The Erasmus Bridge is a striking cable-stayed landmark known as "The Swan" that elegantly connects the north and south of Rotterdam across the Nieuwe Maas.

Located on the historic Veerkade, the Calandmonument is a grand memorial obelisk and fountain honoring civil engineer Pieter Caland, the visionary behind the Nieuwe Waterweg canal that opened Rotterdam to global maritime trade.

Housed in an elegant 19th-century clubhouse along the Willemskade waterfront, the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam showcases an extensive ethnographic collection celebrating diverse world cultures and Rotterdam’s global maritime connections.

Standing prominently along the Boompjes on the Nieuwe Maas, De Boeg is the Netherlands' national merchant navy memorial, shaped like a ship's bow slicing through stylized waves to honor the thousands of merchant sailors lost in World War II.

Completed in 1898 in an ornate Art Nouveau style, the Het Witte Huis is celebrated as Europe's first skyscraper and is one of the few historic landmarks in central Rotterdam to survive the 1940 blitz.

Rotterdam Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour

Name: Rotterdam Scavenger Hunt & Self-Guided Tour
Brand: World City Trail
SKU: 54
Availability: InStock

Rated 4.58 out of 5 based on 64 customer ratings

(64 customer reviews)

Explore the city at your own pace with a self-guided experience.
Buy your ticket, download the app, and start instantly.

5 € - 11 €

1 ticket = 1 person

Make a day of itInteractive guides by World City Trail, delivered with your tickets.

What is a city guide?

Your own guide to Rotterdam on your phone: hand-picked places, each with why to go, what to order and a practical tip.

See the guides, a short video and all the details →

No guide, thanksAdd the Rotterdam food guide~~4.99 €~~3.99 €Add all 6 Rotterdam guidesfood, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips, budget~~19.99 €~~14.99 €

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved by thousands of travelers and locals

No time limit – use your ticket whenever you want
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Included: your personal Trail Map with every city you finish, the kilometres you walk and your flag collection. See an example →

Everything you need for a flexible self-guided city experience

Explore the city at your own pace

✔ Discover hidden gems & highlights
✔ Enjoy a flexible self-guided experience
✔ Explore freely with no schedule
✔ Perfect for couples, students, companies, friends & families

How your city experience works

✔ Instant ticket purchase
✔ Easy access via the World City Trail app
✔ Quick setup with your booking details
✔ Start anytime and explore freely
✔ Pause and resume anytime

Why travelers choose this tour

✔ Instant access after purchase
✔ Optional AI voice narration — listen instead of read
✔ Discover top attractions & food spots
✔ Customize your route anytime

From City Hall to the river Maas, clue by clue

The Rotterdam scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Count on roughly 2 hours for the whole game: 54 minutes of it is walking, some 4.2 km from the Coolsingel down to the Maas, and the 10 stops fill the rest with riddles and stories.

Highlights include City Hall and the Laurenskerk, two survivors of the 1940 bombing, Piet Blom's tilted Cube Houses, the Witte Huis, one of Europe's first high-rise office buildings, the harbour ships of the Leuvehaven and the Erasmus Bridge over the Maas. Rotterdam's centre is flat with wide pavements, so the route mixes history, bold modern architecture and river views on foot.

Durationabout 2 hours
Walkingabout 54 min · 4.2 km
Stops10
LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch

A game through Rotterdam's rebuilt centre and its harbours

Glazed brick, bronze and yellow cubes

Each riddle hides in what stands in front of you: the white glazed brick of the Witte Huis, the bronze Erasmus that Hendrick de Keyser cast in 1622 outside the Laurenskerk, the yellow cubes tilted at 45 degrees above Blaak. Look closely, think it through, and you have the answer without any knowledge of Dutch history.

May 1940 and the city that rose again

Solved riddles open the stories behind the skyline: why City Hall, the Laurenskerk and the Witte Huis are among the few survivors of the bombing of May 1940, what Piet Blom meant by a forest of houses, and how Pieter Caland's waterway opened the port to the North Sea. Between Blaak and the Willemskade the audio narration can tell each one, so your eyes stay on the skyline.

4.2 km along havens and quays

About 54 minutes of the game is spent walking, from the Coolsingel past the Oude Haven and along the Leuvehaven to the foot of the Erasmus Bridge and the Willemskade. The centre is flat with wide pavements, and Google Maps leads the way between stops.

