Rotterdam is considered a safe city for tourists. In the Netherlands, Rotterdam is known as a rather unsafe city, but that’s compared to the rest of The Netherlands. And The Netherlands is a very safe country in general. For example, the homicide rate of The Netherlands is 0.6 in 2020. That makes it the 23rd safest on a list of 195 countries and states when it comes to homicide. The homicide rate for The United States is 6.3, which makes it 10 times more likely to be murdered in the USA than The Netherlands.
Being a tourist in Rotterdam it’s unlikely that you’ll be affected by crime or violence. As a tourist, it’s advisable to take general precautions, like you probably would in every place you visit. But there are some things to take note of.
In general most areas of the city are safe during daytime. At nighttime there are a couple of places probably wise to avoid as a tourist. Neighbourhoods like Spangen, Bospolder, or a couple of areas south of the river (Afrikaanderwijk, Bloemhof, Hillesluis, Carnisse, Tarwewijk) can be a little dodgy at night.
Another thing to keep in mind… since there is a big rivalry between the football clubs of Feyenoord Rotterdam and Ajax Amsterdam it is wise to avoid wearing clothes or hats promoting Amsterdam or Ajax.
So is Rotterdam safe for tourists? In our opinion, yes, it’s very safe!