Wilhelminakade 699, on the Wilhelmina Pier
The Rotterdam Cruise Terminal sits on the Wilhelmina Pier, beneath the three-towered De Rotterdam building, with the city on the far bank. Ships reach it from the North Sea by sailing about two hours up the Nieuwe Waterweg, past the working port, which means the arrival is part of the day rather than a transfer to be got through.
The building has a history of its own. This was the departure hall of the Holland America Line, where the transatlantic crossings left from and where a great many Dutch emigrants said goodbye. It has been a national monument since 2011, and was renovated between 2014 and 2025. Full details, and the schedule of which ships are in port when, are on the terminal's own site: cruiseportrotterdam.nl.
What is inside
Cafe and restaurant
Inside the terminal building, with the big windows that look straight out over the Maas and the city.
Passenger and crew lounge
Around 3,000 square metres of it, in a hall of roughly 3,800 square metres in total.
Free WiFi
Throughout the terminal, which is useful before your own roaming kicks in.
Tourist information
A desk in the terminal for maps, tickets and questions about the city.
Taxi stand
Directly outside the terminal doors.
Parking
Three garages for passengers and the people seeing them off, plus coach parking.
Into the city, on your own
Wilhelminaplein metro station is a 3 to 4 minute walk from the terminal, and from there the metro reaches Rotterdam Centraal or Blaak in about five minutes. Blaak is the stop for the Markthal and the Cube Houses. If you would rather walk, the centre is roughly 2.5 kilometres away, about half an hour along the water and over the Erasmus Bridge, and it is a good walk rather than a slog. Taxis wait directly outside the terminal.
Dutch public transport is easy once you know how it is paid for, and it is not obvious on your first morning. We wrote a plain guide to it: how to use Dutch trains, trams, metros and buses.
Worth a look near the terminal
Hotel New York
The old Holland America Line head office at the tip of the pier, a few minutes along the quay. Millions of emigrants left for America from this spot.
The Erasmus Bridge
Rotterdam's white swan-necked bridge, at the other end of the Wilhelmina Pier. Walking over it puts you on the city-centre side of the water.
Kop van Zuid
The high-rise quarter around the terminal itself, including the De Rotterdam building the terminal sits beneath.
Markthal and the Cube Houses
Two of the city’s best-known buildings, both at Blaak, which is about five minutes by metro.
If Rotterdam is your only stop and you want to make a day of it on your own, we wrote this for exactly that: what to do in Rotterdam in one day.
Tours that start and end at this terminal
Your guide meets you at the terminal exit and brings you back to it. We follow your ship's real arrival and departure times, not the printed ones.
Small Group Delft & Royal Delft
Half-day visit to Delft, the New Church and the Royal Delft factory and museum, with free time included.
Small Group Delft & Kinderdijk
Delft city center and Royal Delft, combined with the UNESCO World Heritage windmills of Kinderdijk.
Private & Custom Shore Excursion
You decide what you'll visit. Delft and Kinderdijk, Gouda and Utrecht, or Amsterdam. Full-day guide and minibus just for your group.
Booking for a group, or have a question about timing? The shore excursion FAQ covers how we handle ship delays, tenders and group sizes.
Two guarantees, in writing
A shore excursion is not an ordinary day out. Your ship leaves without you if the day goes wrong, so we carry that risk rather than asking you to.
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Back on board on time, or we get you to the next port
If a delay on our side means you miss your ship, we refund your excursion in full and we arrange your transport to the ship’s next port of call, up to €100 per person. Every route is planned backwards from your all aboard time with a safety margin nothing is scheduled into.
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Ship does not dock? Your money back, or another date
Weather, a port skipped, a changed itinerary: if your ship does not call at Rotterdam, you choose between a full refund and moving your booking to another date at no cost. Show us the notice from your cruise line or the ship’s tracked position and that is all we need.
Both guarantees are part of our general terms and conditions, article 15.
Not sure a tour fits your hours ashore?
Put in the times your ship is alongside and see which tours fit, transfers, traffic and safety margin already taken off.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal?
Wilhelminakade 699, 3072 AP Rotterdam, on the Wilhelmina Pier, right beneath the De Rotterdam building. Ships reach it from the North Sea by sailing about two hours up the Nieuwe Waterweg, which is a scenic arrival in its own right.
How do I get from the cruise terminal into central Rotterdam?
Wilhelminaplein metro station is a 3 to 4 minute walk from the terminal, and the metro reaches Rotterdam Centraal or Blaak, which is where the Markthal and the Cube Houses are, in around 5 minutes. On foot the centre is about 2.5 kilometres, roughly half an hour along the water and over the Erasmus Bridge. Taxis wait directly outside.
Is there somewhere to wait or get a coffee before my tour or before boarding?
Yes. The terminal has its own cafe and restaurant, a large passenger and crew lounge with free WiFi, and a tourist information desk. The windows look out over the Maas, so it is a pleasant place to wait rather than somewhere to escape.
Where do Holland City Tours shore excursions meet?
Right at the Cruise Terminal, where your ship docks. Your guide waits for you at the terminal exit with a sign, and every excursion ends back at the same place.
What if my ship arrives late?
We track your ship’s actual arrival and departure times rather than the scheduled ones, and we build the day around them. Getting you back to the ship on time is the part of this we take most seriously.
Can we book an excursion if we are only in port for a few hours?
Yes. The Delft and Royal Delft excursion runs about six hours door to door, and a private excursion can be shortened to whatever window your ship gives you. Tell us your port times and we will say honestly what fits.
Do we need to book in advance, or can we arrange something on the day?
Book ahead if you can. These are small-group and private tours with a limited number of places and a guide reserved for the date, so a ship arriving tomorrow is much harder to accommodate than one arriving next month.
Is the terminal itself worth a look?
It is a national monument, listed since 2011, and was the departure hall for Holland America Line’s transatlantic crossings. It was renovated between 2014 and 2025. If you have ten minutes before boarding, the building is a piece of the history you have just sailed into.
What if my ship never docks in Rotterdam?
Weather, a skipped port or a changed itinerary: if your ship does not call at Rotterdam, you choose between a full refund and moving your booking to another date at no cost. A notice from your cruise line, or the ship’s tracked position, is all the proof we need. See article 15 of our general terms and conditions.
How do I know a tour fits the hours I have ashore?
Use our back to the ship calculator. Put in the times your ship is alongside and it shows which tours fit once the queue to disembark, the transfer each way, rush hour on your actual date and a safety margin have been taken off. You will find it in the menu under Shore excursions.