A break by the harbour boats

No clock runs in the game, so stop for a coffee at the Oude Haven or watch the historic ships in the Leuvehaven, then continue later or on another day. Arriving at Rotterdam Centraal? City Hall is a short walk down the Coolsingel, or pick any other stop as your first in the app.

See the route and attractions →

How it works

Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.

Architecture fans, families and teams in Rotterdam

First-timers who want the skyline explained

In about 2 hours you link the survivors of 1940 with the bold buildings that replaced the old town and finish by the river, which makes a good start to a Rotterdam visit or a day trip from Amsterdam or The Hague. The riddles slow you down where a quick walk would rush past.

Children who like tilted houses and big ships

Kids enjoy the Cube Houses that look ready to topple, the old ships and cranes of the Leuvehaven and the white bridge locals call The Swan. Every team includes an adult, and the open-air harbour museum is a good spot to pause halfway.

Teams who meet again by the Maas

Up to 5 players share a team, each with the game on their own phone, so a group can set off from City Hall in several teams and regroup on the Willemskade by the river. From the Coolsingel to the riverfront the game uses only public ground, so nothing needs reserving except the tickets.

Good to know

Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.

The route: from City Hall on the Coolsingel to the Erasmus Bridge and the Calandmonument

10 stops · about 54 min walking · start: City Hall (Stadhuis) · finish: Calandmonument

The hunt starts at City Hall on the Coolsingel and leads to the Laurenskerk and on to the Cube Houses at Blaak. It continues to the Witte Huis by the Oude Haven, then along the Leuvehaven past the Maritime Museum, the Waalse Kerk and the De Boeg monument to the Erasmus Bridge. After the Wereldmuseum on the Willemskade by the river, it finishes at the Calandmonument. Since every clue is read from quays, squares and façades, no stop between the Coolsingel and the river sends you to a ticket desk, and if the Cube Houses or the Erasmus Bridge suit you better as a first stop, the app starts you there and lines up the remaining ones.

Open the route map ↗

1City Hall (Stadhuis)Start
Rotterdam's City Hall on the Coolsingel was built between 1914 and 1920 to designs by Henri Evers, with a tall tower above its main front. It was one of the few buildings in the city centre to survive the German bombing of May 1940, which destroyed most of the old town around it.
2St Lawrence Church (Laurenskerk)
The Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk, built between 1449 and 1525, is the only late medieval building left in Rotterdam's city centre. The bombing of 1940 left it a burnt-out shell, but it was restored after the war. In front of it stands Hendrick de Keyser's bronze statue of Erasmus from 1622, one of the oldest bronze statues in the Netherlands.
Read the full story →
3Cube Houses
Architect Piet Blom designed these yellow cube-shaped homes, built between 1977 and 1984, each tilted by 45 degrees and set on a hexagonal pillar. He imagined each house as a tree and the whole complex as a forest above the street, and one cube is set up as a show home for visitors.
4Witte Huis (White House)
Completed in 1898, the Witte Huis by the Oude Haven was one of the first high-rise office buildings in Europe. Its Art Nouveau façade of white glazed brick survived the bombing of 1940, and today the building is a national monument.
Read the full story →
5Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum Rotterdam on the Leuvehaven was founded in 1874 and tells the story of shipping and of the port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe. Outside, in the Leuvehaven, historic ships and harbour cranes form an open-air harbour museum.
6Waalse Kerk
The Waalse Kerk is the church of Rotterdam's Walloon congregation, one of the French-speaking Protestant communities founded in Dutch cities by refugees from the Southern Netherlands and later joined by Huguenots from France. For centuries these churches held their services in French, and the name still recalls the Walloons who founded them.
7De Boeg
This monument by the sculptor Wessel Couzijn, unveiled in 1957, honours the seamen of the Dutch merchant navy who lost their lives in the Second World War. Its name means the bow, and its abstract bronze form recalls the bow of a ship forcing its way through the waves.
8Erasmus Bridge
The Erasmus Bridge, designed by Ben van Berkel and opened in 1996, links the city centre with the Kop van Zuid on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas. Its asymmetric white pylon, 139 metres high, earned it the nickname The Swan, and the bridge is about 800 metres long.
9Wereldmuseum
The Wereldmuseum on the Willemskade was founded in 1885 as Rotterdam's museum of ethnology. Its collections bring together objects from cultures in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, and the building looks out over the Maas, where ships set off for those distant places.
10CalandmonumentFinish
This monument honours the engineer Pieter Caland, who lived from 1826 to 1902 and designed the Nieuwe Waterweg. The canal, opened in 1872, gave Rotterdam a direct deep-water route to the North Sea and laid the foundation for the growth of its port into one of the largest in the world.

