Rotterdam lands in fifth on Lonely Planet's top ten cities list

Rotterdam has notched up fifth place on the LonelyPlanet website’s Top 10 Cities list. The city was hailed for its futuristic architecture, nightlife, drinking and dining venues, and the all-round innovative developments of culture and design incorporated by the city. Lonely Planet had this to say about the Netherlands second biggest metropolis: The largest building in the Netherlands, De Rotterdam, is one of the centerpieces of the cities architectural culture. Pritzker-winning Rotterdam architect Rem Koolhaas, designed the building to produce dramatic views of “De Zwaan”, the cities white cable-stayed swooping bridge, from its hotel, cocktail bar terrace and restaurant. The innovative redevelopment of the Station Hofplein has allowed for the establishment of cutting-edge restaurants, boutiques and even a jazz club. 2016 is shaping up to be a developmental year for the city with plans for museum showcases and 1,5 meter barreling waves being ridden through the canals by surfers and body boarders. Europe’s biggest port will become more accessible with direct Eurostar services linking London and Amsterdam. The city also boasts historic neighborhoods such as Delfshaven that managed to escape being bombed to oblivion in WWII. Rotterdam has also initiated plans to fully climate-proof the below sea-level city by 2035, doubling up water plaza’s as playgrounds and environmentally sustainable floating homes. The Top 10 Cities in order: Kotor in Montenegro, Quito Ecuador, Dublin in Ireland, Georgetown in Malaysia, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Mumbai in India, Fremantle in Australia, Manchester in England, Nashville in America and Rome in Italy.