Getting to Rotterdam

Rotterdam has good transport links and is easily accessible by road, rail, air and by boat. The driving conditions in the Netherlands are generally good and other big cities, such as Amsterdam, are a short drive away. The city’s airport is quite small and served by some budget airlines, while ferry services from Hull and Harwich in the UK dock at Rotterdam daily. Meanwhile, high-speed trains make Paris easy to reach in around 3 hours.

By car

Rotterdam has excellent road links in all directions. From Amsterdam, the 50-mile journey should take around 1 hour; take the A4 to The Hague and then connect with the A13 to Rotterdam. Utrecht is marginally closer than Amsterdam; if coming from here, take the A12 and connect with the A20 for Rotterdam, just after Gouda. From Eindhoven, take the A2 and A58 towards Tilburg and then the A16 will connect to the A20 just outside Rotterdam.

By rail

Rotterdam’s Central Station is one of the major points on the Dutch railway network and services from here are good. The journey to Amsterdam takes about 1 hour and there are regular trains (around six each hour) throughout the day. There are a similar number of services to The Hague (15 minutes) and Utrecht (45 minutes).

There are also good connections internationally from Rotterdam, with regular services to Belgium and France. The journey to Brussels is around 2 hours and to Paris about 3 hours on the Thalys high-speed service. For more information on train services, visit: www.ns.nl.

By bus

Rotterdam is on the Eurolines coach route, with coaches stopping at Kruisplein, in front of Central Station. There are two services a day to London, with a journey time of 9 hours, and three services a day to Paris, taking a litle less than 7 hours. For detailed timetables, visit: www.eurolines.com.

From Amsterdam, there is a direct shuttle bus between Rotterdam Airport and Amsterdam Central Station. Travel time is about 70 minutes, with tickets being purchased from the driver on the bus.

By ferry

Rotterdam is accessible by ferry from the UK ports of Harwich and Hull. Services here are operated by P&O and Stena Line. From Hull, the service is operated by P&O, with one service leaving at 21:00 every day, with a journey time of 11 hours. From Harwich, Stena Line operate four services a day and travel times range from 5 to 8 hours according to the type of vessel; the 10:40 and 19:20 crossings are the quickest.

By air

Rotterdam Airport is a relatively small airport located just north of the city and mainly operated by low-cost carriers and some charter flights. Transavia fly between Rotterdam and London Stansted, Geneva, Hamburg, Nice, Faro, Rome and a few other smaller destinations.

Bus number 33 travels from the airport to Central Station, leaving every 10 minutes, with a journey time of 20 minutes. There is also a shuttle service from the airport to Amsterdam, The Hague and Delft. Taxis and car hire are readily available from the airport.

Rotterdam Airport

Rotterdam Airport was opened in 1956, and although much smaller than Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, it is the second largest airport in the country. The main airlines serving Rotterdam are KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Transavia.com and VLM Airlines, along with some charter carriers.

The one-terminal airport has good facilities. The Departures lounge has a good self-service restaurant and on the first floor of the main building (accessible to all visitors to the airport), is a café/ restaurant. There is a good range of shopping, with all the expected clothes, perfume brands and alcohol on offer. There are a number of ATMs in the Transit Hall, before you pass through airport security, and the airport has wireless internet connectivity.

Rotterdam airport transportation

Rotterdam Airport has good transport links with buses, taxis and car hire, all available here. If driving, the A13 from central Rotterdam takes you to the airport, which is well sign-posted. The taxi rank is located directly in front of the terminal and you can pre-arrange transport by calling Rotterdam Airport Taxi on: +31 10 262 04 06. It is possible to get taxis to Amsterdam and Utrecht from the airport. All the usual car hire firms are available at the airport and driving in this area is relatively easy with good road networks; online booking is recommended.