64 reviews for Rotterdam Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour

Rated 5 out of 5

Germany – 03/04/2024

Collected on GetYourGuide
Nicht nur unsere jugendlichen T?chter, auch wir Eltern haben einiges ?ber die Stadt erfahren und alle Spa? gehabt!
Rated 5 out of 5

Polly– United Kingdom – 02/03/2024

Collected on GetYourGuide
Really enjoyable, excellent way to see the sights – bit surprised that the Markthal wasn’t included , but it’s easy to spot from the cube houses.
Rated 5 out of 5

David– United Kingdom – 27/01/2024

Collected on GetYourGuide
This was a great way to see, and learn about the city of Rotterdam. We did a lot of walking and took our time so it took us a few hours. The puzzles are challenging, but not impossible. The way it links into Google maps to help you find your way is really cool. If you do go the wrong way and walk too far (because you didn’t pay attention to the guided directions) Rotterdam’s public transport network will come to your rescue. Definitely recommend doing this.
Rated 5 out of 5

Portugal – 04/12/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Divertida
Rated 5 out of 5

Susann– Germany – 29/11/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Super, toll gemacht, gern in jeder Stadt
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 13/11/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Die App hat uns gut gefallen, so haben wir die Sehensw?rdigkeiten auf spa?ige Weise kennenlernen k?nnen. Was allerdings nicht verst?ndlich war, warum die Markthalle nicht dabei war, wahrscheinlich da diese nicht historisch ist, sondern einfach nur sch?n.
Rated 5 out of 5

Madhuri– Australia – 29/10/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
It was great. Would have loved to get a certificate at the end though 😀
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 08/10/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Rundweg super um die Stadt kennenzulernen, R?tsel teilweise schwierig zu l?sen, hat Zeit gekostet
Rated 5 out of 5

Henk– Netherlands – 13/09/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
leuk, gezellig, en toch ook uitdagend met betrekking tot het vinden van de juiste antwoorden
Rated 5 out of 5

Italy – 09/09/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Molto bella, ti costringe a camminare e a guardarti in giro. Molto comoda perch? a differenza dei tour con guida puoi prenderti il tempo che ti serve.
Rated 3 out of 5

Belgium – 24/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
ok?
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 20/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Tour war richtig cool und hat einen an die sch?nen und sehenswerte Orte gef?hrt. Man sollte ruhig so laufen wie der Weg vorgeschrieben ist, dann sieht man jede Menge. Allerdings l?uft man sehr viel. In 2 Stunden ist das nur zu packen, wenn man durchhetzt und keinen Zwischenstopp macht.
Rated 5 out of 5

Germany – 19/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Es wahr sehr gut, die Stationen waren gut nacheinander abzulaufen ohne Stress und trotzdem informativ.
Rated 5 out of 5

Tina – Germany – 17/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Das hat Spa? gemacht…..alles gut durchdacht. Leider war die zweite Kirche zu. Es macht keinen Sinn, f?r mehrere Personen zu buchen. Es reicht, wenn es einer auf dem Handy hat. Ansonsten top.
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 17/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Teilweise ganz sch?n schwierige Aufgaben, aber alles machbar! Dadurch sch?ne Ecken entdeckt. Und das ist das Wichtigste.
Rated 5 out of 5

Corina– Germany – 11/08/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Mit dieser Schnitzeljagd konnten wir an einem Nachmittag perfekt einen super Standrundgang durch Rotterdam machen.
Rated 5 out of 5

serge– Belgium – 27/07/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Belle d?couverte de la ville
Rated 5 out of 5

Daniela– Germany – 25/07/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Eine super M?glichkeit die Stadt auf eigene Faust zu erkunden ohne, dass ein Reisef?hrer dabei sein muss. Man kann beliebige Pause machen und die Sehensw?rdigkeiten in eigener Geschwindigkeit durchf?hren. Mit gen?gend Fotostops 😉
Rated 5 out of 5

Alina– Germany – 18/07/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr interessante und lehrreiche Tour. Man sollte sich jedoch auf viel laufen gefasst machen. Je nach dem wo man sich in Rotterdam befindet, empfiehlt sich auch eine Tageskarte f?r den ?ffentlichen Nahverkehr zu kaufen. Wir haben diese Tour zu zweit gemacht und an manchem Stellen mussten wir echt ?berlegen, wie wir bestimmte R?tsel l?sen. Es ist trotzdem aufjedenfall zu empfehlen.
Rated 4 out of 5

