City Guide Rotterdam - Practical Information for Rotterdam - Your guide to Rotterdam
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  • ABOUT ROTTERDAM

    History:
    Settelement at the lower end of the stream Rotte dates from at least 900. Around 1260 a dam was built at the present day Hoogstraat. This resulted in the name Rotterdam. On 7 June 1340 Rotterdam received city rights from count Willem IV of Holland. At the end of the 19th century the city grew very rapidly and became a very important port. During the second World War the mediaeval heart of the city was almost completey destroyed by the Germans. It took many years to rebuild the city but at present there's a modern, architectural and lively city center with a new skyline.

    Citizens:
    Rotterdam is the 2nd largest city of the Netherlands with approximately 600,000 citizens. The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe and one of the biggest ports in the world. Rotterdam is part of a larger metropolitan area called Rijnmond with a total population of about 1,2 million.

    Language:
    Dutch, but most people speak English as well.

    Weather:
    Rotterdam has a mild, damp climate but the weather can be variable with temperature extremes even in summer. Spring and autumn especially bring changeable, unsettled weather. In the winter months clear, frost days are the norm, the coldest months being December to March. Rain is likely all year round.

    Opening times:
    Shops in the center are open 7 days per week. Their opening hours are usually 09:00 hrs – 17:30 hrs except for Mondays and Sunday where they open around noon. At Friday night the shops close at 21:00 hrs.
    Most attractions are open seven days per week although some museums are closed at Mondays. Banks are closed in the weekend and after 16:00 hrs at weekdays.

    Currency:
    Euro. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

    Money:
    You can find cash machines at almost every corner of the street. Cash and debit card are the most common payment methods in shops. In the bigger shops and in almost all restaurants the major credit cards are accepted as well. Visa and Mastercard are more generally accepted than American Express.
    You can exchange money at the bank offices or at the GWK exchange offices, which you can find at Rotterdam Central station. Hotels tend to charge high commissions but do exchange money as well.

    Post offices:
    The main post office in Rotterdam is located at the Coolsingel next to the city hall. At the post office you can ship packages and buy stamps. Stamps can be bought at tobacco shops and supermarkets as well.

    Tourist information:
    The tourist information company in Rotterdam is called VVV and they’ve got a great Rotterdam store and tourist information center in the middle of city center at the Coolsingel 5. They’ve also got a tourist information café close to Central Station at Stationsplein 45. You can reach the Rotterdam store at +31 10 271 0120.

    Phone:
    The country dialing code of the Netherlands is +31 and the area code for Rotterdam is 010. You won’t find a lot of public phones in Rotterdam because almost everyone has got a mobile. Public phones can be found in post offices, the airport, train stations and hotels, but you need to use a phone card or a credit card to use them. The mobile phone network coverage is very good and the main mobile phone companies are KPN, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange.

    Embassies:
    All embassies are based in The Hague. For a complete list of all embassies and consulates and their contact information please have a look at this website.

    Time:
    GMT + 1

    Emergency phone numbers:
    Police:  112
    Ambulance: 112
    Fire: 112

    Non-emergency phone numbers:
    Police: 0900-8844
    Fire: + 31 10 446 8900

    Hospitals:
    Erasmus Medical Center
    's Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE Rotterdam
    Tel: + 31 10 704 0704

    Erasmus Medical Center Sophia
    Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam
    Tel. + 31 10 704 0704

    Havenziekenhuis
    Haringvliet 2, 3011 TD Rotterdam
    Tel. +31 10 404 3300

    Ikazia hospital
    Montessoriweg 1, 3083 AN Rotterdam
    Tel. + 31 10 297 5000

    Maasstad hospital Clara
    Olympiaweg 350, 3078 HT Rotterdam
    Tel. +  31 10 291 1911

    Maasstad hospital Zuider
    Groene Hilledijk 315, 3075 EA Rotterdam
    Tel: +31 10 291 1911

    Smoking:
    Smoking is forbidden in all enclosed places of work in Rotterdam. This includes banks, office blocks, public buildings and, most importantly for the tourist, all bars and restaurants. So if you want to smoke, you're going to have to go outside. Many bars, and some restaurants, have installed or extended existing patios to cater for smokers, but not all bars have had the space to do this.