Public Transportation
Train
One of the fastest and easiest ways to get to Rotterdam is to travel by train. Intercity trains hailing from every corner of the Netherlands make a stop at Rotterdam Central Station, including the high-speed train. The fastest connection between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Breda is the NS Intercity Direct. It runs twice per hour. When travelling between Schiphol and Rotterdam, you will have to pay an Intercity Direct surcharge, this is included when you purchase an IC direct ticket at the ticket machines.
When travelling from France and Belgium, you should take the Thalys (it runs ten times per day). When travelling from the United Kingdom, you will arrive direct by Eurostar.
Approximate travel times to Rotterdam from various cities, domestic and abroad:
– Amsterdam |
40′ |
Intercity direct |
– Schiphol |
25′ |
” |
– Breda |
25′ |
” |
– Antwerp |
32′ |
Thalys |
– Brussels |
1 h 10′ |
” |
– Paris |
2 h 40′ |
” |
– London |
3 h 01′ |
Eurostar |
You can find more information about routes, departure times and prices on:
- www.ns.nl (domestic travel)
- www.nsinternational.nl (from and to destinations abroad)
- www.thalys.mobi (Thalys)
- Eurostar.
Boat
Obviously, any true port city can be reached by boat! You can travel to Rotterdam by ferry from the United Kingdom. P&O Ferries and Stena Line offer regular ferry services between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Stena sails from Harwich, England to Hook of Holland, and it takes 30 minutes to travel from there to Rotterdam. P&O sails from Hull to Rotterdam Europoort.
More information:
P&O Ferries www.poferries.com or call +3110 714 54 64
Stena Line www.stenaline.nl or 0900-8123 (€ 0,35 per call)
Public Transportation in Rotterdam
You will be provided with a Rotterdam Welcome Card during registration on Monday, 20th May. This card offers unlimited travel on all metro, tram and bus lines of the RET within Rotterdam for 3 consecutive days, including metro line E to Den Haag Centraal. The card is activated on the day that you first check in. Should you need to use public transport prior to registration, please see the RET website giving information about how to purchase a ticket