Rotterdam Named One of World’s Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2016
Rotterdam has been named one of the top cities in the world for travelers in 2016. The city receives the accolade in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016, the highly anticipated collection of the world’s hottest trends, destinations and experiences for the year ahead. The bestselling, inspirational travel yearbook from the world’s leading travel authority highlights the top ten countries, cities and regions to visit in 2016.
According to the book, “Futuristic architecture, inspired initiatives such as inner-city canal surfing, a proliferation of art, and a surge of drinking, dining and nightlife venues make Rotterdam one of Europe’s most exhilarating cities right now.”
Rotterdam’s wave of urban development and redevelopment is set to continue through 2016, cementing its position as one of the world’s must-see destinations. “Early 2016 sees the Museum Rotterdam open inside the ‘cloud-like’ Rem Koolhaas-designed Timmerhuis, showcasing Rotterdam’s past, present and future. And from late 2016, Europe’s busiest port – already on the Paris-Amsterdam high-speed rail line – will become more accessible than ever when direct Eurostar services linking London with Amsterdam stop at the stunning new skylit, stainless steel-encased Rotterdam Centraal train station.”
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016 contributor, Tom Hall, said, “Rotterdam is bursting with modern, post-modern and contemporary construction and offers a veritable array of art, top-class restaurants and atmospheric nightlife, making it one of Lonely Planet’s must-see destinations for 2016.”
Rotterdam featured fifth on the list of top cities for 2016, coming in ahead of Mumbai in India and Fremantle in Australia. Kotor in Montenegro took the top spot thanks to offering a “picture-perfect visage from virtually every angle”.
The destinations featured in the book are selected because they meet certain criteria; it could be that something special is going on in the year ahead or there’s been recent development and a lot of buzz about the place, that it offers travelers new things to see or do, or that the Lonely Planet team of experts thinks it’s been overlooked and underrated and suggests travelers visit before the crowds do.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016 also contains 17 inspirational travel-themed lists, from the best value destinations for 2016, to the best animal adventures for families, the best places to seek silence and the best places to elope.
Selecting what to include in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel annual publication is a considered process involving the whole of Lonely Planet’s community: from its authors and editors all the way to its online family of bloggers and tweeters. Each year, they come up with hundreds of places that are not to be missed. These are then whittled down by a panel of in-house travel experts who give each destination in the shortlist a score in line with criteria such as topicality, excitement and wow-factor.
www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel features all of the Best in Travel 2016 destinations and additional advice on visiting them. Readers looking for a tailor-made travel adventure can take the Lonely Planet Best in Travel quiz, also on the website, to see which Lonely Planet must-see destination for 2016 is right for them; whether they’ll be roaming through the wilderness under epic skies, hiking through enchanted woods to fairytale castles, or quaffing fine wines on a paradise isle.
Top 10 Cities in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016:
1. Kotor, Montenegro
2. Quito, Ecuador
3. Dublin, Ireland
4. George Town, Malaysia
5. Rotterdam, the Netherlands
6. Mumbai, India
7. Fremantle, Australia
8. Manchester, UK
9. Nashville, USA
10. Rome, Italy
