Since the Second World War, when it was all but fl attened, Rotterdam has re-emerged as Holland’s economic capital and also its most modern, vibrant and multi-cultural city.

It’s a mecca for modern architecture buffs, with a futuristic and funky cityscape of iconic and innovative buildings, such as the elegant Erasmus Bridge and the post-modern Overblaak cube apartments, an Architectural Biennale (www.biennalerotterdam.nl) and the Netherlands Architecture Institute (www.nai.nl). Rotterdam’s vast harbour, which stretches from the city to the sea 40kms away, is celebrated at the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam (www.maritiemmuseum.nl), and the city offers a range of excursions to entertain the visitor who’s mad for all things maritime. The more artistically-inclined can peruse the impressive permanent collection at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, contemporary exhibitions at the Kunsthal (www.kunsthal.nl) and the small but fascinating Fotomuseum (www.nederlandsfotomuseum.nl). But save some energy for the evening, when Rotterdam’s fashionable youth come out to play in a host of cool clubs.