Eurovision 2020 is coming to Rotterdam and so are you! First of all: welcome to The Netherlands. And second of all: this is not your typical Dutch city with old houses, cosy canals and red light districts. Rotterdam is a vibrant city with a metropolitan atmosphere, a stunning skyline and great places to stay for all budgets. As a proud ambassador for Rotterdam, I’m happy to guide you to the best places to stay. (Or check my tips in this guide: Rotterdam, a guide to what to do and where to go)
Of course it’s very likely that you’ll combine your trip with a visit to Amsterdam and some may think that the artists will stay in the Dutch capital too. But with their rehearsal and promotional events as well, the (just) 1 hour commute is killing. And since Rotterdam is only 23 minutes away from Schiphol Airport (and has it’s own convenient airport as well) you will probably find all the big stars in Rotterdam. And by the way: Why tourists love Rotterdam (and the Dutch don’t understand that)
-> Also check: Gay Rotterdam is hot and happening and Hotels in Rotterdam with a stunning view!
Hotels in Rotterdam for the real stars
If you want to stay close to them, make sure that you’ll find something close to Marriott Hotel, Bilderberg Park Hotel, Nhow hotel or Inntel Hotel. The first three are known to have hosted guest like Gloria Estefan, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton and many others. Smaller places like Pincoffs and PS Suites are also known to be great places to stay. A truly spectacular place to stay is the Euromast, that only has two rooms with a view all over the city. Or stay in a floating house or a floating hotel.
Alternative places to stay
If you rather spend your money on tickets, parties and merchandising, you might want to save some money. The couchsurfing community in Rotterdam is very active and welcoming. However, treat your hosts with respect and socialise a bit. If you’re lucky, you might end up sleeping on a housing boat or with one of my amazing friends. Or try your luck with MisterBandB or AirBnB. My own apartment will go out for rent too, though I’m saving it for the most original offer.
misterbnb
Hostels in Rotterdam during Eurovision 2020
If you want to travel more independently, Rotterdam caters well with hostels like Ani & Haakien, King Kong Hostel and ROOM. Or sleep in the iconic Cube Houses, where StayOkay is a popular low budget accommodation.
Cheap hotels in Rotterdam
The Student Hotel is a very nice place to stay, if don’t mind a little commute by tram or bike. It actually is nicer than the name suggests, so perfect even if you are not a student. Otherwise, the city center offers enough options like Holiday Inn Express and Easy Hotels.
Midrange hotels in Rotterdam
City Hub Hotel, Citizen M but also Ibis Hotels are great places to stay at a great location for a fair price. Citizen M is my personal favorite all over the world, because it’s lobby feels like a stylish living room. And Ibis Rotterdam definitely was a quiet oasis with their sound proof rooms! Stroom is a great place to stay as well, though the location is a bit challenging if you’re not renting bikes.
Of course there are many other options, so instead of listing them all (booking.com is way better at that) I’d rather give you some descriptions of the neighbourhoods. Come back soon to read more about them. Just book your trip first. (And don’t worry, with a populations of only 650.000 cool people (and 176 nationalities!) the city is conveniently small. So you can basically stay anywhere, regardless of the neighborhood.)
-> Also popular: Sex with your MisterBnB-host & Couchsurfers and Rotterdam Eurovision 2020; Rotterdam, for real (video)
Hi, how is going with night public transport from Roterdam til Schipol, Den Haug and Amaterdam and especially on weekends?
There are night trains every hour and to The Hague there’s also a metroline.
Dear author, my lovely gay friends.
Rotterdam is a very fascinating and modern city. Their gay pride is a bit familiar, but also nice and full of heart. My grandfather was dutch man and for few years staying in Australia to build the opera of Sidney. So he was opened to see other countries and to travel. I think, travel and interest is also important to a city with Europe’s important harbor. I’m sure, dutch television will be a good organisator to ESC and Rotterdam a good host for that event and all the parties around the broadcasting.
There is only a small notice: in the program to last Rotterdam Pride i missed a list of local gay places (or bars) and a map. But I don’t worry, the gay community of Rotterdam will do its bests for ESC and the next time.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! And I totally agree, we need a map! But luckily enough a lot of places are listed here: https://www.gayrotterdam.nl/hotspots
So far it looks like the Rotterdam people are even bigger pigs than the Israelis.