Maritime Museum of Rotterdam, Rotterdam (must see)

The Maritime Museum of Rotterdam focuses on Rotterdam's maritime and shipping history. Visitors can see modern exhibits and view the museum's extensive collection.

Prince Henry of the Netherlands founded the museum in 1874. The museum features an indoor museum as well as the Maritime Museum Harbour.

The museum has exhibits that young children, parents, and grandparents can enjoy. The Masterpieces section features 25 remarkable objects. The Mataró model is over six hundred years old and is Europe's oldest ship model. Jan Huygen van Linschoten's The Itinerario is one of the world's most important travel journals.

The collection also houses Willem van de Velde's pen and ink drawings in addition to Joan Blaeu's Corpus Christi sea charts.

The Maritime Museum Harbour features the Low Light of the Hook of Holland lighthouse. This red cast-iron lighthouse used to stand at New Waterway's entrance. The Museum Harbour also has steam tugs, a steam sheerleg, and a grain elevator. There are also several inland vessels on display.

Why You Should Visit:
Lots of hands-on things to do and you get to learn about ships, oil platforms and new developments.

Tip:
Some of the ships in the museum's outer part can also be looked at and explored from the inside for free. For kids, the museum offers an awesome rooftop playground with plenty of ships & boats to climb on.