3 Best Sights in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Resembling a giant mirror-clad bowl designed to reflect the Rotterdam skyline, this storage facility for artworks owned by the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is both a stunning reaffirmation of the city's reputation for architectural innovation and yet another symbol of its cultural importance—even if you are not interested in going inside, it's worth coming here to marvel at the building itself. The adjacent museum is undergoing major renovation that will not be completed until 2029, but in the meantime visitors can tour the depot, with a guide and a guard, and check out the entire 152,000-strong collection—containing works by Monet, Rembrandt, Mondrian, Warhol, and many others—on pull-out racks. For an alternative view of the city, check out the rooftop restaurant and its garden, which is home to 75 trees.

A sea lover's delight, the Maritiem Museum or Maritime Museum contains Rotterdam's noted nautical collection. Appropriately perched at the head of the Leuvehaven harbor, it was founded by Prince Hendrik in 1874. The seafaring ways of old Rotterdammers make more sense set against the background of modern and historical maritime objects. The main exhibit on the ground floor is a large model of the Europoort, which shows how the Rotterdam area has developed over the centuries into the major seaport of today. The upper floors are mainly given over to rotating exhibitions on seafaring themes. Children have half a floor dedicated to them, called "Professor Plons" (Professor Plunge), where museum staff are on hand to help with looking through a real periscope, donning a hard hat, and taking to the driving seat of a scaled-down crane, and engaging in many other aquatic and maritime activities. Outside the museum, a dozen or so old tugs and barges are moored along Leuvehaven. The wharf is also home to a number of cranes salvaged from ports around the country, and these are particularly striking when floodlighted at night.