Five Reasons to Visit Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

As I came out of the ferry terminal at Rotterdam Europoort there were several coaches waiting to whisk people off to Amsterdam. And just one minibus going to the centre of Rotterdam. Yet the second city of The Netherlands is a vibrant city with a lively arts and social scene. So why is it overlooked as a tourist destination?

You are surrounded by art in Rotterdam. There is street art on every corner: often provocative and colourful, and occasionally interactive. There is sculpture too, with a specially created trail alongside the Westersingel Canal.

Then there is the architecture. The relative lack of older buildings is made up for by bold contemporary design. The Cube Houses near Blaak Station are perhaps the best known, but the city centre is full of stylish modern buildings. (Read more about Rotterdam’s art and architecture here.)

Unfortunately I ran out of time and didn’t manage to visit any of the museums on this trip. This was a pity because Rotterdam has several excellent museums. Top of my list would have been the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, an impressive collection of classic Dutch and modern artworks, and the Nieuwe Instituut, an exploration of architecture. There is also the Maritime Museum (which looks as if it would be good for families, with children’s activities and an interactive Offshore Experience), the Fotomuseum, and many more. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).