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Why go now?

A thin peninsula just south of Rotterdam’s centre, Katendrecht was once at the heart of the world’s busiest port, home to continental Europe’s first Chinatown and a lively sailors’ quarter. Its later reputation as a red light district has been shrugged off – part of the city’s wider reinvention in the aftermath of extensive second world war bombing.

Still Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam’s maritime history is very much evident today, with the former headquarters of the Holland-America Line now a hotel just a short hop across the Rijnhaven Bridge. The 2012 opening of this pedestrian and bicycle bridge finally connected cut-off Katendrecht to Wilhelminapier, which was a jumping off point for transatlantic migration, and is today a major cruise terminal, with more than 100 ships departing every year.

The opening of the Fenix museum of migration last year and the reopening of the Nederlands Fotomuseum in a new location here in February have accelerated Katendrecht’s rise in status, following on from the entrepreneurs and creatives who have introduced craft breweries, food halls and design boutiques in recent years.

Former warehouses have been transformed – into the aforementioned museums among other venues – and a lively cultural and arts scene has grown as the neighbourhood has seen new residents rediscover the formerly downtrodden area.

With more big construction projects under way, Katendrecht will be transformed further over the next five years, with apartments, shops, a five-star hotel, an urban beach and, notably, the Rotterdam Centre for Dance, Danshuis, on the horizon.

Where to eat and drink

Deliplein is the place to begin – the tree-lined square lies at the heart of the old sailors’ quarter and houses more than 20 restaurants and bars. Originally home to the first Chinese restaurant in the Netherlands, Delistraat is buzzing from morning to night.

Start at Jordy’s Bakery, where flaky pastries, vegan muffins, sourdough sandwiches and speciality coffees will fuel you for the morning. Across the road in the Fenix atrium, O: Anatolian Café is run by the Michelin-starred chef Maksut Aşkar; on the menu are all-day Turkish breakfasts, meze platters, sandwiches and salads at extremely reasonable prices.

Kaapse Brouwers in the Fenix Food Factory is where the post-work crowd heads. Sit on the terrace, admire the waterfront view and explore its range of more than 20 craft beers on tap – from Belgian blonds and New England IPAs to pilsners and sours. And back on Delistraat, Café de Ouwehoer is a classic old-style pub with a nod to the area’s past – and a huge range of whiskeys to boot.

A few doors down, finish your evening at the small but perfectly formed fine-dining establishment De Matroos en Het Meisje (The Sailor and the Girl), which offers a changing daily menu. With the option of choosing from four to six courses, dependent on season and produce, dishes could be charred carrot, cured Japanese fish, creme fraiche and onion, or chicken breast with mushroom beurre blanc, blackberries and crisped rice.

Cultural experiences

Fenix is the obvious first stop. Funded by the philanthropic foundation Droom en Daad (Dream and Do), the museum of immigration opened last May in a renovated historic warehouse and finally gave Katendrecht a real focal point for visitors.

Formerly part of the world’s largest warehouse for cargo transfer, the museum reflects the fact that millions of migrants arrived at and departed from the port in search of a new life. At its heart is the Tornado, a spectacular mirrored spiral staircase, which offers 360-degree views across the neighbourhood, docks and the city. It symbolises the central theme, with architect Ma Yansong describing it as “a metaphor for the journeys of migrants”.

The industrial space is used sparingly to display photography, art and sculpture that communicate the experience of immigration, movement and displacement of peoples. It’s humbling and moving. The exhibition All Directions features more than 100 artists, with stories of the war in Kyiv and refugee camps in Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as a lifesize New York bus made from fabric.

The Family of Migrants exhibition showcases more than 200 photos from around the world, depicting the story of migration from the late 19th century to the present day. And the Suitcase Labyrinth has about 2,000 donated cases, dating from 1898 to today, with 30 audio stories detailing the unique past of some of them.

Farther down the waterfront, the newly opened Nederlands Fotomuseum is also in a renovated warehouse – formerly used to store coffee from Brazil – and is topped with a modern anodised aluminium structure. Inside, the exposed brick, rough-edged concrete and steel girders offer a striking contrast to the impressive photography on display.

The original museum opened in 2003, and the collection now comprises more than six million negatives, transparencies, prints, photo albums and other archival matter – visitors are encouraged to look in the depots and studios. Every week, thousands of images are digitised and made available online, while old and damaged photography is conserved and restored.

On the first floor, the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography showcases 99 distinguished photographs, selected by a group of experts, spanning 1842 to the digital era. And as you go up the central staircase, which leads all the way to the rooftop restaurant, a mosaic of projected images merely hints at the breadth and depth of photography in storage.

