Rotterdam

Markthal, the Cube Houses and Delfshaven over two days

Two days show Rotterdam well. Spend the first on foot in the centre, from breakfast at the Markthal and the Cube Houses above the Oude Haven to the old harbour streets of Delfshaven. Start day two on the water with a Spido harbour tour, then cross the Erasmus Bridge to Kop van Zuid and Katendrecht.

Eat breakfast among the Markthal stalls, then cross the road to the Cube Houses, where one unit is open to visitors, and look down on the old boats in the Oude Haven. Walk west past the Laurenskerk and the 1920 City Hall, both spared in 1940, to Zadkine's The Destroyed City by the water. After lunch, cross the Erasmus Bridge to Kop van Zuid and take a drink in the old Holland America Line hall at Hotel New York. Stroll on into Katendrecht for dinner around the Deliplein, and ride a water taxi back across the river in the dark, when the bridge is lit.

Start day two on the water with a Spido harbour tour, which takes about an hour and a quarter and shows you the cranes and dry docks you cannot reach on foot. Head next to Museumpark: the Kunsthal for changing shows, then Depot Boijmans, where you can peer into the conservation studios before riding up to the roof. Climb or ride the Euromast in the late afternoon for the view over the docks. Finish in Delfshaven, where the Pilgrim Fathers Church and the canal-side bars feel centuries older than the towers you started among.

Kapsalon, Surinamese roti and the Markthal counters

Rotterdam eats like a port. Large Cape Verdean, Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan communities mean the cheapest good meals are often roti or a kapsalon, the local fries-and-shawarma invention. The Markthal is the first stop, best before 11:00, and Katendrecht's Deliplein has small restaurants with terraces for dinner.

The Markthal is the obvious first stop, best before 11:00 when you can still move between the counters. On Tuesdays and Saturdays the big open-air market sets up outside it on the Binnenrotte, with cheese, fish and Dutch herring stands. The local invention is the kapsalon, a tray of fries topped with shawarma, melted Gouda and salad, named after the hairdresser's where it was first ordered; any snack bar will make one, and it is a meal for two.

For a proper dinner, Katendrecht's Deliplein has a run of small restaurants with terraces, and the Oude Haven by Blaak has pubs and seafood under the Cube Houses. Book ahead on Fridays and Saturdays, and remember that most kitchens close by 22:00. Afterwards, Witte de Withstraat is the bar street, while Kaapse Brouwers pours its own beers from long walls of taps; expect a wait at the door on weekend nights.

North Sea weather, the spring marathon and North Sea Jazz

Rotterdam's weather is mild and damp, set by the North Sea, with winter highs of 6 to 7°C and summer highs of 21 to 23°C, so pack a proper waterproof. The calendar gives reasons to time a visit: the marathon in spring, North Sea Jazz at Ahoy in July, and the World Port Days in early September.

June to August brings highs of 21C to 23C and the longest evenings, when the terraces of Katendrecht and the Kralingse Plas stay busy until late. North Sea Jazz, one of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe, fills the Ahoy halls for three days in July; tickets go months ahead. The Summer Carnival parade, with Caribbean and Cape Verdean bands, follows in late July.

Early September brings the World Port Days, when ships, tugs and naval vessels open to visitors along the Maas, a good reason to come in what is often a settled month. Late January belongs to the International Film Festival Rotterdam, when the cinemas around the Schouwburgplein run screenings from morning to midnight and hotel rooms are scarce.