Rotterdam from Amsterdam by train: €20.20 each way, the Markthal, the Cube Houses, the Erasmus Bridge and the harbour

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Rotterdam is an NS train from Amsterdam Centraal in about 45 minutes, €20.20 each way (€40.40 return), and nothing needs booking. The tourist office’s free walking route starts at Rotterdam Centraal, runs about 7 kilometres and takes about two hours, and passes the Erasmus Bridge, the Cube Houses and the Markthal, which is free to enter. The Spido harbour tour is €18.75. Kinderdijk’s windmills are a separate half day: the WaterShuttle takes under 30 minutes from the Erasmus Bridge. Or book a tour: the coach tour of Rotterdam, Delft and The Haguead (from £51.25, 9 hours) spends part of one day in the city (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026).

Going on your own

Fares are NS’s own 2026 second-class e-ticket fares for an adult, as listed on 1 October 2026. NS raised fares by 6.52% on average on 1 January 2026.

• The train: Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal, €20.20 each way, €40.40 return, about 45 minutes (Discover Holland).
• Faster trains: the Intercity direct and Eurocity direct need a €3.20 supplement on top of the ticket, and the ordinary Intercity needs none (NS price list, NS).
• With Delft and The Hague: Rotterdam to Delft is €4.40 and Delft to The Hague €3.30, so Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague and back is €43.20. The Delft and The Hague guide has the museums.
• Kinderdijk: the WaterShuttle and the regular Waterbus both leave from the Erasmus Bridge, and only the WaterShuttle goes straight to Kinderdijk. It is not part of the public transport system and needs its own ticket (Kinderdijk).

Tours from Amsterdam

GetYourGuide has no Amsterdam tour with reviews that stays in Rotterdam. The coach tour that includes it spends the day on three cities. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult on 1 October 2026.

Rotterdam, Delft and The Hague by coach

From £51.25 · 4.2 stars from 2,682 reviews · 9 hours

From Amsterdam: Rotterdam, Delft & The Hague Guided Day Tourad leaves from the Tours & Tickets shop at De Ruijterkade 34A, in the IJ hall of Centraal. In Rotterdam it gives free time and lunch at the Markthal, and it adds Royal Delft entry and a walk in The Hague. At about €60 (£1 is €1.17 on the ECB’s rate for 30 September 2026) it costs what the same three cities cost by train plus Royal Delft (€43.20 and €17.50, €60.70), and fixes where you spend the time. The Delft and The Hague guide compares the two.

What to see

The tourist office’s free walking route is about 7 kilometres and two hours, from Rotterdam Centraal along the Westersingel to Museumpark, over the Erasmus Bridge, past Willemsplein, the Cube Houses, the Laurenskerk and the Markthal, and back via Schouwburgplein. It also passes the mirrored Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, which the tourist office calls the first museum depot in the world that is fully accessible to visitors. A PDF map is on the same page and a printed one is at the station.

1. The Erasmus Bridge. Free. A suspension bridge about 800 metres long, with a 139-metre steel pylon and 40 cables, nicknamed The Swan (rotterdam.info). The walking route crosses it.
2. The harbour. Spido €18.75, children €10.55 · 75 minutes. The Rotterdam Highlights & Harbour Tour leaves from Willemsplein 85, at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge, and is two-thirds city and one-third port, with commentary in Dutch, English and German. A cheaper boat is River Cruise Rotterdam’s harbour cruisead from Parkhaven, under the Euromast (75 minutes, from £10.46, about €12.20, 4.1 stars from 2,029 reviews, 1 October 2026).
3. The Cube Houses. Show house €3.50. Piet Blom’s 38 cube houses were built between 1982 and 1984 and are lived in. The Kijk-Kubus show house at Overblaak 70 is furnished so that you can see how a cube works, and takes cash or card on the door (kubuswoning.nl). Walk round the outside and under the cubes for free.
4. The Markthal. Free · Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 20:00, Friday 10:00 to 21:00, Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday 12:00 to 18:00. A covered market hall with more than 100 food stalls and restaurants, opened in 2014, and Rotterdam Blaak station is a minute away. Mastercard is accepted at every stall; other cards and cash vary by stall (markthal.nl).
5. Kinderdijk. €21 adult, €9 ages 4 to 12 · open daily 9:00 to 17:30 until 1 November 2026. A UNESCO World Heritage site of windmills. The ticket covers the museum mills, the boat tour, the Wisboom pumping station and the film, and buying on kinderdijk.nl takes 10% off (€18.90 for an adult). From 2 November to the end of December the hours are 10:30 to 16:00, and it is closed on 25 December (Kinderdijk). Kinderdijk also sells a combiticket that bundles the WaterShuttle with all its sites. On GetYourGuide the WaterShuttle ticketad is from £16.66 and the entry ticketad from £17.94, about €21, which is the full price (1 October 2026).
6. Skip: Kinderdijk on a day you want the city. It adds a WaterShuttle of under 30 minutes each way to the 45-minute train, and Kinderdijk advises taking an earlier boat back on peak days.

Practical information

• A city card: the Rotterdam City Card is €17.50 for a day with RET metro, tram and bus, and takes at least 25% off more than 50 attractions, including Spido, the Cube House and the WaterShuttle to Kinderdijk. On a day of Spido and the Cube House the discounts come to about €5.50, so it pays only if you ride RET a lot. It does not cover NS trains or the Waterbus (rotterdam.info).
• Children: a Railrunner for ages 4 to 11 is €2.50 a day on NS (NS).

Rotterdam is one of the day trips from Amsterdam, which compares it with Haarlem, Delft and The Hague and the Zaanse Schans on fare and time. From a cruise ship, cruise terminal to the city centre has the walk and tram 26 between Centraal and the ship, and Amsterdam public transport the GVB fares at the Amsterdam end. What to book before you go to Amsterdam has the Anne Frank House and museum slots to plan around.

Common questions

How long does it take to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam?

About 45 minutes by NS train from Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal. An adult second-class e-ticket is €20.20 each way (€40.40 return) in 2026. The Intercity direct and Eurocity direct trains add a €3.20 supplement.

What can I see in Rotterdam in one day?

The official walking route is about 7 kilometres and two hours from Rotterdam Centraal. It passes Museumpark, the Erasmus Bridge, the Cube Houses, the Laurenskerk and the Markthal, which is free to enter. A 75-minute Spido harbour tour leaves from the foot of the Erasmus Bridge for €18.75.

Can I visit the Kinderdijk windmills from Rotterdam?

Yes. The WaterShuttle sails from the Erasmus Bridge in under 30 minutes and needs its own ticket. Kinderdijk's visitor sites cost €21 for an adult (10% less online) and are open 9:00 to 17:30 until 1 November 2026.

Is there a Rotterdam tour from Amsterdam?

Not one with reviews on GetYourGuide that stays in Rotterdam. The coach tour of Rotterdam, Delft and The Hague is from £51.25 for 9 hours (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026). On your own the train costs €40.40 return and the main sights are within walking distance.