Renting an unfurnished room?
The room you will be renting may well be unfurnished, in which case you might want to spend your first night in a ho(s)tel. Try the Stayokay hostel in Rotterdam. Erasmus University Rotterdam has arranged for a special voucher, which entitles its students to a discount.
To get your room equipped, you can purchase furniture in a number of places.
New furniture
For new yet inexpensive furniture you can head for IKEA. There isn’t a Rotterdam branch, but the 2 closest ones are located in Barendrecht and Delft. If you are travelling by public transport, the IKEA in Delft is easier to access. For more information on opening hours, prices and locations, visit www.ikea.nl (only in Dutch). If you need towels, cookware, bedding, cutlery, utility, lighting and storage you can visit one of the following well known Dutch shops (websites are in Dutch only):
- Hema
- Xenos
- Marskramer
- Blokker
- Bol.com (online shop)
Renting furniture
Are you planning to stay in the Netherlands for only a few months and thinking about the best way to get some basic furniture? Or are you uncertain what to do with the furniture you bought, once the study period in the Netherlands is over?
Student Furniture Holland solves these problems. Rent furniture instead of buying! Student Furniture Holland provides furniture rental for a reasonable price with delivery and pick-up included. Don’t worry about the necessities of life at the start of your study!
Used furniture
ESN Rotterdam (Erasmus Student Network Rotterdam) has a Facebook page on which international students can put things up for sale, ranging from bicycles to toasters to furniture. Find the group on Facebook.
Another website that is widely used in Holland to buy or sell second-hand goods is www.marktplaats.nl (only in Dutch). Much like e-bay, it serves as a market place. It has a large supply of used furniture at reasonable prices. Sometimes furniture is even offered for free, as long as you pick it up yourself.
If you’d rather visit a second-hand furniture shop, Het goed is a good option. This is a chain of stores exclusively selling used goods. They have 3 locations in Rotterdam: at Prins Alexander (eastern part of Rotterdam), Charlois (southern part) and Mariniersweg (city centre). The shop on Mariniersweg is closest to the Woudestein campus.