From Leuvehaven metro station you walk across the Erasmus Bridge to the other side. Would you like to rest before you venture to the crossing? Under the foot of the bridge you will find Willemsplein, with the Wereldmuseum, the Spido and the new ReMastered attraction. At Gorgeous you can have a drink with a beautiful view over the Maas.
Walking across the 800 meter long harp-shaped bridge you can admire the skyline of Rotterdam. The bridge over the Nieuwe Maas was designed in 1996 by architect Ben van Berkel and connects the north and south of the city. The goal was to make the south bank of the Maas more accessible and thus provide an economic and cultural boost - and we succeeded!
The bridge was nicknamed 'the Swan' because of the bent pylon and is a source of inspiration for many photographers. Nowadays the Erasmus Bridge is an icon for modern Rotterdam.
Did you know…
In his younger years the bridge swayed back and forth when the wind blew hard? This was because raindrops slightly change the profile of the tethers, making them more sensitive to wind-induced vibrations. New dampers have therefore been installed to dampen the vibrations. If you walk over the bridge, you will see them between the cycle path and the pedestrian path.
TIP
Do you want tear-jerking beautiful shots of the bridge? Then go to the corner of Parkkade and Westerkade. Here you can take beautiful photos of both the bridge and the Kop van Zuid.
Continue traveling
Would you like a nice cruise through Rotterdam? Then open route point three. If you want to skip this, you can continue to route point four. Here you can take a nice walk over the bridge to the other side where there are many more beautiful things to see.
On the Wilhelminapier (the 'Kop van Zuid') you have excellent restaurants, the famous New York Hotel and the lesser-known but impressive Photo Museum on the Wilhelminakade. You can also take the metro D/E towards Slinge/Zuidplein and get off at the Wilhelminaplein metro stop.
