Rotterdam

Rotterdam is renowned for its port, but that’s not all it has going for it. It has some stunning high rises, great museums and excellent nightlife.

In the 13th century a dam was built on the river Rotte and a settlement established: Rotterdam. In the 19th century, the settlement grew into a city after the port was built. The city was badly damaged in the Second World War, which is why it has very few historic buildings.

In addition to the city's famous points of interest, such as the Euromast and the impressive Erasmus bridge, there are a lot of less well-known places worth going to, such as the futuristic Markthal, or the Drijvend Paviljeon (floating pavilion), a centre for sustainability which consists of three interlinked spheres. Rotterdam's famous Koopgoot is a great place to shop. Culture aficionados will thoroughly enjoy Rotterdam's museum quarter. An absolute must is Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, one of the oldest museums in the country with works by great masters such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Rotterdam has a great public transport system, making it easy to get around the city. You can take a bus, a tram or the tube and there are several places where you can hire bicycle. Bike stalls are free in the city centre, so you shouldn't have too much trouble parking it. Most of the sights are easy to reach on foot.

Rotterdam Central Station is easy to get to from just about every city in the Netherlands. You can fly directly to Rotterdam from London City and Manchester, or you can fly to Amsterdam and take an intercity train from there. Alternatively, you can take the ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland and the train to Rotterdam, the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam Europoort, or the Eurostar from St Pancras via Lille. If you're planning on driving, you can take the ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland or the train from Folkstone to Calais and then drive up the E40.

Rotterdam is a great place to relax among modern architecture, lovely museums and great shopping.