Kunsthal Rotterdam: Exhibitions, Guided Tours and Visiting Tips

This guide is for people who have moved to Rotterdam from abroad and want the Kunsthal to become a regular part of life in the city, whether you go on your own, with a partner or with children. It explains how the changing programme works, how tickets, start times and guided tours are booked, and how to plan a visit around work, school holidays and the Museumpark.

• How the changing exhibitions work
• Tickets, booking and opening hours
• Guided tours in English
• The building and the Museumpark setting
• Visiting with children
• FAQ

How the changing exhibitions work

The Kunsthal is built around change. According to its practical information page, it puts on more than 20 exhibitions a year, and several always run at the same time. Very different subjects often share the building. That is the appeal. You might come for a painter and leave talking about chairs, plastic in the oceans or a Rotterdam illustrator.

Right now the Kunsthal homepage lists Plastic Sea, Perfect Storm, A Chair and You, Theater Rotterdam, Kunsthal Inside/Out: Sabine Marcelis, Drawn: Rotterdam! and Benedikte Bjerre. The big autumn show is Signac. Symphony of Colours, a large-scale retrospective of Paul Signac (1863–1935) that opens on Saturday 24 October 2026. The exhibition follows how his Pointillist technique developed and shows work by contemporaries such as Théo van Rysselberghe and Jan Toorop. If you live here, look out for his painting of the port of Rotterdam, which hangs alongside a work showing the windmill at Edam.

The museum has already announced part of its 2027 programme for the main galleries, with Monira Al Qadiri, Jean Jullien and Luigi & Iango, and an Anish Kapoor exhibition in December 2027. The Kunsthal also won the Museumtijdschrift Exhibition Prize 2026 for Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, announced on 7 October. Because the line-up changes so often, check the current exhibitions on the website before every visit.

Tickets, booking and opening hours

You have to book a ticket with a start time in advance. This also applies if you have a Museum Card, a Rotterdam pass or a VriendenLoterij VIP Card, so don’t just turn up with your card in your pocket. Your ticket covers every exhibition on show that day, and you can stay from your start time until closing at 17:00.

The pages used for this guide don’t list admission prices, so check the current rates on the Kunsthal’s own site when you book. Discount offers apply to the adult admission price. One detail catches out a lot of newcomers: you can only pay by debit card at the Kunsthal. You can also buy a Museum Card (€75.00) at the Kunsthal, and you can use it straight away. If you plan to visit Dutch museums often, it is worth thinking about.

Regular opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00. During school holidays the museum also opens on some Mondays from 10:00 to 17:00, including Monday 19 October 2026 (autumn half-term), Monday 21 and Monday 28 December 2026, and Monday 15 and Monday 22 February 2027. On Christmas Eve (Thursday 24 December 2026) and New Year’s Eve (Thursday 31 December 2026) it closes at 16:00. It is closed on Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026), New Year’s Day (Friday 1 January 2027) and King’s Day (Tuesday 27 April 2027). The visit page has the full list of extra openings for spring 2027.

Guided tours in English

A guide makes a real difference in a building that shows so many different things at once. The guided tours page lists three types of group tour, all available in Dutch or English.

ArtHopping (KunstHoppen in Dutch) runs all year. It is a fast-paced hour that takes you past works and objects from several exhibitions and shows you Rem Koolhaas’s architecture from different angles. It suits a first visit, or friends visiting from abroad who want a quick overview. The Architecture Tour, also available all year, focuses on the building itself: its materials, sightlines and spaces, and the ideas behind the design. Exhibition tours go deeper into one show. The Signac tour can be booked from 27 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

Group tours have clear rules. Send your request at least three weeks in advance. The Kunsthal will tell you within 10 working days whether your preferred date is available. A tour lasts 60 minutes and costs €95 per group of up to 15 people, including VAT. Admission is not included, so everyone still needs a ticket. Tours with your own guide are not permitted. Schools and educational institutions book through the education programme instead.

No group? Every first Sunday of the month there is a drop-in tour. You can go ArtHopping or take a closer look at one exhibition. The next one is on 1 November, and you book through the tours programme online.

The building and the Museumpark setting

The visitor address is Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA Rotterdam, and the phone number is 010 – 44 00 300. The Kunsthal is an exhibition venue, but the building is a reason to come in its own right. Rem Koolhaas designed it in 1988–1989 with project architect Fuminori Hoshino of the Rotterdam firm OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture). The tours page describes how its unusual materials, striking entrance and steep ramps drew international attention straight away. Comfortable shoes help.

The Kunsthal Café opens half an hour before the galleries, at 9:30, and stays open until half an hour after closing. That makes it easy to meet someone for coffee before your start time. There is also a Kunsthal Shop on site and online, and the visit page links to full information on accessibility and facilities.

For a more special adult morning, the NN Breakfast Concert on Saturday 24 October runs from 08:30 to 12:00. It starts with breakfast, followed by an early visit to the Signac exhibition, a talk by the writer Jan Brokken and a concert by the DoelenEnsemble.

Visiting with children

The Kunsthal has a Families & children section that is updated regularly. The autumn break programme runs from 17 to 25 October. Children can make their own mini chair, help create a visual story, join KunstHoppen and follow the Look & Do Trail. The museum is also open on Monday 19 October, which helps if you have a day off work but the kids are still at home.

For younger makers, See you later, Illustrator! runs on Wednesday 21 October from 14:30 to 15:30. In general, the hands-on activities and the shorter ArtHopping format suit children best. The Signac exhibition tour and the Architecture Tour are better for adults or for teenagers with a real interest in the subject.

FAQ

Do I need to book if I have a Museum Card?

Yes. Everyone needs to book a ticket with a start time in advance, including holders of a Museum Card, a Rotterdam pass or a VriendenLoterij VIP Card. Booking guarantees your entry.

Can I pay with cash or a credit card?

The Kunsthal says you can only pay by debit card. Bring a debit card if you plan to buy anything on site, such as a Museum Card, which costs €75.00 and can be used straight away.

Can I join a tour in English without organising a group?

Yes. Every first Sunday of the month there is a drop-in tour that you book online. Group tours are available in Dutch or English, last 60 minutes and cost €95 for up to 15 people, with admission charged separately.

Is the Kunsthal open on Mondays?

Normally it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00. During school holidays it also opens on some Mondays, such as 19 October 2026 and 21 and 28 December 2026. The full list is on the visit page.

Official sources: kunsthal.nl · kunsthal.nl · kunsthal.nl

Last checked: 18 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.