It

It
wasn’t until too long ago that Rotterdam was just a
little-visited stop on the Netherlands’ tourist trail. Despite its
vast size, Rotterdam’s concrete-covered city centre and shabby
suburbs gave visitors little reason to stick around.

Recent years, however, have seen the city blossom into a
chart-topping travel destination. Driven by smart renovation
projects and new, cutting-edge architectural works, Rotterdam has
reinvented itself as a design capital of global significance. Even
the gritty city centre has been polished up: its post-war
industrial buildings and dingy townhouses now harbour creative
studios, craft-beer breweries and sleek boutiques showcasing the
city’s homegrown talents with pride.