The harbour comes to life during the May holidays

Go explore the quay

Stroll along the quay and listen to Wilfried de Jong’s free audio tour, which takes you through the history of this special place. Take a look inside our workshops. See up close how the blacksmith helps maintain our fleet.

When the blacksmith is there, he often gives a spectacular demonstration. Practise your cleaning skills by scrubbing the decks on board the steam launch ‘Simson’ or learn how to tie a sailor’s knot on board the ‘Gruno’. 

Step aboard historic ships 

From Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 April, the sturdy Rhine steam tug 'Pieter Boele' (1893) will be moored in our museum harbour. Join us on Friday, April 24, or Sunday, April 26, at 2:00 PM for a one-hour bridge tour through Rotterdam. On these days, you can also visit the ship without taking a cruise, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. On the other days, the ship will not be sailing, but you are welcome to come aboard between 10:30–12:30 and 13:30–16:30 to admire the vessel. Tickets are available online or at the ticket desk.

From 28 April to 4 May, the sand barge ‘Door Gunst Verkregen’ will be moored at the jetty. Watch as the sand is unloaded and, on some days, children can even help out and play with the sand! Come and have a look, explore and have fun on these historic ships! 

Enjoy a boat tour of the Maritime District 

During the trip, the skipper of the electric boat will tell you the story of this area and show you the most beautiful spots. Weather permitting and subject to the skipper’s availability, we run several trips a day. 

• Waterbus 1 times: 11:00–11:45 AM / 12:00–12:45 PM / 13:30–14:15 PM / 14:30–15:15 PM 
• Waterbus 2 times: 11:30 AM–12:15 PM / 12:30–13:15 PM / 14:00–14:45 PM / 15:00–15:45 PM 
• Prices: 0-3 years €2,50 | 4-15 years €4,50 | 16 years and older €6,50 

Colour and win!

Colour in everything to do with the sea: ships, fish, lighthouses and much more! Let your creativity run wild and hand in your artwork at the collection box in the entrance hall. You could win free tickets to REMASTERED! 

• All ages
• Ground floor, entrance hall

Build your own ship 

Step into the world of young shipbuilders! Build your own ship and test whether it floats in the water channel. Switch on the fan, start the stopwatch and discover how fast your ship glides across the water. Who knows, your ship might be the fastest of them all! 

• All ages
• Every day 11:00 AM - 16:00 PM
• Outside in the museum harbour, museum ship ‘Geertruida’ 

Listen to real maritime stories 

Settle down in our museum library and listen to maritime stories from the children's books that you can purchase in our museum shop. 

• Recommended age: 3-8 years old 
• Mon to Sat at 11:30 AM, 13:30 and 15:00 PM 
• Deck 1, library 

Offshore Experience

Climb aboard an offshore platform and experience how energy is generated at sea. Wearing a helmet and safety vest, you can see drilling operations, crane operators and wind turbine specialists in action. Test your skills: land the helicopter, hoist a container and find the perfect spot for a wind turbine! 

• Recommended age: 8+ 
• Halfdeck, Offshore Experience 

Launch!

Discover how the Netherlands became a shipbuilding nation in the spectacular exhibition “Launch!”. Step inside a shipyard, see how shipbuilding has developed over the centuries and get stuck in yourself. Learn about craftsmanship, courage and everything that goes into building a ship before it can actually be launched. 

• Recommended age: 8+ 
• Deck 2, Launch! 

Splash! The future of the sea

Help clean up the plastic in our oceans, design an underwater farm or contribute ideas about the future of our oceans.  

Please note: you must reserve a time slot before your visit. You can do this online when ordering your tickets, and it is free of charge. On busy days, they sell out quickly! 

• Recommended age: 4 to 12 years old 
• Deck 2, Splash! The future of the sea