Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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A FENOMENAL Museum! €11,50 for student, I was there for 2:40 but it was rushed, would have loved to spend another 2hours, but had an appointment to catch. Suggested visiting time ~5h. The first part I did was the Oil Rig simulation which was very fun. You put on a helmet and a yellow jacket (boots if you want). Your ticket has a code that you scan in every game (9 in total), to get points depending on your score. I don't know how it happened, I set the ticket correctly, but in every game station, once I inserted my ticket the rules were in Dutch and not English, so I couldn't understand them unless I had someone before me showing me the way. Aside from the different games (keeping a ship in place in a storm, digging an oil pipe, directing a helicopter to your ship, a quiz, finding the best place to put ocean wind turbines ...), You had many different displays showing you different oil rigs, their function, a testimony and videos. You can easily spend there 2:30h without realising the time. Very very interesting and well done. Finished the Oil Rig, you have a section of different ideas to make oil rigs / sea more sustainable, and after you listen to them, you choose which you preferred (and then the winner will receive funding to procede). Then you have on the wall different Port Panoramas which are quite impressive and then a Big multi path presentation on the water and importance the Rotterdam Port represents. The paintings and object display is also very impressive. Once you finish inside, then you have an enormous outdoor Marina with many different vessels you can see, read about and a few even get on board :-) On in all I LOVED this Museum! And both Children and Adults will definitely love it!
serena neyserena ney
00
Amazing museum for children- interesting for adults too. The temporary exhibition "Ditch the Dutch" was an interesting look at an event in history I hadn't heard of before, well presented and even-handed. The "Offshore Experience" was incredible- high production values, very dramatic, amazing audio-visual installation, interesting games for ages 12 and up. The outdoor area (overlooking the old harbour) for children (2-15) is one of the best activity areas I have ever seen. Kids can load and unload "cargo" from barges, ships, and docks- using hand carts, wheel barrows, cranes etc. Our 3 year old got the concept immediately and got stuck straight in, playing with the other kids (up to teenagers) until we had to drag him away an hour or more later. The indoors activities are also excellent- children can pretend to fish, cook on an uneven deck, sit in a dinghy which turns and tacks sail with the wind, try on various souwesters and other clothes, crawl through underwater tunnels etc. It is part musuem, part soft play area- if they want to, kids can explore by themselves while parents get a coffee and read. The old harbour area (including beautiful lighthouse) is fascinating for all ages to explore. The cafe is excellent. Whole place is just a class act from start to finish. If I lived in Rotterdam I would be here almost every week. It's certainly worth the trip from Amsterdam, and I might come back to the city specifically to visit again.
James CreeganJames Creegan
00
Good place to take your family or go on your own. There is something for every age group. Inside is a cafe and museum shop on the bottom floor. A wheelchair accessible ramp leads to next two floors where exhibits are held. There was an interactive VR installation taking you to an oil platform to experience what it is like. You have to wear a safety suit and a helmet and boots. Good for curious children. Other exposition took you through tram routes to see the key historical and present day achievements and failures about Rotterdam. Good for children and adults. Tram seats were really great to experience. The exhibition was fairly forward and open about the slavery and colonial history of the city and his trade and slavery benefited all inhabitants. It is easy to have children here and space is good for them to move around. Bilingual exhibits— Dutch and English. Clear directions from the staff. Extra: the outdoor exhibits are very excellent and you can experience all aspects of shipyard life. Great fun for children. The boat ride through the harbor for 1.5 hours is a worthy reason to come. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for parents and children and for adults. No food on board. Lots of opportunities for selfies and photos. Limit—12 participants.
tamilew329tamilew329
00
I'm pretty confused and not sure how to rank it. This place isn't bad – it’s just not good enough to be priced at almost EUR 20 per ticket. I’m reviewing it from a foreigner, a non-speaking Dutch tourist perspective. The offshore interactive exhibition set the bar high; the safety briefing in the first room and the overall experience and getting to the rig platform were excellent. Then, the interactive games were engaging and interesting – but some were out of service, some were not working correctly, and all were in Dutch! So we couldn’t understand a word. Leaving the platform through 3000 m depth was also super, with all these details giving you a wow effect, like a crab in the toolbox or the welding scene. Unfortunately, the rest of the exhibition was rather mediocre (between mediocre and poor). The outside part is rather dull and publicly accessed. The lighthouse is really disappointing – well, see the video – it’s like entering a barrel with a projector, as there’s nothing else inside, and you can’t even get upstairs. The staff was helpful and friendly; the place was neat and clean, and the souvenirs were reasonably priced. But it’s not enough for a museum to get a 5-star review.
Mateusz WozniakMateusz Wozniak
70
A nice museum that has improved a lot for children. It has a lot of interaction for them. The surrounding harbor also offers a lot nice scenery and interaction, and it's situated at the hart of Rotterdam so you can visit other places and just walk back into the museum. We only had a serious issue with the indoor restaurant (which goes by their own name, but is connected from the inside) when asked if they had chairs for small children they replied that the had just the one,which was also reserved... When asked why they had only 1 chair in a restaurant/museum clearly also targeting children we got a witty non sensical reply that really did not make me feel respected as a customer. We had a not so great time eating there, our 2 year old kept walking away since the regular seats did little to let him interact at the table. Frustration is all I can remember about that lunch. The person running that restaurant does not have much experience with very small children I think. It also did not help they brought the ordered food for our children first and our lunch 15min later... Try eating when your kids are all ready done and bored.
Caspar MinningCaspar Minning
00
As Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe it's only fitting that it has a Maritime Museum. This one is situated in the centre of town and is notable for having a number of historic ships moored outside that you can visit in the summer. Internally the museum has a number of floors that explore the history of Rotterdam, how shipbuilding has evolved in the Netherlands and explores some of the consequences of colonialisation. The displays are done well and the small children running around seemed happy to do this while their parents browsed. However this isn't a large museum and the focus is relatively constrained. A notable absence is that of any navy ships or an examination of these in a time of warfare. Also while there are some hands-on exhibits they are fairly limited in scope. Still what we did enjoy, which I recommend, is taking a boat ride around the local docks from the museum. Due to the indifferent weather we had this boat to ourselves and so enjoyed a personal tour of Rotterdam from the water. It's the right way to see the city.
Damian CannonDamian Cannon
40
Nearby Attractions Of Maritime Museum
Markthal
Cube Houses
Kunsthal Rotterdam
De Doelen
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
St. Lawrence Church
market Binnenrotte
Holland Casino Rotterdam
REMASTERED