Where to shop

In the Bay House development, close to the Nederlands Fotomuseum, there are a number of designer fashion and vintage furniture stores. Selected With Love has “upcycled” clothing, Caesar sells designer menswear, while The Gallery by Collectors Network is a space for numerous independent dealers selling vintage design pieces – Vintage Hoarder, for example, has 1980s Belgian floor lamps, a 1970s French slate table and 1960s Italian dining chairs.

The museum shops offer the best range of unique purchases. Fenix has items created in collaboration with artists and designers as well as chocolates from Rotterdam, slippers from Greece and tea from small family-run plantations in China.

Don’t miss

Verhalenhuis Belvédère is perhaps the best place to get a sense of where Katendrecht has come from. Dating from 1894, the building was originally a cafe then a jazz club – saved from demolition, it became a cultural centre, community hub and exhibition space in 2009.

As part of its cultural programmes, community meals and storytelling events, Belvédère collects and shares the stories of Rotterdam residents, from the first Cape Verdean migrants to Jewish families and Chinese seafarers.

Where to stay

Of Hotel New York’s 72 rooms, the suites in the former offices of the Holland-America Line’s directors, overlooking the Nieuwe Maas river, and the two tower rooms are the ones to book. Rooms from €110.

On the western tip of Katendrecht, the former cruise ship SS Rotterdam is permanently moored and is now a 254-room hotel that retains much of its original styling, with wood panelling throughout, and the public spaces – bars, restaurants, theatre – are like stepping back in time. Tours are available. Rooms from €73. The five-star Eurostars hotel is expected to open in the autumn, next door to the Nederlands Fotomuseum and right by the Rijnhaven metro station, which connects easily to Rotterdam Centraal train station.

The trip was hosted by the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions

Paramount Skydance must wait until March to defend its proposed $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — a blockbuster deal that would reshape Hollywood by uniting two storied studios.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín scheduled a March 2 trial to decide the merits of an antitrust challenge brought by 12 state attorneys general, led by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta. The states are teaming up to try to derail Paramount’s merger, and have snared preliminary victories — prompting a concession from Paramount to put the merger on hold until after the trial.

Paramount had asked for a Nov. 4 trial date.

Tech scion David Ellison wants to add HBO, CNN, HGTV, Food Network and the Warner Bros. studio to his smaller stable of Paramount properties. The trial will span 12 days and conclude March 19, the judge wrote in her order.

“We will continue to vigorously defend the transaction and remain committed to closing as soon as possible so its benefits for the creative community and consumers can be realized,” Paramount said in a statement.

The Writers Guild of America has separately sued to block the merger.

Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Ellison’s purchase of Paramount.

“Looking back on the past twelve months, I’m incredibly proud of how our team has turned those priorities into measurable progress, reflecting their talent, hard work, and dedication,” Ellison wrote in a Tuesday letter to shareholders as the company released its second-quarter earnings.

Results were mixed.

Revenue inched up 1% to $6.91 billion compared to the year-ago period, when Paramount was controlled by media heiress Shari Redstone.

The company’s studios and streaming divisions turned in stronger performances but costs, including $153 million in merger-related expenses, weighed on the corporate entity.

Profit declined 28% to $41 million, or 4 cents a share, compared to $57 million in the year-earlier period.

Paramount said it now has 81.6 million streaming customers, an increase of 2 million from the first quarter.

Streaming operations produced $2.5 billion in revenue, a 9% boost from the same quarter a year ago. Paramount+, which boasts the Taylor Sheridan-produced “Landman” and “Dutton Ranch,” also televised President Trump’s birthday extravaganza, the UFC Freedom 250 fights in June from the White House lawn.

Coverage of the FIFA World Cup in some Latin American countries assisted the streaming results. (Fox and Telemundo broadcast the highly rated soccer matches in the U.S.)

Studios revenue increased 16% to $1.3 billion, boosted by Paramount’s television studios and its licensing deals as well as the ability to consolidate revenue from Skydance properties. During the quarter, the Melrose Avenue film studio released “Scary Movie,” which brought in $231 million in global ticket sales, surpassing expectations.

Television media, which includes the CBS network, TV stations and the company’s struggling cable channels, declined 9% to $3.1 billion. Advertising revenue fell 14% and the company felt the loss of South American television operations, Telefe and Chilevision, which it divested after the Ellison takeover.

The company revenue during the current quarter should come in around $7 billion. It also released its full-year guidance, saying it expects $30 billion in revenue, up 4% over 2025.

Paramount released the earnings after markets closed Tuesday. During regular trading, shares gained nearly 2% to close at $8.38.

Why go now

South of the city centre, Le Mourillon is Toulon’s characterful and unpretentious seaside quarter. Once a fishing village, Le Mourillon is home to little shops selling Provençal produce such as huge garlic bulbs and tomatoes in vibrant shades, alongside lively bars and restaurants. It’s not as glamorous or polished as the likes of Antibes or Saint-Tropez – you won’t find designer brands – but it’s all the more charming for that.

