Arriving by plane
Arriving by train or bus
Arriving by car
Getting around

Arriving by plane

Arriving at Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol

Public transport
Arriving at Schiphol Airport there is a direct train connection (45 minutes) to Rotterdam Central Station (every half hour). For accurate timetables, please visit the website of the Dutch Railways NS.

Taxi
Schiphol Travel Taxi is a national taxi service for anyone travelling to and from Schiphol. Prices vary depending on what kind of transport you choose. For example a one way trip, combined with other passengers from Amsterdam Airport to Rotterdam city centre costs € 38,-. For reservations and detailed prices for Schiphol Travel Taxi please visit the Schiphol website. You can also call on telephone number 0900 - 8876 (within The Netherlands, € 0,10 p.m.), from abroad on telephone number +31 38 3394768.

For more information about flights to Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol and other information on this airport, please visit the website Schiphol.

Arriving at Rotterdam Airport

Rotterdam has its own international airport only 6 kilometres (10 minutes by taxi) from the city centre where a lot of low budget airlines fly into on a regular basis and so providing cheap flights from many European cities.

Public transport
The service bus 33, operated by RET, runs between Rotterdam Airport and Rotterdam Central Station every 10 minutes. The journey time is approximately 20 minutes. For travelling on this bus, it is possible to use the national 'strippen' card as means of payment. These are available for purchase at the information desk in the airport. An ordinary bus ticket can also be bought directly from the bus driver (+/- € 2,70).

Taxi
The taxi rank is located directly in front of the exit to the terminal. For all taxi transportation to and from Rotterdam Airport, you can contact Rotterdam Airport Taxi on telephone number +31(0)10 - 262 04 06.

For more information about flights to Rotterdam Airport and other information on this airport, please visit the website: Rotterdam Airport.

Arriving by train or bus

The train and bus stations are located together in the city centre of Rotterdam.

Arriving by car

Rotterdam can also be reached by car. Here you will find some routes to the city centre:

From the North (Amsterdam, Leiden, Den Haag):
A13 direction Rotterdam, A20 in the direction of Dordrecht / Utrecht (Ring East), exit Rotterdam Centrum / Schiebroek / Hillegersberg, at the end follow directions to the Centrum (Schieweg / Schiekade).

From the East (Frankfurt, Arnhem, Utrecht):
A20 in the direction of Den Haag / Hoek van Holland, exit Rotterdam Centrum / Schiebroek / Hillegersberg, at the end follow directions to the Centrum (Schieweg / Schiekade).

From the South (Antwerp, Brussels, Breda, Dordrecht):
A16, cross the Van Brienenoordbrug, first exit (Rotterdam Centrum). At the roundabout at the end turn left in the direction of the Centrum, along the water (Maasboulevard). Straight on, along the Boompjes. At Hotel Intell (on your right side) turn right. Follow the Schiedamsedijk to the crossing Coolsingel-Westblaak. Turn left on this crossing to the Westblaak or drive straight on to the Coolsingel

Anyone visiting Rotterdam by car should know that payment is by 'chipcard'. Every ticket machine on the streets accepts this form of payment. A separate chipcard is also available. This has a balance in Euros and can be purchased at various points in the city, such as tobacconists and multi-storey car parks. For people who are unable to 'chip', there are always the many multi-storey car parks in the centre of Rotterdam which do accept coins and notes and, in some cases a credit card with the VISA/Mastercard icon. Furthermore, at several places in the centre and at major attractions, the ticket machines also accept credit cards.

Getting around by public transport

Download pdf information public transport in Rotterdam



Most services start at around 6 am and end at around 12 midnight. From Rotterdam Central Station you can travel by train directly or with only one change to a very large number of stations in the Netherlands. For example, there is a direct service to Amsterdam that takes 60 minutes.

Within Rotterdam public transport is well organised. You can take trams, buses or the metro (underground) to travel within Rotterdam and the region.

To travel with public transport you need a ticket. The 'Strippen Card' is valid throughout the country for travelling on a bus, tram and metro. Every city or region has been divided into transportation zones with set tariffs. To travel one zone you have to pay two 'strips'. You pay an extra 'strip' for each subsequent zone. Within the same zone you may change within a time limit mentioned on the back of the card. You can buy a 'Strippen Card' with 15 strips (+/- € 6,50) or with 45 strips (+/- € 19,20). You can buy 'Strippen Cards' at railway stations, in post offices, department stores and tobacconists. You can also buy it on the tram or bus, but then the price is quite a bit higher.

For more information: Dutch Railways (NS) (travelling by train, timetables in English) 9292OV (Public transport travel information within The Netherlands, only available in Dutch) or dial 0900 - 9292 (+/- € 0,70 p.m. can only be reached within The Netherlands and in Dutch; press 2 for operator)