Anybody in Rotterdam?

[doradoo]

Hi all, I'm after some expat advice regarding Rotterdam, it looks likely that DH's job will be based out of there in the next few months and was wondering if anyone could give any advice re areas to look at for housing, things we need to know etc.

We're currently based in Germany and it looks like it'll be a commuting job, we won't all go, but would be interested in schooling possibilities, expat family life there etc.

Any info you can share would be great, thanks

I'm not in Rotterdam but near it. Schooling is quite specific depending on the city. Any foreign kids that aren't in an international group setting would need to go to a "taalklaas" for 2 years to build up their Dutch before entering the Dutch system.

Life/work balance is very good, healthcare is extremely good (I'd compare it to Germany for quality).

The only thing to consider is traffic. Rotterdam has awful traffic so I'd base where you'd live (if you moved) to near work or the school unless he's by the port and then it's best to be nearer the city centre.

There isn't so much an expat community in Rotterdam (it's more in Amsterdam) but you're close to everything and everyone speaks english.

If you've got any specific questions, I'll try to help!

Thanks for replying.

We're only about 2.5-3 hours away, near Düsseldorf, so the family will stay put here and DH will be there 3-4 days a week. I think at the moment schooling/family life is probably not on the list, but any advice on areas to look for a flat or to avoid might be helpful, I know nothing about Rotterdam at all!

Or indeed whether we'd be better looking outside of the city - Delft/the coast etc? We're planning a trip over Karneval to have a look at the city, so any must dos if you know of them would be useful, our DC range from 10—15

Where is he working? Centre? Port? Industrial? That might influence my answer! For location, I'd avoid going south as the traffic in the morning from the south to north is absolutely hellish.

For when you're over: Delft and Leiden are lovely cities to visit and very quaint. I'd also recommend Efteling for a great day out to get rid of their energy.

Rotterdam zoo (Blijdorp) is very good, as well as Amsterdam science museum. If you like more of a Safari park, you'll be about an hour from the Beekse bergen and that's a fabulous day our

Thanks for your help.

We love Efteling, always good fun!

I believe the office is based on the Centre, but I'm not 100% sure.

I lived in Rotterdam for several years, on the south side of the river. I'd usually cycle to work or get the tram. I don't think I had any colleagues who drove to work. If he doesn't need a car to do his job, I'd try to move somewhere where he could cycle or take public transport to work - especially if there are no immediate plans for the rest of the family to move.

Nice areas include Kralingen, Oude Noorden en Delftshaven. South of the river (Kop van Zuid etc) tends to be cheaper but also a bit rougher around the edges (although neighborhoods like Katendrecht are gentrifying very quickly).

Just in case you are unaware, carnival is not celebrated in Rotterdam, so if you want to soak up the carnival atmosphere it might be worth making a day trip to Breda or another southern town.

If the weather is nice you can make a day trip to Kinderdijk to see the Dutch mills. If my memory serves me right there is a direct ferry service from Rotterdam to there.

Indirect ferry from Rotterdam to kinderdijk, you transfer to a smaller ferry for a 5 minute journey. It's great fun taking that ferry.