Rotterdam

A capital of modern architecture rebuilt after WWII, with refreshing sights like the Cube Houses, Markthal and Erasmus Bridge, and the Delftware town of Delft and The Hague close by.

Rotterdam lies on the Maas in the province of South Holland and is the Netherlands' second-largest city and Europe's largest port. German bombing in 1940 all but destroyed the old city, and after the war Rotterdam chose bold reconstruction, becoming Europe's testing ground for modern architecture: the Cube Houses, Markthal, Erasmus Bridge, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Centraal station and the Kop van Zuid skyscrapers are all must-sees for architecture fans. The city can be explored by area: the city center and Blaak (Markthal, Cube Houses, Oude Haven, St. Lawrence Church); Museumpark and the Euromast; Kop van Zuid and Katendrecht on the south bank of the Maas (Hotel New York, SS Rotterdam, Fenix museum); and in the west, the old harbor of Delfshaven and the Van Nelle Factory World Heritage Site. Delft, The Hague and Gouda are 15–25 minutes away by train for Vermeer masterpieces, Delftware, the Parliament and the beach; the Kinderdijk windmills are also often reached from Rotterdam by water bus (covered in the Amsterdam entry). The best time to visit is April–September, and in April you can combine your trip with the tulip fields; winters are cold, gray and rainy, but there are plenty of museums. High-speed trains from Rotterdam Centraal connect to Amsterdam (about 40 minutes), Brussels and Paris, and the city has an excellent network of metro, trams and water taxis, plus it's great for cycling. Plan on 2–3 days.

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Itineraries