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 | Two changes 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 a few minutes on foot from the quay. That puts you at Rotterdam Centraal in about a quarter of an hour, 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 boarding window 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 has to be arranged: tell us and the ride is spread over several cars, 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 handles around 300,000 passengers a year, has a 600 metre quay and doubles as an events venue.
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: allow around half an hour by road to Amsterdam and to Schiphol, traffic permitting, and expect almost everybody to be travelling 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 not at the same address. Use the address on your own cruise documents and give that to your driver; we deliberately do not print a street number here. 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 window. Cruise lines generally ask you to be at the terminal two to three hours before departure, and your travel documents often name a boarding window of your own. That window is what counts: it exists to spread passengers across the day.
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
Parking at the cruise terminal is arranged by the terminal itself, with its own rates and its own booking system, so check those on their site rather than here: they change. What does not change is the arithmetic of a car standing still for a week or longer, and of walking 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. There is rarely 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 a few minutes to metro station Wilhelminaplein, on lines D and E, and take it to Rotterdam Centraal. That is roughly a quarter of an hour. 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. From five passengers, or more than four pieces of luggage, your booking becomes a van. The booking form takes up to eight passengers. For a larger group, tell us: the ride is then spread over several cars and you can follow each one on its own link. 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?
Book ahead on a turnaround day. Several hundred passengers want to leave within the same hour, and there is rarely a free car standing at the quay at that moment. Booking also means you know the amount before you get in.
Sources
Amounts and rules change regularly. Always check the current information with the official bodies.