futureland maasvlakte 2

As an Engineer I found the visit very interesting and learned a lot about the operation of a great container port. I did not go specifically to visit FutureLand but was there to attend the inauguration of the biggest ship in the world the “Pioneering Spirit” that was in the port. We stayed on a river cruiser moored next to the exhibition so I took the opportunity to visit, as I there for a few days.If one is interested to see the workings of a modern port I would definitely recommend a visit.

It's quite a drive from downtown Rotterdam, but that probably adds to the sensation of having reached the end of the world, or more correctly: the Rotterdam harbour.Very informative exhibition with a nice terrace overlooking the harbour.We did the Futureland Ferry ride, a one hour boat ride which takes you close to the big container ships in the Euromax terminal, and round to the new APM terminal still under construction.Definitely worth a visit!

Seeing the new container-terminals, even when the first ships still have to arrive, is impressive. When you take thew bus trip and the boat trip you will get an excellent explanation

The FutureLand gives you a good taste of how the Maasvlakte 2 has been planned and realised. The entrance of the exhibition is free of charge, but you can sign up for a paid bus tour in winter time or for a boat trip during the summer months. There is a restaurant and a parking lot. Ancient artifacts are on display that were found during the creation of the Maasvlakte 2. If you want to join a tour, it is advised to reserve in advance, esp. with fair weather, they can be fully booked.

This is planning for the future! Since Rotterdam aims to stay the biggest port - minimally in Europe - they have started to reclaim sea to built the new part of Europort. The work has started in 2008 and the plan is to have the entire Maasvlakte 2 in operation by 2033. My Dutch friends living in Rotterdam took me there, I had no idea what to expect but it was fascinating, both to explore the information centre and go on a guided boat trip around the newly developed sites. The only hitch was that the guided boat part was in Dutch only and the guide didn't even offer alternative. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a rich, several part booklet in English in the Information centre. Fascinating to be in the boat swaying next to one of the biggest container ships in the world...

Free to enter this is an interesting information centre with plenty of displays some of which are interactive. There is an interesting mural of the project set at three month intervals and a partial skeleton of a mamouth they found during the project.

This is an experience that will get beyond any imagination. Where, once was sea, there now is a whole (part) new created land for harbor, docking, industrial and leisure facilities. This exhibition shows, how it was done. Also there is a possibility to get on a "ride" to see this enormous created new area. Now, it's still quit peaceful, you only will hear the wind and the seagulls, see lot of sand. That we be changed in less than a few years. So, hurry to see it while it's still "virgin" land.

It is incredible project. Run out of land in port? So create a new one - just put a lot of sand into the sea :) The visitor center is very modern and interactive.

Maasvlakte II is a huge project, as many people know. The visitor centre is very actual and interactive. Nice for kids (> 5 yrs) too. It takes about 1 - 2 hrs to visit the centre.There a bus and boat ride too.We went by boat. A trip of 1 hr, children under 1.35 m not allowed. Not suitable for disabled, I'm sorry. Very interesting, but do take a coat (temperatures was over 30 C on land, but very fresh air on board!).Unfortunately no English guide.You can come by fast ferry when you are from Rotterdam or The Hague region, check the website.

very impressive, you can visit the new land of Maasvlakte 2/Rotterdam Port. Nice visitor centre, with free exhibitions, and a restaurant with a terras outside

Would you like to see how Holland is expanding? What it takes to create a complete new land? Than absolutely pay a visit to this part of Nl. A nice centre is telling you all the ins- and outs of this most important piece of Nl.

interesting only when interested in the history of the Dutch harbor ('s).

This is a great attraction...Very impressive!You can experience how the new land (over 2000 acres!) is claimed from the sea and how they build a port on it! All very well explained by audio guide....make sure you book the "train ride" with a real tour guide. It's all free!The road towards the centre is an experience in itself. You will see the Port of Rotterdam as it realy is....huge!

I found myself watching a show on engineering marvels which was talking about the current construction project to expand the Port of Rotterdam. The Dutch who helped engineer the Palm Island in Dubai by sucking ocean sand up and forming islands with the sand are using (in part) this same technique to make the Port of Rotterdam even more enormous than it is. When driving to FutureLand you will pass thousands of havens (ports) and as you are getting to the end, think to yourself, "They need this to be bigger?" But the port is the gateway for shipping into Europe plus I suspect that the Dutch just like projects where they reclaim land from the sea. This is a hugh project and started in 2008 and is scheduled to be completed (in part) in 2013. If you don't want to do the long drive around you can take a fast ferry catamaran to Futureland which takes about 15 minutes but does not run all the time then hop on the 113 bus. for further info go to www.ret.nl for timetablesThe visitor center offers many things of interest to explain what they are doing for both they young and the old. You can take the "Future Flight Experience" which allows you to soar over the port basins to the new port area. The Digital Brain Box offers up information about Maasvlakte 2 with films, images and text on a giant touch screen. Sit inside a globe and watch a film about why the port is being filmed. Watch another show on a water curtain. Upstairs is a better view of the construction with high powered cameras to view as well as another interactive display chronicling the construction's progress. More curiously you will find mammoth bones on display. The reason for this display is that when the ships go out into the ocean to suck up the sand floor to bring back to build the land, they ran into a buried heard of mammoths and their powerful machines just sucked them up from the ocean floor! For us the best part of the trip was the "train" ride on the FutureLand Express if you make reservations (the train is not free and does not run everyday so check ahead). You can make a reservation for the train at info@futureland.nl. We went in January and it was freezing, but we planned ahead and dressed warmly and brought a blanket. In the summer on a nice day it could be quite lovely, but make sure you dress appropriately. You get on the "train" which is really a tractor bulling open air cars (see pictures). They take you out onto the new land and show you the various stages of the project. For somebody like me who finds all this stuff fascinating it was great. The children will love it as well.

Centraal gelegen op de 2e maasvlakte. Zeer makkelijk bereikbaar. Voor alle leeftijden geschikt. Veel interactive ondekkingen voor kinderen. Je kan een boot en/of een bus tocht maken. Duur van de boottocht is 1,5 uur. Aan boord krijgt u veel informatie van een gids. Bezoekercentrum is gratis en voor de boottocht word een kleine vergoeding gevraagt. De boottocht word uitgevoerd door Spido.