Our accredited guide will meet or bring you here Rotterdam’s main gateway to the world. Here we introduce Erasmus’ belief that distance may separate people physically, but ideas connect humanity beyond borders.

At this stop we reflect on Erasmus’ powerful message of tolerance: “Let everyone honor their own convictions without insulting those of others.” We also discuss his famous thought: the most important condition for happiness is wanting to be who you truly are.

A visual story of Erasmus’ travels across Europe. From Rotterdam to Paris, England and Italy, he became one of the first true European intellectuals.

Looking up at the façade of the historic City Hall, we find a sculpted tribute to the thinker whose ideas shaped Renaissance scholarship.

A modern artistic interpretation showing how Erasmus’ influence continues in contemporary Rotterdam.

Here stands one of the oldest statues in the Netherlands. Erasmus watches over the city where he was born in 1466 & his monument. We explore his life story: a scholar, traveler and critic of society who believed education could improve humanity.

The tour concludes with the theme of Erasmus’ most famous book, Praise of Folly, where humor and satire reveal deeper truths about society. We finish with one of Erasmus’ most powerful ideas: “The whole world is your homeland.” Written on the biggest living room of Rotterdam; the Library.