Rotterdam Cruise Port

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

The port of Rotterdam is one of the biggest and busiest in the world and stretches over 25 kilometres, or 40 miles, from the North Sea down the Niewe Waterweg (a channel of the mighty Rhine) and right into the centre of the city.

The great news for cruisers is that the cruise terminal in Rotterdam is one of the best locations of any European city as you dock right in the centre of Rotterdam, just past the Euromast and right next to the Eramusbrg, an iconic bridge in the city.

That puts you in walking distance of the city which makes it a great place to visit for those who want to simply get off the ship and go for a walk around Rotterdam, although there are lots of excursions on offer and with a integrated metro system, you can head off and explore the area around Rotterdam by yourself.

With a bustling city, a central docking location and plenty of options, Rotterdam has all that it needs to be a great cruise port, but did it live up to my expectations?

That is what I look through in this guide and review which is based on my experience of visiting the city both on a cruise ship and a ferry as well as all of the research I did before going there.

Cruises To Rotterdam

Our Visit

Me and my wife had already visited the city of cruise ferry getaways from Hull to Rotterdam but on the ferry, you dock at the entrance to the port, so my visit to the city on a cruise ship was a completely different experience and for the better.

As mentioned, you sail past the commercial part of the port and right into the heart of the city itself which is always an added bonus for me as my favourite type of ports are ones where you can stroll from the ship and explore the destination on your own.

In large cities, that just often isn’t possible as you either need to take a shuttle form the ship to the city or you dock miles from where you want to be.

So, my me and my wife would take advantage of that and set off on foot to explore all that is on offer in the centre of Rotterdam including the Veerhaven, next door to Het Park (home of the Euromast), the Museum District (home of numerous museums) before walking through the beautiful Kruisplein to the Rotterdam train station.

From there we would make a beeline for the Nieuwe Delftse Poort statue and head to the Rotterdam Stadhuis, or city hall.

After a stop for some chips with peanut sauce, a must try on any stop in the Netherlands, we would head through the main shopping streets of the city, past the city centre surf park and to the gothic St Lawrence Church.

Following a photo of the unique library building, we headed in the stunning Markthall, a mixture of street food market, shopping centre and apartment block that is like nothing I have been to before.

We had a look around, grabbed some lunch and then set off for our last bit of exploring starting with a visit the iconic Kijk-Kubus houses, walk along the Oudehaven and then the Wijnhaven before looking at the ships of the cities Maritime Museum.

From their it was a walk along the Leuvehaven and back across the Erasmusburg bridge back towards the ship where would walk around the buildings and park next to the ship before getting back onboard for an early departure.

We would sail out on the top deck which offered great views of the city and the massive port for what is one of the great arrival/departures in Northern Europe and around half way to the North Sea, we would get a surprise look at the Iona cruise ship who was in dry dock.

Rotterdam Cruise Guide

If you are trying to decide whether a cruise itinerary visiting Rotterdam is one you should book, or if you have already booked a cruise calling into Rotterdam and want to make the most of your time on shore, this is the guide for you.

Type of Cruises Available

Rotterdam is a well-equipped cruise port where you can do basically any type of cruise you want to do from the port.

A few cruises line offer the chance to either start or end your journey their on-repositioning cruises of Northern Europe, the Baltics and even trans-Atlantic itineraries and a few also offer a range of round trips from the port with the Holland American Line offering the widest range of round trip and repositioning routes from Rotterdam.

As well as been a turnaround port, the terminal is well equipped for inter-porting ships (where a ship will pick up and drop off passengers at a number of different ports) with the Italian MSC line been the main proponent of those from the city.

If you want to visit the city from the UK or any other leading cruise port in Europe, the city is also a popular port of call with ships heading their all year around, with the summer months been the busiest and late November and early December a popular time due to Christmas Market cruises.

Aside from sea cruises, the port also offers plenty of river cruise opportunities for those wanting to sail along the Rhine River.

Rotterdam Cruise Port Location

The city only has one cruise terminal, which make sit easy for cruisers to plan their day and its great location makes it easy to explore.

The Cruise Terminal Rotterdam is just outside of the main shopping areas and the city centre but there is an underground metro stop, with direct trains to The Hague, and a tram stop just a short stroll from your ship.

It sits on the Wilhelminapier, which stretches into the Nieuwe Maas, next to the Erasmusburg bridge and that allows for a great sail in and out of the city.

