The Australian

Medi aCover age2016 TheAust r al i an

12 TRAVEL & INDULGENCE

THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, APRIL 16-17, 2016 www.theaustralian.com.au/travel

THE PERFECT 10 ROTTERDAM

Reborn to greatness Hip and historic in The Netherlands

VICTORIA TROTT

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MY REGENERATION

Heavily bombed during World War II by both the Allies and the Nazis, the second-largest city in The Netherlands keeps regenerating. To commemorate 75 years of reconstruction, a wide variety of initiatives and events have been planned for this year. Last month saw the launch of The Bobbing Forest, a waterborne artwork by Jorge Bakker, with 20 sea buoys carrying living trees. During the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (April 23 to July 10), visitors can arrange B&B in the home of a well-known architect such as Robert Winkel of Mei Architects and Planners, the firm responsible for the award-winning McDonald’s outlet on Coolsingel. And the world’s first floating farm is expected to receive its first cows in the northern autumn. More: wakeupinit.com; floatingfarm.nl.

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THROUGH THE AGES

The best place to start a visit is at the Museum Rotterdam, which opened its doors in a new home, the OMA-designed glass-and-steel Timmerhuis, in February. The local history museum has three themes: Rotterdammers and their City, History of the City and The New City. To learn about the maritime past and the city’s role as one of the world’s great ports, head to the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam, where highlights include the oldest model ship in Europe, a 16th-century travel journal and an open-air collection of historic vessels.

Further west in the quaint port of Delfshaven, a replica of an 18th-century warship, De Delft, is being constructed and visitors can watch the craftsmen at work.

More: museumrotterdam.nl; maritiemmuseum.nl; dedelft.nl/museum.

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Clockwise from top: Rotterdam’s skyline; foodies flock to the Markthal; masterpieces at Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum

WATER WORLDS

On the River Maas, which rises in France and travels 925km north through Belgium and The Netherlands where it flows into the North Sea, Rotterdam offers several kinds of bracing boat trips. Spido runs daily 75-minute tours of the harbour, past Europe’s largest container port, the 802m-long Erasmus Bridge, the tallest building in The Netherlands (the 165m Maastor-

en) and SS Rotterdam, former flagship cruise liner of the Holland America Line and now a floating hotel and restaurant. Families and foodies will delight in the Pannenkoekenboot, a boat with an all-you-can-eat pancake buffet and a kids’ playroom, which has day and evening cruises. More: spido.nl; ssrotterdam.nl; pannenkoekenboot.nl.

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BROWSE AND BUY

Next to Urban Guides, Groos (an old Rotterdam word for “proud’’) is a concept store selling music, fashion, household goods, art and literature created in the city. Margareeth Olsthoorn stocks high-end, avantgarde fashion for men and women with a good selection of European designers, including Dutch brand Avelon, while Dearhunter Vintage is the place to go for unique vintage clothing and accessories. Cutting across the centre of the city from east to west, Nieuwe Binnenweg is home to a wide variety of multicultural eating places and shops, including individual pieces of gold-and-diamond jewellery at M. Heijkoop De Goudsmid (at No 119).

More: groosrotterdam.nl; margareetholsthoorn.nl; dearhunter.fresh.li.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Although it’s easy to walk around the centre of Rotterdam or go further afield by tram, the fun way to explore the city is by bike. Urban Guides offer a two-and-a-half hour tour of the city’s best buildings, led by architects or architecture students. To see Rotterdam from above, take the lift up to the observation deck of the 185m-high Euromast tower, built in 1960. As well as dining in its smart brasserie (Sunday brunch is popular), visitors can spend the night in one of two suites or the adventurous could even abseil down the outside.

More: urbanguides.nl; euromast.nl.

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AFP

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Windmill at Kinderdijk, above; the quaint port of Delfshaven, below

OUT AND ABOUT

This university city of about 600,000 has a young population, about half of whom are nonDutch, so unsurprisingly there is a lively nightlife scene.

The hippest place to go is Witte de Withstraat, a street where you can take in a contemporary art exhibition at TENT or Witte de With before enjoying a Heineken or jenever (Dutch gin) at NRC, housed in a former newspaper office, or De Witte Aap, voted Best Bar in the World by Lonely Planet readers in 2009. Another nightlife hub with a good selection of bars and restaurants is near the defunct Hofplein station, where BIRD not only has a program featuring live jazz but soul, hip-hop and electronica. The city hosts the internationally renowned North Sea Jazz Festival each July. More: tentrotterdam.nl; wdw.nl; nieuwrotterdamscafe.nl; dewitteaap.nl; bird-rotterdam.nl.

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LET’S GET VISUAL

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WORLD HERITAGE

Rotterdam has some world-class art museums and two are particularly worth seeing. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen displays an intimate collection of Dutch and European artworks from the Middle Ages to the 21st century including pieces by Bosch, Rembrandt and van Gogh; the section devoted to Dutch design features furniture by Gerrit Rietveld, one of the main members of the De Stijl movement (1917-1931) and explores how everyday objects have changed over the centuries.

On the left bank of the River Maas in the former workshop of the Holland America Line, the Nederlands Fotomuseum is home to the country’s photographic heritage.

As well as a permanent collection dating from the 19th century, there are temporary exhibitions, with early nature photography and crime scenes on the agenda in 2016. More: boijmans.nl; nederlandsfotomuseum.nl.

Rotterdam has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites within easy reach. Built between 1927 and 1930, the Van Nelle Fabriek is a classic example of the Nieuwe Bouwen School of Dutch modernist architecture. The former tobacco factory has been renovated and now rents out office space and hosts events; it can be only be visited by the public on a guided tour with Urban Guides (see No 3). Best accessed by Waterbus, Kinderdijk is a collection of 19 windmills dating from the 18th century in a bucolic setting 25km from the city. Visitors can see inside a mill, meet the miller and learn how the structures are made and work. More: vannellefabriek.com; kinderdijk.com.

BEST BEDS

DINING DELIGHTS

The main destination for foodies in Rotterdam is the Markthal, a spectacular covered market with residential and office space, which opened in 2014. As well as the possibility of grazing at the 60 or so stalls, there are 14 restaurants, including Mart Cafe, famous for its fries, seafood and apple pie. One of the best places to eat in the city is at “taste laboratory’’ FG Restaurant, with two Michelin stars, where you can savour a €45 ($66) threecourse lunch while wearing your jeans as there’s no dress code. Opened in 2015, Rauwdouwer (“bruiser’’) is a goodvalue, family-friendly cafe in a former probation office near the Euromast, serving snacks, afternoon tea and vegetarian dishes. More: markthal.nl; fgrestaurant.nl; rauwdouwer.nl.

Suite Hotel Pincoffs (pictured) is a 17-suite property in a listed 19th-century building on Rotterdam’s left bank, with views across the Maas to the city and Erasmus Bridge; the Art Suite was designed by 10 artists using recycled materials. Ultra-hip Stroom is housed in a former electricity plant in Delfshaven and offers the full lifestyle experience, including a brasserie, bakery, market and roof terrace where meals are served in summer. More: hotelpincoffs.nl; stroomrotterdam.nl.

• en.rotterdam.info

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