Transport in Rotterdam

Public transport

Rotterdam has an excellent public transport system, provided by the RET. You can get all over the city by bus, tram and metro. In order to travel by public transport, use a valid public transport card. There are various types of public transport cards:

• RET 1 day: for sale at RET service shops and service centres, Rotterdam Tourist Information (Central Station and Hoek van Holland).
• RET 2 hours: for sale at Rotterdam Tourist Information, sales desks, ticket machines in metro stations, for sale from the bus driver (only pin, no cash) and for sale in the trams (pin and cash).
• RET Tourist Day Ticket: One day unlimited travel throughout South Holland (bus, tram, metro & waterbus): for sale at RET service shops and service centres, Rotterdam Tourist Information (Central Station and Hoek van Holland) or vending and recharging machines in metro stations.

Check the prices of the public transport card on the RET website.

Metro
The metro system lets you travel quickly and easily in Rotterdam and the surrounding areas. There are five lines (routes), each marked with their own letter (A-E), their own colour and with their final destinations. Beurs station is the biggest metro hub, where all the lines intersect. Line E (RandstadRail) connects Rotterdam with The Hague.

Tram
Tram lines 8, 7, 21, 23, 21, 23, 24 and 25 all travel through the centre. All trams converge at Central Station, the perfect place to get on the tram.

Bus
The RET provides several bus routes which connect the centre with several city districts, neighbourhoods and the greater metropolitan area. Check the RET website for further information about routes and stops.

OV-Pay
If you’re taking a short trip, have a low balance, or don’t want to buy an OV-card, you can now also check in with OV-pay. It’s the new way of checking in and out on public transport (OV) in the Netherlands. You can do this contactless with your debit card or credit card.

Taxi

When using a taxi, be mindful of these maximum fares. In Rotterdam, there are numerous taxi services available. Here are some examples of taxi companies:

For more information on the requirements taxis must meet and where to find them, you can visit the Municipality of Rotterdam’s website.

Ferry & Watertaxi

The Waterbus from Blue Amigo is the main daily fast ferry service in the Rotterdam-Dordrecht area. There is a stop in Rotterdam city centre next to the Spido boat tours at the Erasmus Bridge. The Waterbus sails between Rotterdam and Dordrecht (line 20). There is also a direct boat connection between Rotterdam and UNESCO World Heritage Site Kinderdijk (line 21).
Plan your trip on the website.

In the direct vicinity of Rotterdam, you can also cross the Maas by ferry. The ferry from Maassluis and Rozenburg leaves every 20 minutes. During rush hour, a ferry leaves every 10 minutes. Check the schedule

If you want to make a truly spectacular entrance, try arriving by water at 50kph in the Watertaxi! And with 50 stops in metropolitan Rotterdam, sometimes it’s actually the easiest way to get from point A to pont B. The Watertaxi fleet has 5 eightseater and 5 twelve-seater boats, with stops all over the city of Rotterdam and Schiedam. The area is divided in three zones and you pay a fixed price per person. Trips father away, or guided tours can be arranged by request.

The Watertaxi Ferry Services also provides ferry crossings for pedestrians and bikers:

• In zone West between RDM/Heijplaat and Marconistraat/M4H
• In zone Centrum/Centre between Charloisse Hoofd and Katendrechtse Hoofd
• In zone Oost/East between Plantagelaan and Piekstraat

Check the Watertaxi Ferry timetable on the website.

Car rental

You can also simply rent a car, making your stay in Rotterdam even more flexible. Sixt (+31 (0)23 56 986 56) has five locations in Rotterdam. At Rotterdam The Hague Airport, next to Hilton Rotterdam and three other locations in the city, providing an extensive fleet of cars.