The Markthal is where many visitors fall for Rotterdam. Designed by MVRDV and opened in 2014, it is a covered market inside a horseshoe-shaped arch of apartments, with windows from the homes looking down onto the stalls. The inside of the arch is covered by the Horn of Plenty, an enormous digital artwork of fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers that makes the hall feel like a secular Sistine Chapel. On the ground floor, food stalls sell cheese, stroopwafels, Dutch herring, Indonesian snacks, tapas, coffee and much more, and restaurants line the upper gallery. An escalator leads down to the Time Stairs, a display of archaeological finds that takes you through a thousand years of the city’s history in a few metres. Across the street stand Piet Blom’s Cube Houses from the early 1980s, yellow homes tipped on their corners on concrete pillars, one of which, the Kijk-Kubus, is open as a show home. Entry to the Markthal is free; this page links to its official visitor page.
How to visit: the Markthal is at Ds. Jan Scharpstraat 298, next to Rotterdam Blaak station, which has trains, metro and trams. It is open Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, on Friday until 21:00 and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00, while the supermarket inside and some restaurants with their own outside entrances keep longer hours. Under the hall, a large underground garage with more than 1,100 spaces is open around the clock and can be booked ahead. The Cube Houses are a minute’s walk away over the pedestrian bridge.
What to expect: the Markthal is a working market and food hall rather than a museum, so come hungry and graze. It is busiest at lunchtime and on Saturdays. Look up from the centre of the hall for the full effect of the ceiling, and from the upper gallery for the best photos. In the Cube Houses complex, the Kijk-Kubus charges a modest entry fee and shows how people actually live with sloping walls and triangular windows, while the courtyard between the cubes is free to walk through.
Making the most of it: arrive mid morning, before the lunch rush, to see the stalls opening. Combine it with the Oude Haven, the old harbour at the foot of the Cube Houses with its historic ships and waterside terraces, and the Laurenskerk, the medieval church that survived the 1940 bombing, a few minutes away. In the evening, the illuminated arch is spectacular from outside.
What to expect
The experience
A free covered food market under a painted arch of apartments, with stalls, restaurants and an archaeology display, plus the Cube Houses across the street.
Best time
Mid morning on a weekday, before the lunch crowd, or in the evening when the arch is lit up.
How long
An hour or two to graze, look around and walk through the Cube Houses.
Tips
Come hungry, look up from the centre of the hall, and pay the small fee for the Kijk-Kubus show home to see inside a cube.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Everyone on a first visit; it is free, central and the most striking piece of modern Rotterdam at street level.
- Families
- Kids love the giant painted fruit overhead and the tilted Cube Houses, and there is a snack for every taste.
- Couples
- Share small plates from the stalls, then take a drink on a terrace at the Oude Haven below the cubes.
- Pair with
- The Oude Haven, the Laurenskerk and an afternoon Spido cruise from the Erasmus Bridge.
- Time needed
- One to two hours.
Good questions
Is the Markthal free to visit?+
Yes, entry to the Markthal is free and you only pay for what you eat or buy. The Kijk-Kubus show home in the Cube Houses charges a small fee.
What are the Markthal opening hours?+
The hall opens Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, Friday until 21:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. Some restaurants with outside entrances stay open later.
Who painted the Markthal ceiling?+
The ceiling artwork is called the Horn of Plenty and is made by artists Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam. It shows giant fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers across the whole arch.
Can you go inside the Cube Houses?+
Yes, one cube is open as a show home called the Kijk-Kubus, with a modest entry fee. The courtyard between the cubes is free to walk through.
How do I get to the Markthal?+
It sits beside Rotterdam Blaak station, which is served by trains, metro and trams. There is also a large underground car park beneath the hall.
