Spend a day in this charming Rotterdam suburb with excellent galleries, cosy cafés and unique, independent stores.
Spijkenisse has long been considered one of the best shopping destinations in the Netherlands. The Rotterdam suburb is home to boutique stores and designer brands, many of which are located on the ground floors of traditional old buildings.
If you are here with retail therapy in mind, make sure you head to Voorstraat. This street has shops selling designer clothes and bags alongside locally run stores where you can purchase handcrafted goods. One of the shopping highlights on this street is the delightfully quaint Old Vegetable Shop, which has been restored to appear as it would have when it first opened in 1918. Drop by on Thursday to buy well-priced freshly picked vegetables and look around the early 20th century building.
A stroll around the area will reveal delightful cafés and restaurants hidden among the stores. If you call into one of them for a meal, be sure to sample the local specialties of grilled fish and meat.
No trip to Spijkenisse would be complete without a visit to the ultra-modern Theatre de Stoep. Opened in 2014, this sleek, white structure boasts two stages as well as a cinema and is fast becoming an icon of the town. Watch award-winning dance and musical performance at the 650 capacity main hall or catch the latest blockbusters.
Go for a stroll around the middle of the town where you can explore several small galleries and museums. The Back to the Sixties Museum is a peculiar step back in time to the swinging era when swirling, colourful patterns were in vogue. This four-bedroom apartment looks exactly as it did when the building was completed in 1964. Nearby you will also find the Art Studio Leonardo da Vinci and the Art Gallery Hofman, which displays a range of prints as well as pieces from talented local artists.
Reach Spijkenisse by taking the tram southwest from central Rotterdam. Services are regular and the journey takes approximately 30 minutes.
