Book a Stay at Culture Campsite — Rotterdam’s Lush Urban Oasis

Culture Campsite is a project run by a team of designers and freelancers in the art and cultural scene. Thijs Masthoff and Isis Hoos built the first of eleven unique sleeping pods that have found a new home on a formerly empty lot in Rotterdam’s harbour district. Located right next to De Kroon, one of the cities’ creative workspaces for designers and makers, the two are running their campsite business together with Boris Duijneveld and Laura Abbink. 

The campsite is a 10-minute bike ride away from Rotterdam’s centre and well situated to reach all the city’s hotspots on two wheels. But once you have checked in at Culture Campsite and taken a seat in front of your sleeping pod, you might want to stay for good. Surrounded by lush flowers, that have truly exploded in beds filled with reclaimed garden soil, bees and butterflies buzzing around, you instantly start to slow down and relax. The busyness of the vibrant city around you seems suddenly far away. 

Culture Campsite offers everything you would expect from a camping experience, but designed with a lot of attention to the little details and with sustainability in mind. The showers are painted in sunny yellow, with little hourglasses so guests can self-check their water use. Be aware, this might be the best camping shower you ever had! For the most private business, the toilets in bright blue with handpicked flower bouquets are the right spot. If you need to be refreshed, the TUB, which can be heated if needed, is definitely worth a dip.

The fully-equipped kitchen space with a coffee machine and shared fridge lets you prep all your meals during your stay and of course, camping wouldn’t be camping without a bbq spot. A second kitchen, big terrace and bar are currently under construction and will provide even more space for guests in the future. In case of rain, there is always the option to lounge in the common room, roofed by a translucent dome. 

If you are used to a stone-hard sleeping mat when camping, the comfy matresses inside the cabins will feel like heaven to you. Depending on which object you have booked for to stay in, you might sleep in a greenhouse, van or an object that looks like a spaceship that has just landed. Every object was built from recycled and reclaimed materials and each of them has its own story and concept, so you can choose between various different camping adventures.

With Culture Campsite you can escape the urban hustle in the middle of the city. It offers a truly unique holiday experience, be it for a night, a weekend or longer. During our stay at the urban campsite we encountered families, friends and solo travellers, Culture Campsite is therefore an experience for adventurers of all ages.