One destination that doesn't spring to mind in the boggling array of city break
options is Rotterdam, famous for having Europe's largest port and being destroyed
by German bombs in 1941.
So, what is there to tempt people to this potential destination? It's devoid of
grand old architecture and, obviously, dramatic landscapes, but it just so happens
it's creeping to the top of the nightlife charts.
And it's easy to get there. Cheap flights from London City Airport come with virtually
no queues, 20-minute check-ins, a new DLR station a little more than 20
minutes from the centre of London and a swift 45-minute flight time.
Rivalling and even overtaking Amsterdam as the place to go clubbing in Holland,
Rotterdam prides itself as being the home of a bunch of the world's most
famous DJs, from Tiesto to Michael de Hey and Sander Kleinenberg.
Joined by some other Rotterdam first-timers, we don our dancing trousers for a visit
to the mammoth Ahoy arena. Playing host to another of Rotterdam's favourite
and most famous sons, Armin van Buuren, the place throbs with 11,000 devoted
fans for a special one-off event. The DJ plays the characteristic Dutch
sound that has become huge in the UK - deep bass-driven techno and trance,
in this case more commercial and with plenty of live vocalists and musicians
- keeping feet rooted to the dancefloor until 7.30am.
The less overwhelming venues cater for all tastes, primarily from techno and electro
through to trance and various types of house music. At the Glamtech night in
the Off_Corso nightclub we are treated to experimental live act Spektrum
from London inbetween the local DJs who keep the techno flowing. The venue
is a converted cinema, with a large dancefloor, a balcony with plenty of comfy
seats to take the weight off, and a second room with reggae DJs. On to the
Thalia Lounge, this is a more glitzy affair where Ministry of Sound holds occasional
housier nights, while NightTown, arranged over two floors with one bigger
arena attracting legends such as Andy Weatherall, feels satisfyingly grubby
and underground.
Rotterdam truly is a funky beast, belying the bland first impressions of the exterior.
Hotels, bars and restaurants are opening for the young and sophisticated. We
stay at Hotel Stroom, a newly-opened converted power station. The
bar/restaurant's all bright colours, open-plan kitchens, projections and
modern arty decor. Its cool is matched by the rooms, where the two-level
apartments have an entire ground floor for a bathroom - double showers and
baths the size of swimming pools. Add top-of-the-range DVD/TVs and iPod
soundsystems and you have the perfect place for the discerning clubber.
The bars and restaurants are ideal for pre-club feeding and watering. Blits and
The Rotterdam Café Restaurant look out over the river with ceiling-to-floor
glass affording splendid views from different sides of the city's latest
icon, the Erasmus Bridge. Blits is very Rotterdam, a purpose-built
ship-shaped building by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders that offers a menu of
experimental but very successful Dutch, European and Asian themes where you
sample a few different small main courses. If you can prise yourself out of
there it's just a question of which bars to try on your way to the all-night
parties.
)NIGHTLIFE OPTIONS
Festival
If you are looking for a event to make your visit extra special, don't miss Rotterdam's
FFWD Heineken Dance Parade in August, which has taken over from Berlin's
extinct Love Parade as the biggest dance happening in Europe.
Clubs and bars
One of the first ports of call should be www.hollandclubbing.com. Dedicated to promoting
the music scene and tourism in the Netherlands, it has in-depth coverage of
Rotterdam. Check the club websites for listings and music styles on any
given evening.
Off_Corso
www.off-corso.nl
Large converted cinema that hosts live acts as well as DJs. Various nights from
promoters such as Fire and Sound Architecture who get some of the world's biggest
techno DJs as well as many house music promoters.
The Thalia Lounge
www.thaliarotterdam.nl
Large lavish club over 5 floors in a converted cinema catering for the housier side
of things, including Ministry of Sound tours
NOW&WOW
www.now-wow.com
Another big funkily-designed club with a mix of house, electronica and more from
local DJs and some famous guests
NightTown
www.nighttown.nl
It holds a couple of thousand people over two floors, and has hosted parties with
the likes of Laurent Garnier and Andy Weatherall
Ahoy
www.ahoy.nl
Large arena for 12,000 people that primarily caters for exhibitions, sporting events
and live bands along with occasional dance music events
Hyper Hyper
Mauritsweg 5
www.hyperhyper.nl
Labelled as a dance cafe/club and open until 3 or 4am, this trendy place is a good
to warm up for an all-night boogey, with it's bright red and white colour scheme
a bit easyJet but certainly not sleep-inducing
Jackie RC
Maasboulevard 300
www.jackieclub.com
Glamorous bar/club/restaurant, open until 3 or 4am, extravagently decked out with
a fusion of jazz, latin and house beats
MORE HIP SHORT-HAUL HANGOUTS
Berlin
Home of one some of the best techno clubs in the world, including the legendary
Tresor, this is a party place with a fantastic 24-hour café culture. Germany
pioneered the techno artform and invented dance parades, its Love Parades
peaking at over 1.5 million people before it all got too much.
Prague
Since the Velvet Revolution, Czechs have mastered the art of letting their hair
down and attract big-name DJs to clubs such as Roxy and Radost FX. Other recently
liberated destinations that like a good party include Belgrade, Split and
Budapest.
