Rotterdam

Rotterdam is unlike any other Dutch city — and that is its greatest asset. Bombed flat in 1940 and rebuilt with ambition and architectural experimentation ever since, it has become Europe's living laboratory for contemporary urban architecture. While Amsterdam preserves its 17th-century fabric, Rotterdam tears down and rebuilds, hosting buildings by Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Benthem Crouwel and dozens of other major architects. The Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) by Piet Blom are iconic — tilted cubes perched on concrete pillars, one of which can be visited as a show house. The nearby Market Hall (Markthal), a vast arched building housing a food market beneath a spectacular painted ceiling by the artist MVRDV, is excellent for eating. The Erasmusbrug (Swan Bridge) over the Maas is one of the world's most elegant cable-stayed bridges. The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (in temporary accommodation while its building is renovated) holds one of the Netherlands' finest art collections. The Depot, a spectacular round mirrored building, displays 151,000 art objects normally in storage. Rotterdam's port — the largest in Europe — processes a quarter of all goods entering the European Union. The port tour (Spido) is an excellent way to appreciate its extraordinary scale. The Fenix Food Factory in Katendrecht is outstanding for local produce and street food. The city has a genuine, gritty, multicultural energy that Amsterdam's more touristic streets lack. Rotterdam is excellent year-round.