Where the terminal is
Cruise Terminal Rotterdam sits on the Wilhelminapier, at Wilhelminakade 699, 3072 AP Rotterdam, on the Kop van Zuid. It has a covered walkway to the ship, baggage handling and a tourist information desk.
The useful thing about that address is that it is not out in an industrial port somewhere. The pier is part of the city. Getting from Rotterdam cruise terminal to city centre is a short hop rather than an expedition, which is why the question of how to reach Amsterdam is a different one from how to reach a coffee.
Three ways from Rotterdam cruise port to Amsterdam
You are choosing between a train with a short transfer at the start, a taxi door to door, and a coach if your cruise line runs one. Which is right depends almost entirely on your luggage and your deadline.
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Metro then train | You travel light and have time | A change at Rotterdam Centraal with suitcases, and rush hour on a commuter line |
| Taxi, booked ahead | Luggage, a group, or a flight to catch | On a turnaround day the kerb is busy, so book rather than hope |
| Cruise line coach | It is included in your fare | It leaves on its own schedule, not yours |
For the train, take the metro from Wilhelminaplein, on lines D and E, which is within walking distance of the terminal along the Wilhelminapier. From there it is 6 minutes and 4 stops to Rotterdam Centraal, and the intercity to Amsterdam Centraal leaves from there. Trams 3 and 5 stop at the same place. If your cruise line's directions give a different tram number, they were written before 2025, when the Rotterdam operator renumbered its tram lines. All of this is fine with hand luggage. With two suitcases each and a check-in time you would rather not miss, it is a different story.
What a taxi may charge
A metered ride in the Netherlands has a legal ceiling that the government sets each year. Any company may charge less; none may charge more. These are the 2026 maximums, in force since 1 January 2026.
| Vehicle | Starting fare | Per kilometre | Per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car, up to 4 passengers | €4.31 | €3.17 | €0.52 |
| Van, 5 to 8 passengers | €8.77 | €4.00 | €0.59 |
Luggage costs nothing extra. From five passengers, or more than four pieces of luggage, the booking becomes a van automatically, and a group too large for one van books several rides, one per car, each with its own tracking link. That last part matters on a quay where everybody is looking for their car at once.
Arriving in Amsterdam, or joining a ship there
If your ship sails from Amsterdam rather than Rotterdam, the address is the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, at Piet Heinkade 27, 1019 BR Amsterdam. It has a 600 metre quay, doubles as an events venue and, since 2026, takes at most 100 ocean cruise ships a year, according to the Port of Amsterdam.
It is roughly fifteen minutes on foot from Amsterdam Centraal and tram 26 stops nearby. Again: fine with a rucksack, not fine with suitcases and a sailing time.
Ships also call at IJmuiden, at the mouth of the North Sea Canal. That one is genuinely out of town: according to the terminal it is 25 to 30 minutes by road to Schiphol (25 km) and 30 to 40 minutes to central Amsterdam (30 km), traffic permitting, and almost everybody travels by car or coach, because there is little public transport at the quay. Check the address. IJmuiden has two berths whose names both contain Felison Terminal, the ferry terminal and the cruise quay for large ships, and they are more than a kilometre apart. The address you find for Felison Terminal, Sluisplein 55, is the ferry terminal according to the terminal itself; cruise ships berth at the Monnickendam Quay or the Volendam Quay in the outer harbour, which has no street address of its own. Use the address on your own cruise documents and give that to your driver. All three terminals, and how a few hundred transfers get shared out between drivers, are covered in Dutch on cruise transfers.
When to leave
A cruise has no gate that closes the way a flight does, but it does have a check-in time, and the cruise line sets it. Holland America Line, for example, gives you your own time about 14 days before sailing and asks you to arrive no earlier than 20 minutes before it. It exists to spread passengers across the day, so look it up in your travel documents or the cruise line's app: that time counts, not the sailing time.
Once you arrive it goes in this order:
- Hand over your suitcases to the cruise line staff just outside the terminal. You keep your hand luggage and your documents.
- Check in inside the terminal: show your passport or ID and collect your cruise card.
- Security, and then on board.
If you are driving yourself
For long-term parking the terminal points you to a car park next to the ss Rotterdam, on Katendrecht, with a free shuttle to the terminal and back. You cannot reserve a space and you pay when you return; the rate is on the terminal's site rather than here, because it changes. What does not change is the arithmetic of a car standing still for a week or longer, and of getting back to it with your luggage when you return. For two people with suitcases, being dropped off and picked up is often simpler and not necessarily dearer.
Coming by taxi on a turnaround day: book it rather than assume. Do not count on a free car waiting at the quay when a ship is loading. The other English guides, and what this network actually is, are on the English home page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Rotterdam cruise port to Amsterdam?
Three realistic options: the metro from Wilhelminaplein to Rotterdam Centraal and then the intercity to Amsterdam Centraal, a taxi door to door, or your cruise line coach if one is included. With luggage or a deadline the taxi is the one that does not depend on changes going smoothly.
How much is a taxi from Rotterdam to Amsterdam?
It depends on the distance, the traffic and the vehicle, because the meter counts time as well as kilometres. What is fixed is the ceiling: in 2026 a car may charge at most €4.31 to start, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute. On a ride of this length, agreeing a fixed price in advance is worth more than the per-kilometre rate.
How do I get from Rotterdam cruise terminal to the train station?
Walk along the Wilhelminapier to metro station Wilhelminaplein, on lines D and E, and take it to Rotterdam Centraal: 6 minutes, 4 stops. Trams 3 and 5 stop at the same place; a different number in an older set of directions dates from before the 2025 renumbering.
Can you walk from Rotterdam cruise terminal to city centre?
The terminal is on the Wilhelminapier on the Kop van Zuid, which is part of the city rather than an outlying port, so the centre is close. Whether you walk it comes down to your luggage and the weather rather than the distance.
What is the address of Rotterdam Cruise Terminal?
Wilhelminakade 699, 3072 AP Rotterdam, on the Wilhelminapier. The terminal has a covered walkway to the ship, baggage handling and a tourist information desk.
Can I book one taxi for a whole group leaving the ship?
Yes, and you can book it online yourself: enter the terminal as the pickup address, your destination and the number of passengers. From five passengers, or more than four pieces of luggage, the ride is a van, which takes up to eight. A larger group is spread over several cars, each with its own tracking link, and for a group that wants one vehicle with one departure time a bus or coach with a driver can be arranged on request.
Should I book ahead or take a taxi at the quay?
Arrange it ahead on a turnaround day. A whole ship of passengers leaves around the same time, so do not count on a free car standing at the quay at that moment. You can book a pickup at the terminal here yourself, just like the ride the other way round, from Amsterdam to the terminal.
Sources
Amounts and rules change regularly. Always check the current information with the official bodies.
- Rijksoverheid: maximum taxi fares (in Dutch)
- Cruise Port Rotterdam: Cruise Terminal Rotterdam
- Cruise Port Rotterdam: long term parking (in Dutch)
- Passenger Terminal Amsterdam
- Felison: Cruise Terminal IJmuiden
- Cruiseterminals.nl: checking in and out at cruise terminals (in Dutch)
- Holland America Line: Boarding times & check-in assignments?
- RET: metro and tram network maps (Rotterdam)
- NS: trains between Rotterdam and Amsterdam