Rotterdam – A must-see city of 2014

Rotterdam, World Port World City, is a city you have to experience for yourself. It is a young, dynamic, international city with a passionately beating heart. The city keeps reinventing itself at a rapid pace, redefining and expanding its already impressive skyline every time you visit and presenting new cultural and sporting events to surprise you. Its ever-changing nature makes Rotterdam a city that you can rediscover time and time again as a family holiday, shopping mini cruise or as independent traveller.

In 2014 Rotterdam is featured by both Rough Guides and the New York Times as a city that you must visit. Rough Guides put Rotterdam at number 8 on the list of ‘Top 10 Cities for 2014′ and the metropolis on the Maas has also hit 10th place on the New York Times list of ’52 Places to Go in 2014’. Both lists praise the city highly, not least for its architecture.

To give you a preview of what Rotterdam has to offer, we have highlighted two reasons for you to visit Rotterdam in 2014!

Robin Rotterdam Unlimited

Rotterdam´s most colourful time of the year is during the Robin Rotterdam Unlimited festival from 18 July untiltill 20 July 2014. The public can enjoy free musical performances by international artists and beauty kings &and queens take over the streets during the 30th edition of the summer carnival parade in the city center. The summer carnival is the biggest Caribbean festival in the Netherlands and is the perfect way to get a glimpse of Rotterdam’s young and diverse city.

For the first time, the festival will feature Crazy Sexy Cool, a dance event that has become an established name in the Dutch clubbing scene. The first day of the city summer festival starts with the queen election. On the second day The Battle of the Drums will be held and on the third day the summer carnival takes over the city. Like a real Latin American carnival, the city center will be flooded with dancers in costumes and on floats during the carnival parade. Additionally, the city will be immersed with various literature, theatre and street performances throughout the festival.

Last year, big names such as Manu Chao and his group La Ventura, Asaf Avidan and Outlandish made their presence, attracting over 900.000 visitors.

Enjoy Rotterdam´s cultural diversity to the fullest! Graze your way around the city tasting exotic Caribbean street food snacks throughout the day. Walk along the street of West Kruiskade, known for its unique blend of African, Asian, Caribbean and western mix of supermarkets and restaurants. In the evening, emerge yourself in African spheres and enjoy dinner at Viva Africa. End the day in Hotel Bazar where the rooms are decorated in oriental, African and South American style. If you are not tired of dancing just yet, go to BIRD for jazz and hip hop nights or find your way to Perron for the best techno line-up.

From Rotterdam with love

In 1971 he was in the Netherlands with his movie Diamonds Are Forever and now he is back to visit Rotterdam. After traveling to London, Toronto, Shanghai and Melbourne it is Rotterdam´s honour to welcome James Bond. Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style settles in the Kunsthal of the period of October 12, 2014 to February 8, 2015. The collection summarises 50 years of film history of the worlds most famous and stylish secret agent. Make sure you get to see the exhibition before the 24th James Bond movie will be released in November 2015!

James Bond became famous in 1962 with Sean Connery in Dr. No. With Daniel Craig in Skyfall, 007 proves to still be popular. Get a good look at Bond´s classic tuxedo´s and see his Aston Martin´s from up close to get a sense of his enormous influence on art, music, fashion, technology, design and modern day lifestyle. The exhibition will also display exclusive film props, story boards and over 500 of Bond´s iconic gadgets.

Delve into the Bond era! Celebrate Bond´s 50th anniversary in style by drinking a shaken or stirred martini in Blender, one of Rotterdam´s best cocktail bar and restaurants. Or go to Barrelproof and buy everything you need to make your own cocktails at home, from liqueur, glassware to jiggers and barspoons. The ladies can go shopping at Very Cherry, a retro and vintage fashion store, while the gentlemen stop at the Van Gils Brand Store. Get a old fashioned hair cut in the New York Barbershop, who won the best international barbershop award of the year 2013. Take the water taxi to the SS Rotterdam and embark on the ´La Grande Game´ for a stylish dinner and/or stay overnight in the hotel. The passenger flag ship of the Holland America Line used to cross the Atlantic from Rotterdam to New York and its hotel rooms have kept its 1950´s feel and decoration

http://en.rotterdam.info/visitors/events/23987/designing-007fifty-years-of-bond-style/

For more information

For more information on what Rotterdam has to offer, visit ROTTERDAM.INFO. Here you can find the best places to eat, drink and stay and find the latest news on cultural events in the city. Make your visit even more attractive with the Rotterdam Welcome Card, offering discounts of 25% at more than 50 attractions, museums, restaurants and places of entertainment in Rotterdam and 1, 2 or 3 days of unlimited travel with RET metro, tram and bus. Also visit the website for more specials and hotel arrangements.