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.