The hilly, narrow streets wind down to Le Mourillon’s star attraction: its beaches. Widely recognised as the second sunniest city in France, Toulon practically guarantees year-round blue skies and sunshine. The clear, azure sea sparkles and the beaches are lined with restaurants and date palms. While cruise ships come and go from the city’s main port, Le Mourillon is far enough from the centre that you only see them in the distance, alongside sailing boats and fishing vessels.

Where to eat and drink

Eating and drinking is one of the main pastimes in the south of France, especially on Sundays when many shops are closed. Le Mourillon is home to some of the best restaurants in Toulon, most of which celebrate Mediterranean cuisine and ingredients. Try AOC 41 for fresh, seasonal fare and some of the most flavoursome meals I’ve had, such as confit beef open ravioli with sand-grown carrots and bourguignon jus whipped with bone marrow (starters from €12, mains from €26). If you fancy a pre- or post-dinner drink, pop round the corner to Havana Cafe, which in the summer months spills out across the whole square.

Down by the beaches, restaurants offer everything from a p’tit dej formule (classic French set breakfast of bread, a pastry, coffee and juice) to freshly caught fish of the day. La Sorga serves an incontournable (unmissable) caesar salad with breaded chicken and oven-baked potatoes, best enjoyed with a glass of rosé overlooking the sea. This being the south of France, the wine is cheap and you certainly won’t be rushed.

Cultural experiences

Created in the 1970s, the four human-made beaches are the main attraction in Le Mourillon. Swim in the (usually calm) Mediterranean or rent a paddleboard or kayak from the yacht club. While strolling along the promenade, take in the local people playing pétanque and beach volleyball, while children play mini golf, bounce on trampolines and enjoy churros.

At one end of the beaches, next to a little fishing harbour, you’ll find Fort Saint Louis – built in the 17th century, it’s still used by the French navy (albeit for staff lunches rather than warfare).

Back in the heart of Le Mourillon, Saint-Flavien church, built in 1868, is a beautiful building worth admiring, and you might get lucky and hear some music or singers. Art lovers should visit the Museum of Asian Art, just back from the beaches, or head inland to one of the many galleries on Rue Lamalgue, Le Mourillon’s main street, such as Galerie d’art Toulon Inna Khimich.

In the height of summer, Toulon’s jazz festival (26 July-8 August) brings free concerts to Le Mourillon’s beaches. Every year on 15 August, the Feast of Assumption is marked with a spectacular fireworks display from the fort. In spring, La Fête de la Mer sees local producers and winemakers set up stalls in the port to sell fresh oysters, baked goods and local wine and beer. Tables are filled with les Toulonnais, who arrive en masse to settle in for a day of live music, drinks and seafood.

Where to shop

Rue Lamalgue is a narrow street lined with Provençal buildings in shades of pale pink and terracotta with faded blue shutters, decorated with strings of bunting and floral arrangements on the lamp-posts. It’s the heart of Le Mourillon and home to many independent boutiques and cafes. For tasteful gifts, from vases to children’s toys, visit Oblada, and try Acanthe for chic French clothing for the whole family. But be warned: most shops close for up to 3.5 hours over lunch, as well as all day Sunday and Monday.

Pick up artisan cheeses at Fromagerie Grosso, meat at one of Lamalgue’s multiple boucheries, fruit and veg at Primeurs Vitamine, wine at Cave Faubourg du Mourillon or La Dégust Nature, and bread, pastries, chocolates and cakes at one of the many bakeries. Of course, there’s a market too, selling fresh produce every morning except Mondays. Saturday mornings is when Le Mourillon is most alive, as local people amble around, picking up fresh bread and stopping for a coffee and croissant.

Don’t miss

Walking along the beaches of Le Mourillon is lovely, but the best trails are the coastal paths that continue from each end. If you go east, past the yacht club, the path winds around the coast with various sets of steps down to tiny beaches. Keep going past Fort Cap Brun, and you’ll eventually get to Anse de Méjean, one of the most beautiful coves in the area, which almost feels like a tiny Greek fishing village. Toulon may not be as bougie as Cannes or Nice, but you might still see a family sail in on a yacht for lunch at L’Escale, a hidden gem of a restaurant that is well worth a visit (bear in mind it closes in the winter).

Walk the other way from the beaches of Le Mourillon and the path winds round to Plage de La Mitre, another beautiful stretch of sand.

Stay

There aren’t many hotels in Le Mourillon, but Hôtel Les Voiles offers simple accommodation with sea views (doubles from €112). A little more upmarket is the four-star L’Eautel in central Toulon (doubles from €119).