In the latest part of our series on ferry routes NORMAN MILLER looks at the historic British port of Hull in Yorkshire and sails to Holland's regenerated Rotterdam

HULL
This medieval Yorkshire port, officially called Kingston upon Hull, has both an historic old town and a rejuvenated working waterfront.

Hull has plenty of culture too, centred around a Museums Quarter. The Hull and East Riding Museum features Iron Age, Roman and Viking treasures, while the old whalers' craft of scrimshaw (carving on the bones and teeth of whales) is one aspect of seafaring life on show at the Maritime Museum.

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Visit anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce's 18th-century house, check out two centuries of transport at the Streetlife Museum and admire artists as diverse as Canaletto, Frans Hals and David Hockney at the Ferens Art Gallery.

There are also two theatres including the acclaimed Hull Truck.

Back by the waterside, the angled metal outline of The Deep is an architectural masterpiece containing one of Europe's best aquariums. To see what it took to catch fish rather than watch them, step aboard the trawler Arctic Corsair to discover the hardships behind Hull's famous fish suppers.

Take a spin across the Humber Bridge, once the world's longest single-span suspension bridge, to the adjacent Country Park for superb views across the estuary, then head to Skidby Windmill to see its charming Museum of Rural Life.

STAY: Townhouse Hotel (01482 219 878/ www.thetownhousehull.co.uk) has doubles from £99 per night (two sharing), B&B.

INFO: Hull Tourism: 01482 223 559/ www.realyorkshire.co.uk

THE FERRY
Two luxury P&O (0871 664 5645/www.poferries.com) ferries ply this route, offering bars with panoramic views, buffets and à la carte dining.

Entertainment includes live cabaret, two cinemas and a casino. Prices for the 11-hour overnight crossing include an en-suite cabin. Pre-book the bus from the Europoort arrival quay to Rotterdam (24 miles) if you aren't driving.
Return tickets from £298 (car and two passengers). Foot passengers from £27pp.

ROTTERDAM
Rotterdam is Holland's second largest city but, unlike its bigger brother Amsterdam, it is a hymn to modernity after being rebuilt following massive damage in the Second World War.

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Get an overview from the top of the Euromast tower, which also boasts a brasserie with spectacular 360-degree views. Daredevils can abseil or zip-wire from the top. For a good view from the ground, jump on the number 10 tram, which trundles past the main sights.

Rotterdam's wartime destruction allowed the Dutch to turn the city into something of a modern architectural showcase. Head for Blaakse Bos to see the Kijk-Kubus, a museum housed in a unique cluster of cube-shaped homes, before taking in the beautiful Thirties' Sonneveld House at the Netherlands Architecture Institute.

Art deco fans should also visit the Chabot Museum, showcasing the eclectic work of artist Henk Chabot in a glorious prewar villa. There are guided architecture tours by bus, bicycle or on foot (www.rotterdamarchiguides.nl).

Museums include the Boijmans Van Beuningen art gallery, with work by Rembrandt and Van Gogh, or catch a show at the futuristic Luxor Theatre by the Erasmus Bridge, the Rotterdamse Schouwburg or the World Music and Dance Centre.

Get back on the water with a tour of the luxurious Fifties' liner De Rotterdam (www.derotterdam.com) or take a trip along the Lek river to Kinderdijk (www.rebus-info.nl) to see its windmills.

Rotterdam is also a top shopping city with quirky independent outlets around Meent and upmarket boutiques on Koopgoot and Doormanstraat.

Get a different view of Europe's biggest port on the Haven Ride (www.rotterdamportexperience.nl), a high-speed boat trip.

STAY: Hotel Pincoffs (dialling from the UK: 0031 102 974 500/ www.hotelpincoffs.nl) offers doubles from %125 per night (two sharing), room only.

INFO: Rotterdam Tourism: 102 710 120/ www.rotterdam.info