Markthal
4.4
(15K)Click for details

Cube Houses
4.4
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Kunsthal Rotterdam
4.4
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De Doelen
4.5
(2.3K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Maritime Museum
Markthal
Dudok
Restaurant Bazar
Atithi Indian Restaurant Rotterdam
Very Italian Pizza
Little V Rotterdam
Happy Italy Rotterdam Binnenrotte
Takumi Ramen Kitchen
Vapiano Rotterdam Plaza
Vessel 11

Markthal
4.4
(16.9K)Click for details

Dudok
4.2
(2.5K)Click for details

Restaurant Bazar
4.2
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Atithi Indian Restaurant Rotterdam
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Basic Info
Address
Leuvehaven 1, 3011 EA Rotterdam, Netherlands
Map
Phone
+31 10 413 2680
Call
Website
maritiemmuseum.nl
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.3
(2.9K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
accessibility
family friendly
attractions: Markthal, Cube Houses, Kunsthal Rotterdam, De Doelen, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, St. Lawrence Church, market Binnenrotte, Holland Casino Rotterdam, REMASTERED, restaurants: Markthal, Dudok, Restaurant Bazar, Atithi Indian Restaurant Rotterdam, Very Italian Pizza, Little V Rotterdam, Happy Italy Rotterdam Binnenrotte, Takumi Ramen Kitchen, Vapiano Rotterdam Plaza, Vessel 11

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