Hotels near Markthal

Markthal is Rotterdam's calling card - a 40-metre-high horseshoe arch of apartments wrapped around a covered food market floor. Designed by MVRDV and opened in October 2014, the building holds 228 residential apartments in the curve above, 96 market stalls at ground level, and, unfortunately for the residents, no soundproofing complaints anyone will publicly discuss. The 11,000-square-metre interior mural by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam, titled Horn of Plenty, is the largest artwork in the Netherlands and was rendered on 4,000 aluminium panels using Pixar-grade CGI software.

The stalls run the full range from Dutch cheese, herring and stroopwafels to Turkish, Surinamese, Indonesian and Vietnamese food. Prices are fair for a tourist landmark - a proper haring sandwich is around EUR 4, and a hot stroopwafel from Original Stroopwafels is EUR 2.50. The two upper floors are apartments and off-limits, but a hidden viewing platform on the second-floor mezzanine gives an under-the-arch look at the mural. Open 10:00 to 20:00 daily (Sundays from 12:00).

Pro Tip: Come Tuesdays and Saturdays when the Binnenrotte open-air street market runs right outside - it more than doubles the food and produce on offer and locals outnumber tourists. The Jumbo supermarket in the basement is cheaper for take-away picnic snacks than the ground-floor stalls.