities like Rotterdam. Depending on where you live in Rotterdam-noord, and of course also depending on your fitness level, it may be a quite far to travel to school by bike than say the city centre, Kralingen or Rotterdam west. 

Rotterdam-stad (city centre)

A 10-minute walk from the central train station (Rotterdam Centraal) towards the south-east will take you to the city’s main shopping area called Lijnbaan and the ‘Koopgoot’.   

Rotterdam-oost (east)

The most popular areas in the east of Rotterdam are the neighbourhoods of Kralingen and Crooswijk. Crooswijk is the adjoining neighbourhood with working-class families. Due to its relative proximity  to the city centre, Kralingen is very popular amongst international students.    

Rotterdam-west

Along with Rotterdam-south, the west of the city is described as a multicultural area. It is home to Chinatown and various shops and restaurants with Moroccan, Turkish, Indian and Surinamese cuisine. Proactive efforts by city developers have helped Rotterdam-west grow into a commercially hip and artistic area to live in. The area is not always to everyone’s liking, but for those who enjoy a multicultural lifestyle, this could be just the place for you. The area is also near to the campuses of Museumpark, Rochussestraat and Academieplein. 

Rotterdam-zuid (south)

Like Rotterdam-west, south of Rotterdam is quite multicultural. Also thanks to urban development plans, certain parts of the city, like Kop van Zuid and Katendrech, are very popular and hip places to live in. Rotterdam-zuid is also home to Feijenoord, the most popular football team in the city.   

A small drawback for some students is the fact that the area is on the ‘other’ side of the Maas river, which divides Rotterdam into north and south. As most of the university campuses, including the city centre, are on the north side of the river, it may be quite far to travel to the city and school campus by bike. The area is home to the RDM campus, so particularly for students at that campus it is an ideal place.