Werner– Belgium – 04/07/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Af en toe kleine hapering met de audio maar verder fijne ervaring!
Rated 5 out of 5

Eugenia– United States – 16/06/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
It was well organized. We liked the audio part learning a little history about points of interest. The scavenger hunt was fun! It is nice when you can go at your own pace and stop at any point for a break. Our 7 yo also participated although after 5 points of interest she was ready to do something else. But after ice cream break, she was ready to continue.
Rated 5 out of 5

Germany – 15/06/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Eigenes Zeitmanagement m?glich, spannende R?tsel. Preis Leistungsverh?ltnis top
Rated 5 out of 5

Ute– Germany – 13/06/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
In jeder Stadt, die wir das erste Mal bereisen und in der eine Stadtralley (Schnitzeljagd) angeboten wird, buchen wir diese. Bisher wurden wir noch nicht entt?uscht. Man sieht die meisten Sehensw?rdigkeiten der Stadt und erf?hrt nebenbei noch so einiges wissenswertes ?ber sie.
Rated 4 out of 5

Luxembourg – 31/05/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Sch?ne Schnitzeljagd. Leider gab es keine Erkl?rung zur Aufl?sung des einen R?tsel das wird nicht l?sen konnten. Ansonsten hat es uns gut gefallen ??
Rated 5 out of 5

Netherlands – 06/05/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Great fun have a focus and a bit of info , not too much . Great day out!
Rated 5 out of 5

France – 27/04/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Belle activit?s pour d?couvrir la ville
Rated 3 out of 5

Eva– Germany – 12/04/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Eigentlich keine Informationen zu den besuchten Sehensw?rdigkeiten. Nur viele Sagen-Geschichten.
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 11/04/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war ein tolle Tour, wir haben interessante Geb?ude gesehen und viele Informationen ?ber Rotterdam erfahren.
Rated 5 out of 5

Vanessa– Germany – 01/03/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Die R?tsel sind etwas kniffelig aber macht viel Spa? und zeigt spielerisch die sch?nsten und sehenswertesten Pl?tze im wundersch?nen Rotterdamm
Rated 4 out of 5

Portugal – 14/02/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
If you don’t have much time, it’s the perfect way to get to know the city without planning anything…. the tour leads the way and than you can decide whether you want to visit the places mentioned.
Rated 5 out of 5

Belgium – 02/02/2023

Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuke raadsels, goede info over de plaatsen die je bezoekt
Rated 5 out of 5

Belgium – 11/12/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Heel fijne ervaring !
Rated 4 out of 5

France – 06/11/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Cette activit? est toujours plaisante et permet de se rendre dans les points essentiels de la ville. Nous n’avons pas eu assez de temps pour terminer car nous avons mal estim? la dur?e du jeu avec les visites (en moyenne 8 ? 10min de marche entre chaque ?nigme contre 3 ? 5min ? Francfort-sur-le-Main). C’?tait tout de m?me tr?s bien.
Rated 3 out of 5

Luxembourg – 02/11/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Bei den R?tseln fehlt die Anleitung. Die R?tsel sind wenig informativ in Bezug auf die besichtigten Orte. Die Infos, die man zwischendurch bekommt haben auch wenig Bezug auf die besichtigten Orte.
Rated 4 out of 5

Netherlands – 31/10/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Met 2 personen de route gelopen. Fijn dat er geen tijdsdruk is. Gezellig tussendoor koffie gedronken en geluncht. Weer andere delen van Rotterdam gezien. Sommige opdrachten waren leuk en andere begrepen we niet altijd direct. Prima. Beetje uitdaging.
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 19/08/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Schnitzeljagd aka Stadtf?hrung ist sch?n. Die R?tsel sind machbar, auch wenn wir das ein oder andere Mal Hilfe ben?tigt haben. Ist eine sehr nette Abwechslung zur herk?mmlichen Stadtf?hrung. Meiner Meinung nach aber etwas teuer wenn man alleine ist.
Rated 5 out of 5

Netherlands – 14/08/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Soms ontbreken er punten voor de vragen die gesteld worden, zoals bij het stadhuis van Rotterdam, ontbreekt er een element. Verder een prima tocht en leuk om te doen
Rated 5 out of 5

Germany – 26/07/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Man bekommt einen ersten Eindruck von der Stadt
Rated 5 out of 5

