The lights flashed on the screen in front of us, and techno music began playing. Our seats, already 320ft in the air, then began slowly climbing to the top. Once at the top of the 606ft Euromast Tower, the circular lift began to rotate, offering spectacular panoramic views of the city below.
This couldn’t be anywhere. It was very much Rotterdam! From the top of the glass-floored Euromast – one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions – you can take in all of Europe’s largest seaport. Gazing at the mixture of modern architecture, green space and an intricate and busy body of water was the perfect way to start our urban adventure.
Rotterdam gets far less press than more popular Amsterdam. In Britain it’s known mainly for the unkind portrayal in The Beautiful South song, with the residents described as “dull” and “gargoyles”. So we didn’t know what to expect after signing up for the Food and Route experience – a self-guided walking tour of the city, which stops off at restaurants and bars while taking you past areas of particular interest.
Walking is a great way to see Rotterdam, but we had already experienced its brilliant public transport links too. The previous day we caught the Stena ferry from Harwich in Essex to Hook of Holland. The seven-hour-ish crossing is less about just getting from A to B and more like the start of the holiday itself.
With our own cabin, onboard restaurants and access to the Stena Plus Lounge, the journey across the .