15 Photos That Will Make You Want To Visit Rotterdam

Checking out Rotterdam's Cube Houses

Cool street art, nightlife, a buzzing foodie scene and futuristic architecture – it’s time to reveal the best photo spots in Rotterdam.

Other than the song by the Beautiful South, I didn’t know a lot about Rotterdam. I’ve visited Amsterdam countless times and loved it! It’s fair to say Rotterdam is Amsterdam’s lesser-visited, modern little sister. As the majority of the city was bombed during the war, it’s become a playground for forward-thinking architects. Along with the uber-cool architecture, there are plenty of fashionable restaurants, a great nightlife scene, top summer festivals and a little something I’d describe as community spirit! The best time to visit? I’d say the Summer. But don’t  just take my word for it, take a look at a few of my top pics from my recent travels.

Check out the video of my trip to Rotterdam and then scroll down to read more.

 

1. The city’s skyline is one of the most unusual I’ve seen in a while. Best place to check it out? From the tallest building – the Euromast, and be sure to visit in the evening as the lights start to illuminate the city. 

View from the Euromast, Rotterdam
View from the Euromast, Rotterdam

2. One of my favourite spots in the city is Markthal. It’s not just the city’s top food market, it’s also another architectural masterpiece!

Exterior of Markthal, Rotterdam
Exterior of Markthal, Rotterdam

3. The crazy ceiling of the Markthal was designed by artist Arno Coenen and features giant fruit and vegetables.

Inside looking out of Markthal, Rotterdam
Inside looking out of Markthal, Rotterdam

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REVIEW: Olo Restaurant, Helsinki, Finland

Pan-fried arctic char with asparagus, broccoli puree and browned butter sauce at Olo Restaurant, Helsinki

Serving gourmet Scandinavian cuisine in the centre of Helsinki, there’s a reason Olo Restaurant has a Michelin star. Find out all about the incredible menu in my latest review. 

When it comes to foodie cities, I never expected Helsinki to be a top destination. But, with 4 Michelin starred restaurants in the centre, and plenty of spectacular waterside locations to dine at, it’s a city that really took me by surprise! During my week staying at Visit Helsinki’s #HelsinkiSecret Residence I spent an evening at Olo Restaurant (Ravintola Olo) enjoying their 9 course tasting menu (entitled ‘The Shorter Way’) with wine pairings.

I don’t think I’ve ever sat at a restaurant table to find something totally uncooked waiting for me. But, sure enough, as I took my seat beside the window at Olo, as a beautiful rainbow draped itself through the sky, there was a dish of unbaked sourdough. “It’s rising” waitress Melanie said. “I’ll take it off to be baked and bring it back when it’s ready.” Nice touch I thought…

Unbaked sourdough awaited us as we arrived at Olo Restaurant, Helsinki
Unbaked sourdough awaited us as we arrived at Olo Restaurant, Helsinki
Magical view out of the window at Olo Restaurant, Helsinki
Magical view out of the window at Olo Restaurant, Helsinki

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A Scenic Flight Over Helsinki – Flying Over The Finnish Capital

View from a Cessna flight over Helsinki

A scenic flight over Helsinki is an incredible way to get to know the Finnish capital. Find out all about this unique experience. 

As I boarded my flight from London to Helsinki, I couldn’t help but snap away out of the window as we were coming in to land. Fairytale forests, the impressive Suomenlinna Fortress, and beautiful archipelago filled my plane window. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Over the next few days, while visiting the city as part of Visit Helsinki’s #HelsinkiSecret campaign, I explored the city on foot, by tram, boat, kayak and big wheel. However I never expected for a moment that I’d be taking to the skies in a 4-seater Cessna!

Jutta, a friendly local contacted me via twitter asking if I fancied a unique birds-eye view of the city.

What could she possibly mean? We continued to chat back and forth and days later arranged to meet at Helsinki Central Station. From there we travelled 30 minutes by bus to Malmi Airport. Just 10km from the city, the small airport boasts around 40,000 landings every year.

Ready to fly at Malmi Airport
Ready to fly at Malmi Airport
Malmi Airport, Helsinki
Malmi Airport, Helsinki

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REVIEW: Disfrutar Restaurant, Barcelona – A Meal At One Of The World’s Best Restaurants

Elderflower amber at Disfrutar Restaurant, Barcelona

With two Michelin stars and rated one of the top 10 best restaurants in the world, a meal at Disfrutar Barcelona is like nothing you’ve experienced before. After one of the best meals of my life, I couldn’t wait to return!

It’s pretty rare I return to a city and want to eat at exactly the same restaurant I went to to before. With so many places to explore, why wouldn’t you try somewhere new? But when I had a trip to Barcelona confirmed, there was only one place on my mind. Disfrutar Barcelona. 

Disfrutar Restaurant Barcelona
Disfrutar Restaurant Barcelona

Opened at the end of 2014 by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas, three head chefs at Ferran Adria’s former-best-restaurant-in-the-world elBulli, it was a restaurant pretty much guaranteed to produce great food. I described my first visit as an evening of magic and theatre. But with expectations sky high – how would it fare on my return?

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