58km (36 miles) SW of Amsterdam; 23km (16 miles) SE of The Hague

Rotterdam is only 30 minutes from The Hague and an hour from Amsterdam, but it's centuries away from them in both appearance and personality. Here, instead of the usual Dutch web of little streets, alleyways, and winding canals, there's a spacious and elegant shopping mall and the world's busiest ocean harbor. Rotterdam is a fascinating place to see, particularly when you consider that this city was a living monument to Holland's Golden Age until it was bombed to rubble during World War II. The city retains traces of its long history in only two areas -- Delfshaven (Delft Harbor) and Oude Haven (Old Harbor).

At the war's end, rather than try to recreate the old, Rotterdammers looked on their misfortune as an opportunity and approached their city as a clean slate. They relished the chance to create an efficient, workable modern city. The results, though they're not always elegant, are a testimony to their ability to find impressive solutions to their problems.

Today this bustling metropolis (pop. 600,000) has the world's biggest port, created when its several harbors were opened directly to the sea, 32km (20 miles) away, by the dredging of a deepwater channel that accommodates even the largest oil tankers. Europoort (pronounced the same as "port" in English) handles more ships and more cargo every year than any other port in the world.