Rotterdam Cruise Port Facilities

The cruise port of Rotterdam is well equipped for every type of visit as it can handle 1 ship that is either homeporting, getting turnaround, interporting or simply calling in there as a port of call.

Rotterdam Attractions

Rotterdam has always been a bustling city but after complete devastation during the second world war, it had to rebuild itself and that has been in philosophy ever since as Rotterdam continues to evolve, improve and grow to the sky.

Now home to numerous skyscrapers, a thriving street food scene and many large shows, the city has developed into a top Northern European tourist city over the past couple of decades or so which now allows for a mixture of new and historic attractions for visitors to enjoy.

One of the highlights I was looking forward to visiting before heading there was the impressive Markthal, or Market Hall, which is now a mixture of a shopping centre, a food market and housing which is finished by an impressive roof and that is well worth visiting.

Right next to your ship, so even if you don’t get off you cannot miss it, is the Erasmus Bridge, which is considered an architectural work of art and is an impressive welcome for those arriving on a cruise ship.

On your sail in, you will also sail past the impressive Euromast, which is a short walk from the cruise port and you can head up to a viewing platform at the top of it and you also sail past the SS Rotterdam, know a museum ship.

There are many neighbourhoods in the city that are well worth exploring on foot including the historic Delfshaven, the Oude Haven (Old Harbour), Witte de Withstraat and the Veerhaven.

Animal lovers can head to the city’s zoo, and you can see some local wildlife and enjoy a relaxing time in the city many parts headlines by the Trompenburg Gardens and Arboreetum and Het Park.

There are many museums in the city including the Kijk-Kubus houses, the Kunsthal art gallery, Miniworld model village and the city’s Maritime Museum.

The cities rebuild after the war has left it with a kaleidoscope of architecture and simply walking around and taking it in is an attraction in its own right with the Witte Huis (White House), Stadhuis (city hall), World Trade Centre and the buildings of the Wilhelminapier well worth exploring as are the numerous churches in the city.

Rotterdam Shorex

If you have visited Rotterdam before, or if you just want to explore more of The Netherlands, there are plenty of options available to you with trips to the country’s capital city of Amsterdam been amongst eh most popular.

There are a variety of offerings by cruise lines including city tour, best of Amsterdam style trips and Amsterdam canal journeys but the best option for me if you want to visit the city would be to simply take a shuttle type excursion that gives you time in the capital on your own.

Closer by options are coach trips to either Delph (home to the famous pottery) or The Hague or a visit to both, which are historic cities nearby, but both can also be easily visited on your own either via the nearby underground station or by hopping up to the cities main train station and jumping on an intercity train.

One of the iconic images of The Netherlands are its windmills and these can be visited on an excursion to Kinderdijk whilst you can also head to the Gouda to try some local produce cheese.

Other options include city tours of the city both on coaches or walking tours, food tours of Rotterdam, boat tours of the city and panoramic tours.

Best Time To Visit

It is possible to visit Rotterdam all year around but for me, the best time to visit is between May to early July or September, if you are wanting warmer and drier weather but to avoid the peak travel time when the city is at its busiest.

The city also comes alive during the Christmas period with lots of festive fun to be had including a large Christmas Market and there are a number of cruise lines that call in there during late November and early December to allow you to enjoy it all.

Transport

The city is quite walkable, especially from the central cruise terminal but if you have mobility issues, or you want to head outside of the city, the great news is that it has an integrated public transport system to rival anywhere in the world.

From the cruise terminal, there is a nearby underground/subway station that has direct trains to the city’s main train station, the city centre and onto The Hague.

There is also a tram stop nearby with trams into the city centre and for those wanting to visit other cities such as Delft and Amsterdam, there are plenty of intercity train from the cities train station.

You can pick up taxi’s and ride share services from outside the terminal and there are buses on the main road nearby, but trams and the underground system is likely your best friend for exploring the city.

Rotterdam Cruises From UK

If you want to visit Rotterdam directly from the UK not only can you do just that, but you can do from a number of different turnaround ports mostly on the eastern coast of the country.

There is a wide variety of cruisers including round trips and repositioning routes and ships sail between these shores and the city all year around.

Rotterdam Cruises From Southampton

Whilst you do have a choice of cruise ports to visit Rotterdam from, the widest range of ships and lines are available from the UK’s leading cruise port of Southampton.