Renting a Home in Feijenoord, Rotterdam

Feijenoord is located on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas, directly opposite the city center. The district stretches from Noordereiland to Vreewijk, from Afrikaanderwijk to Bloemhof. Katendrecht and Kop van Zuid formally also fall under Feijenoord but have their own pages. This page focuses on the neighborhoods between and behind them: places where rents are lower, the population is more diverse, and the city is undergoing significant change. Feijenoord has approximately 78,500 inhabitants, and about three-quarters of the homes are rental properties. Those who rent an apartment here live within cycling distance of the center in a part of Rotterdam that will undergo drastic changes in the coming years.

Noordereiland: An Island in the Maas

Noordereiland is literally an island. The Koningshaven, dug in the 1870s, separated it from the rest of Rotterdam-Zuid. The Willemsbrug connects the island with the city center, and the Koninginnebrug and De Hef connect it with Kop van Zuid. The island has approximately 3,600 inhabitants and features a nineteenth-century street plan with closed building blocks, large courtyards, and pre-war facades.

The atmosphere is intimate and insular. Residents call it a village within the city. The bridges used to be constantly open for shipping traffic, isolating the island from the rest of the city. That mentality has remained. Noordereiland attracts artists, creatives, and young professionals. De Hef, the former railway bascule bridge and now a national monument, stands at the eastern tip. Burgemeester Hoffmanplein is the central square. Rents here are higher than in the rest of Feijenoord: the WOZ value averages €369,000 (2025).

The Afrikaanderwijk and its Market

The Afrikaanderwijk was built around 1900, when the southern harbors were being dug. The street names refer to the Boer War: Pretoriusstraat, Bloemfonteinstraat, Transvaalstraat. Afrikaanderplein, where Feyenoord was founded in 1908, is now home to the Afrikaandermarkt. Every Wednesday and Saturday, 180 to 200 stalls offer fresh fish, exotic vegetables, fabrics, and spices from dozens of countries. It is one of the largest and most colorful markets in the Netherlands.

The neighborhood is one of the most multicultural in Rotterdam: more than 80% of residents have a non-Dutch background. The buildings are pre-war, the homes are compact, and rents are low. The municipality is investing in new construction and area transformation. In the adjacent Tweebosbuurt, homes have been demolished and replaced by new construction. Project De Kuil will deliver approximately 80 homes in 2025, partly mid-range rentals.

Vreewijk: Berlage's Garden Village

Vreewijk is Rotterdam's only garden village. In 1913, banker K.P. van Mandele commissioned H.P. Berlage to design a garden village based on the English garden city model. From 1916 onwards, low-rise residential blocks with collective inner gardens, wide avenues, and back alleys emerged. The result is a green oasis in the heart of Rotterdam-Zuid: tree-lined streets, front gardens, and a village-like streetscape.

Since 2012, Vreewijk has been a protected city district. 287 homes are national monuments. This means no uncontrolled growth of renovations, but also restrictions for those who wish to make changes. 86% of the housing stock consists of rental properties. Large-scale renovations are underway. The supply in the private sector is limited. The Zuiderhof, a new construction project on the edge of Vreewijk, will add 87 private-sector apartments and 73 mid-segment homes.

Hillesluis and Bloemhof: The Affordable Neighborhoods

Hillesluis and Bloemhof are located in the heart of Feijenoord, between Afrikaanderwijk and Vreewijk. Both neighborhoods were built in the 1920s as social housing. The WOZ values are the lowest in the district.

Hillesluis has seen remarkable improvement in recent years. According to the Leefbaarometer 2024, nowhere else in the Netherlands had liveability increased so significantly. The municipality, housing corporations, and residents have jointly invested in housing improvement, public spaces, and social policies. Beijerlandselaan is the central shopping street for both neighborhoods: a wide street with international shops and eateries. For tenants seeking the lowest entry price in Rotterdam-Zuid, Hillesluis and Bloemhof are the starting point.

De Kuip, the Maastunnel, and the Bike to the Center

De Kuip, Feyenoord's stadium, is located in the heart of the Feijenoord district. On match days, the neighborhood transforms. The rest of the week, it is quiet. Metro lines D and E run via Station Zuid and Rijnhaven to Central Station in three to five minutes. Bus 44 runs through the Maastunnel six times an hour between Central Station and Zuidplein. Bus 32 serves Noordereiland.

By bike, the city center is ten to fifteen minutes away via the Erasmus Bridge or the Maastunnel. Vreewijk is slightly further, on the south side of the district. The accessibility of Hillesluis and Bloemhof by public transport is less direct than that of Noordereiland or Katendrecht. Parking is paid in large parts of the district. On Noordereiland, parking capacity is limited due to its island structure. Around De Kuip, a heightened regime applies on match days.

The rental market in Feijenoord is broad and varied. Noordereiland offers character and waterside living at higher prices. Vreewijk offers greenery and a village feel, predominantly in the social sector. Afrikaanderwijk is multicultural and in transition. Hillesluis and Bloemhof are the most affordable neighborhoods. Pay close attention to the differences: within Feijenoord, the most expensive and cheapest rental properties in Rotterdam-Zuid can sometimes be only a kilometer apart.