Valencia
Spain's self-appointed techno capital, they love a good rave-up and appreciate the
different underground styles that pepper London.
Barcelona
Party with the Catalans - the world's best DJs are attracted by this capital of
cool. June's Sonar festival hosts the best in the world of electronica.
Daytime in the city
If you make it out of bed, Rotterdam is a leisurely place to explore on foot, by
bike or tram, and a welcome relief from the rat-race of larger cities. Our group
of revellers opt for an architecture tour by bike. First impressions are not
great, but delve beneath the surface and it's easy to warm to the modern constructions
scattered about. It feels organic and provides a stark contrast to old
Amsterdam while achieving the youthful energy of Berlin.
The city teems with architecture exhibitions, architecture colleges and architecture
students as the city gets rebuilt and updated in cycles when fashions
change. Our guide takes us to the attractive cafe-lined Oude Haven, Rotterdam's
original harbour, and on to Piet Bloom's colourful, tilted and tardis-like
Cube Houses (Adults €1.75).
In an area downstream from the Erasmus Bridge where the port begins an old-world
charm remains, with grand old buildings next to and scattered about the
reviving Green Park - a rare link to pre-1940s Rotterdam.
Beyond the park is the Euromast, an iconic tower that serves as a viewing platform.
Get a lift to 175 metres to gaze back into the city or out towards the North
Sea, 25 miles downstream. At 100 metres a fine restaurant overhangs the
tower's edge for views around and straight down (perhaps best enjoyed before
eating), and you can stay in one of two hotel rooms at the same level.
Further down river the new shipping college is a striking cantilever-shaped building
forged from blue and black glass squares that, along with the old Holland
America Line shipping headquarters - now flanked by two skyscapers deliberately
positioned to act as sentinels - welcome people into the heart of the city.
These are best viewed on a boat trip from Erasmus Bridge down through the
port, though it is best taken on a warm day when you can stand on the deck
to avoid the mayor's piped commentary - unless you like ship container facts
and figures in multiple languages.
Rotterdam has a point to prove to the point of being sizeist. From the big ships
in the big port to the tall Euromast, they also boast Europe's largest outdoor
market that leads into one of the biggest shopping centres and onto the
longest shopping street. You can get just about everything in the market, and
there's no shortage of the usual Dutch suspects - tulips, waffles and plenty
of fruit and veg from the giant greenhouse farms that skirt the city. But if
that's not your shopping bag and the department stores aren't a turn-on either,
take a detour to the Museumpark, where the Kunsthal Rotterdam (www.kunsthal.nl,
adults €8.50), World Art Museum (www.wereldmuseum.rotterdam.nl,€6)
and National Architecture Institute (www.nai.nl,
€8) are in close proximity to each other.
On from the museums is Witte de Withstraat, a regenerated street that offers more
cultured shopping options. Here you can shop for for art, crafts and fashion
between the bars and restaurants of one of Rotterdam's hippest areas. There's
a purveyor of giant cacti, if you want to try carrying one home.
GETTING THERE
VLM airlines flies to Rotterdam from London City Airport with returns starting at
£90. It also has departures from from Liverpool, Manchester, Jersey and
the Isle of Man
www.flyvlm.com
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Stroom
Lloydstraat 1
www.stroomrotterdam.nl
Recently-opened design hotel in a converted power station. Doubles start at £90
but the split-level studios with their massive baths and walk-in showers and
state-of-the-art entertainment systems will set you back £160.
Hotel Bazaar
Witte de Withstraat 16
www.hotelbazar.nl
A great budget option, with 27 rooms starting at £50 for a double. The
rooms are themed with decor and furniture based on different parts of the
world, from Middle-Eastern to African and South American.
WHERE TO EAT
Blits
Boompjes 701
www.blits-rotterdam.nl
New riverside restaurant in an extremely funky purpose-built building. Huge windows
look out over the River Maas and Erasmus bridge, food is experimental and
excellent (£30 excluding wine).
Brasserie de Euromast
Parkhaven 20, Scheepvaartkwartier
www.euromast.nl
Minimalist decor and ceiling-to-floor windows located 100 metres up the Euromast,
the views are spectacular and the food does not disappoint (£20)
Bazaar, Wereld Eethuis
Witte de Withstraat 16
www.hotelbazar.nl
Below the hotel of the same name, this excellent value restaurant offers up Middle
Eastern and oriental fare. It's a busy and lively venue, with giant arabic
lamps and bright decor (£15)
The Rotterdam Café Restaurant
Wilhelminakade 699
www.caferotterdam.nl
Recently revamped restaurant that also acts as a bar and club with decent Dutch
fare (£20)
ACTIVITIES
Rotterdam Bycycle arrange guided bicycle tours of the city
www.rotterdambycycle.nl
Archiguides offer guided architecture tours by bike, bus and on
foot
www.rotterdam-archiguides.nl
Spido operates harbour boat trips from below the Erasmus Bridge
www.spido.nl
MUSEUMS
Cube Houses
Kunsthal Rotterdam
www.kunsthal.nl
World Art Museum
www.wereldmuseum.rotterdam.nl
National Architecture Institute
www.nai.nl
MORE INFORMATION
Netherlands Board of Tourism
www.holland.com/uk
