8 best day trips from Rotterdam

Day trips compared

The day trips

15 km · About 30–40 minutes by waterbus

1.Kinderdijk

The UNESCO-listed Kinderdijk has 19 windmills built in the 18th century to drain the polders, set along canals and reed beds. Two mills are open as museums, showing how millers lived inside them.

Getting there

Waterbus from Erasmus Bridge (Erasmusbrug) pier

Best for

First-timers, Families, Couples

15 km · About 12 minutes by train

2.Delft

Delft has canals, the Markt square between the Nieuwe Kerk and the town hall, Vermeer's hometown connections and the blue-and-white pottery of the Royal Delft factory.

Getting there

Train from Rotterdam Centraal

Best for

First-timers, Culture, Couples

25 km · About 25 minutes by train

3.The Hague

The seat of the Dutch government has the Binnenhof, the Mauritshuis with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and the beach at Scheveningen.

Getting there

Train from Rotterdam Centraal, or metro line E

Best for

Culture, Families, Beach

25 km · About 20 minutes by train

4.Gouda

Gouda has a Gothic town hall in its market square, the Sint-Janskerk with 16th-century stained glass and a cheese market held on Thursday mornings in summer.

Getting there

Train from Rotterdam Centraal

Best for

Food lovers, Families, Culture

20 km · About 15 minutes by train

5.Dordrecht

Holland's oldest town has harbours lined with merchants' houses, the Grote Kerk with a tower to climb and the Dordrechts Museum, plus access to the Biesbosch wetlands.

Getting there

Train from Rotterdam Centraal, or waterbus

Best for

Quiet stays, Culture, Couples

6 km · About 10 minutes by metro or train

6.Schiedam

Schiedam, Rotterdam's neighbour, is the centre of jenever distilling, with some of the world's tallest traditional windmills, canals and the National Jenever Museum.

Getting there

Metro or train to Schiedam Centrum

Best for

Food lovers, Culture, Quiet stays

75 km · About 40 minutes by train

7.Amsterdam

The Dutch capital has its 17th-century canal ring, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, which needs tickets booked well ahead.

Getting there

Intercity Direct from Rotterdam Centraal

Best for

First-timers, Culture, Nightlife

100 km · About 1 hour by train

8.Antwerp

Belgium's second city has a grand railway station, the Cathedral of Our Lady with Rubens altarpieces, the Rubens House and a strong fashion and diamond trade.

Getting there

Direct train from Rotterdam Centraal

Best for

Culture, Shopping, Food lovers

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Rotterdam Centraal has fast trains to Delft, The Hague, Amsterdam, Schiphol and Antwerp, and international trains to Brussels and Paris.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask