Shopping in Rotterdam and the Koopgoot

The perfect place to go shopping in Rotterdam is definitely the Beurtraverse, or as called by the Dutch: de Koopgoot, which translates into the not so flattering name: “The Shopping Gutter”. The traverse, built in 1991 till 1996, underpasses Rotterdam’s most expensive street the Coolsingel.

The Beginning

The traverse used to be a subway station (the Beurs) and a walking passage, to reduce the amount of people crossing the Coolsingel and improve the traffic. Unfortunately not many people choose this way, so they made plans to expand the Rotterdam gutter into a shopping mall.

And now?

The ‘underground’ shopping mall connects two of the busiest shopping streets of the city: the Hoogstraat and the Lijnbaan. You can enter ‘the gutter’ by either side via the stairs. Midway there is an escalator, but you can also enter one of the large shopping malls such as H&M or the Bijenkorf and exit on the bottom floor. Usually the smaller stores only have a shopping area on the ground floor, this way you can continue shopping without the hassle of the busy traffic at the Coolsingel.

In the summer, childrend can have fun refreshment due to the ‘running’ water fountains that emerge from the ground at the Koopgoot. As far as public transport goes, the subway station is still located in the middle of the gutter, but there are also tramstops at the Lijnbaan side.

The Perfect Shopping Route?

From the Lijnbaan you can enter the Koopgoot, walk the Hoogstraat and end for a drink at the new Markthal! Would you like to have some more exclusive shops? You can better start at the Markthal and make your way to the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat. This street is also near the Koopgoot, but offers a wide selection of luxurious and exclusive shops and restaurants. This is doesn’t mean you can’t go there with a smaller budget; the Oldenbarneveltstraat is very divers in its shops.

Would you like to live near the Koopgoot? Check out Domica Rotterdam for more information!