Netherlands – 24/07/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Dit is een h??l leuke manier om zelfstandig de stad te verkennen, de puzzels zijn zeker niet te gemakkelijk. We hadden maar 45% goed. Er is een handige app bij. We willen dit graag vaker doen.
Rated 5 out of 5

France – 22/07/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Une v?ritable partie de plaisir ? la d?couverte de Rotterdam
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 19/07/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Tour hat Spa? gemacht.
Rated 5 out of 5

Germany – 05/06/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Wir hatten sehr viel Spa? mit den Aufgaben. Manche Aufgaben ?hneln sich da k?nnte man vielleicht noch andere Ideen einbringen aber im Gro?en und Ganzen hatten wir f?r das erste mal Rotterdam viel gesehen und viel Neues gelernt
Rated 4 out of 5

Germany – 02/06/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Gute Idee um mit einem Plan die Stadt kennenzulernen.
Rated 4 out of 5

United Kingdom – 22/05/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
For someone visiting Rotterdam for the first time It was a fun way to explore the city. The route took in all the main sights, with the flexibility to decide which ones you wanted to visit in more detail, or to stop for refreshment. Some clues were very challenging (but solvable with hints) others were easy. It took me 6 hours with several breaks for refreshment. For me it missed out the Market Hall (although this should be obvious from the Cube Houses) and Euromast. I continued my walk to visit the latter.
Rated 5 out of 5

Greece – 19/05/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Exquisite!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Austria – 17/05/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
wundersch?nen Ich kann nur empfehlen
Rated 5 out of 5

Netherlands – 15/05/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Het was een leuke wandeltocht. Je ziet verschillende plekken van Rotterdam.
Rated 4 out of 5

Netherlands – 29/04/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
Leuk om zo een stad te ontdekken.
Rated 5 out of 5

Greece – 31/03/2022

Collected on GetYourGuide
We explored the city in an interactive way . Very nice!
Rated 5 out of 5

lokoloko – 23/11/2021

Beautiful city, nice game and route, smart riddles and nice app and layout. We recommend this activity

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

Frequently asked questions

Is a morning enough for the Rotterdam hunt if we take the train back at lunchtime?

Most players manage it, since the game lasts about 2 hours, of which around 54 minutes is walking over 4.2 km and 10 stops; the rest goes on riddles, stories and views of the river, and if time runs short you stop wherever you are and finish on a later visit.

Does the Rotterdam hunt start at the station or at City Hall?

The first riddle waits at City Hall on the Coolsingel, one of the few buildings that came through the bombing of 1940, a short walk from Rotterdam Centraal. The last one is at the Calandmonument, after a stretch along the Maas by the Erasmus Bridge and the Willemskade.

Will a guide be waiting for us at City Hall at a set time?

No guide and no slot: the World City Trail app takes their place. Once the booking reference from your email is entered, the day and the hour are yours to decide, and you can stop between riddles whenever you like. Every player holds a ticket, and the clues appear on each phone in the team.

Do we pay extra for the Maritime Museum or the show cube at Blaak?

Not for the game, because all the riddles are solved outside, on the quays and in front of the buildings. Going into the Maritime Museum Rotterdam or the show cube among the Cube Houses is a separate paid visit you can add after the hunt.

Will our children enjoy the cube houses and harbour ships?

As long as a grown-up plays in their team, children tend to love looking up at the tilted cubes, spotting the bronze Erasmus with his book outside the Laurenskerk and counting the cranes and ships in the Leuvehaven. The route is not suitable for wheelchairs, and 4.2 km is a fair distance with a pushchair, even on flat pavements.

Besides English, which languages can we pick in Rotterdam?

German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch, which makes six in total, and each player chooses one in the World City Trail app while standing in front of City Hall.

Can we run a company outing on the Rotterdam hunt?

Yes, and it is easy to organise: book a ticket per person, split into teams of up to five and send them off from the Coolsingel a few minutes apart, with a final meeting point on the Willemskade, where the river views make a fitting end.

What should we wear and carry for the windy riverside?

Pack one charged smartphone with mobile data per team, a power bank if you own one, and shoes that will be comfortable for 4.2 km of quays and squares. The wind can be strong along the river and by the Erasmus Bridge, so bring a jacket, and an umbrella in showery weather.

Start your Rotterdam game at City Hall

Tickets are per player and bought online; once you have booked, an email brings the reference you will type into the app. On the day you choose, walk down the Coolsingel to City Hall and open the first riddle beneath its tower.

Book your tickets →