Photo: Tarod
Shore Excursions from Rotterdam
For cruise passengers docking in Rotterdam. We meet you at the terminal, spend the whole day wherever you choose — the windmills of Kinderdijk, Delft, The Hague, Gouda, the tulip fields — and have you back at the ship at least an hour before all-aboard.
5.0 on Google 7 reviews- Whole day
- Up to 8 passengers
- Mercedes sedan, V-Class or Vito
Tour highlights
- Met at the cruise terminal in Rotterdam
- Back at the ship at least an hour before all-aboard
- The UNESCO-listed windmills of Kinderdijk, half an hour away
- Delft, The Hague and Gouda — mix two or three in one day
- Keukenhof's tulips in spring, Efteling or Amsterdam on a long port day
- One driver and one vehicle, all day
Where we can take you
Every price is for the whole minivan for the whole day — the first figure for one to four passengers, the second for five to eight.
From the Amsterdam terminal you are already in the city, so a day in Amsterdam only makes sense from IJmuiden.
From the Amsterdam terminal you are already in the city, so a day in Amsterdam only makes sense from IJmuiden.
A day off the ship, from Rotterdam
Rotterdam is one of the best cruise ports in Europe for a private day out, because so much is so close. The windmills of Kinderdijk are half an hour from the ship. Delft is twenty minutes, The Hague half an hour, Gouda about the same — close enough to see two or three of them in a single port day, without a coach and without a timetable that is not yours.
Your driver meets you at the terminal when you come off the ship, and the minivan is yours until you are back on board.
The places closest to the ship
Kinderdijk is the picture most people have of Holland: nineteen eighteenth-century windmills standing along the polder canals, built to pump the land dry and listed by UNESCO. Two of them are museum mills you can go inside.
Delft is Vermeer’s town and the home of Delft Blue — a compact old centre of canals, with the Nieuwe Kerk and the town hall facing each other across the market square.
The Hague is where the Dutch government and the king actually work. The Mauritshuis holds Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, and the beach at Scheveningen is ten minutes beyond.
Gouda is the cheese town, with its Gothic town hall standing alone in the middle of the market square. Rotterdam itself is the one Dutch city that looks nothing like the others: rebuilt after 1940 and full of modern architecture, from the Markthal to the Cube Houses.
Built backwards from all-aboard
A port day has a hard end, and everything else follows from it. We start from your all-aboard time, take an hour off for the return, and fit the stops into what is left — leaving the last one by 18:30 at the latest. If the ship gives you less time, the day gets shorter: we drop a stop, not the safety margin.
Docking in Amsterdam or IJmuiden instead? See our shore excursions from Amsterdam and IJmuiden.
Where is it?
Photos
Your day
- 08:30
Met at the cruise terminal
Your driver is waiting outside the terminal when you come off the ship. This example day is timed for a ship that docks at eight and sails at half past five — every other destination on this page runs the same way.
- 09:00
Kinderdijk
Nineteen eighteenth-century windmills along the polder canals, half an hour from the ship. An hour and a half to walk the dykes and go inside one of the museum mills.
- 11:15
Delft and lunch
Vermeer's town: the Markt between the Nieuwe Kerk and the town hall, canals lined with old houses, and somewhere good for lunch.
- 13:45
The Hague
The seat of the Dutch government and the royal city, twenty minutes on. The Mauritshuis and Girl with a Pearl Earring, or the beach at Scheveningen.
- 15:45
Back to the ship
Half an hour back to the terminal, arriving at least an hour before all-aboard, with time to spare rather than a race to the gangway.
What's included
- Private Mercedes V-Class or Vito minivan for the whole day
- Pick-up and drop-off at the cruise terminal in Rotterdam
- Back at your ship at least one hour before all-aboard
- The whole day — we leave the last stop by 18:30 at the latest
- English-speaking driver who stays with you all day
- Fuel, tolls and all parking
- Bottled water and free child seats
Not included
- Museum and attraction tickets
- Food and drinks
Can be added
A museum on the way
The Mauritshuis in The Hague, or the Royal Delft pottery in Delft. Tell us when you book and the day is built around it.
Tickets paid by you
Local guide at the destination
A local guide meets you at the destination and walks your group round for an hour and a half. Request it in advance — it depends on a guide being free that day — and tell us which language you would like. We will let you know whether both are possible.
€199 for 1.5 hours, whole group
Frequently asked questions
Where do you meet us?
Ocean cruise ships in Rotterdam usually moor at the Cruise Terminal on the Wilhelminakade, a short walk from the Erasmus Bridge. Your driver meets you outside it. If your ship uses another quay, tell us when you book and we will meet you there instead.
How do you make sure we get back to the ship on time?
The whole day is planned backwards from your all-aboard time, and you are back at the terminal at least an hour before it. Tell us the ship's name and its times when you book, and the plan is built around them.
Will the ship wait for us if we are late?
No — ships do not wait for private tours, only for their own excursions. That is exactly why we keep a full hour in hand rather than cutting it fine.
Can we combine Kinderdijk, Delft and The Hague in one day?
Yes. They are all within half an hour of each other and of the ship, which is what makes Rotterdam such a good port for a private day. Gouda or Rotterdam itself can be swapped in for any of them.
How long is the day?
All day. We stay with you until you are ready to head back, leave the last stop by 18:30 at the latest, and always early enough to have you at the ship an hour before all-aboard — whichever comes first.
Can we go to Amsterdam from Rotterdam?
Yes, on a long port day. It is about an hour each way, and the windmills at Zaanse Schans can be fitted in on the way. Send us your ship's times and we will tell you honestly how much of the city you will get.
Can we go to Giethoorn, Volendam or Bruges?
Not from Rotterdam on a port day — Giethoorn and Bruges are around two hours each way, and Volendam lies beyond Amsterdam. That leaves too little time there and too little margin for the ship.
It is our last day and we are leaving the ship. Can you take us on to Schiphol?
Message us on WhatsApp with your flight time and how much luggage you have, and we will tell you what fits and what it costs before you commit to anything.
Other day trips
Volendam & Monnickendam
Two old fishing harbours on the water, half an hour from Amsterdam. Fresh herring on the quay, painted wooden houses, and the quieter town most visitors drive straight past.
Efteling
The Netherlands' own theme park, older than Disneyland and stranger in the best way. Fairy tales in a real wood, serious roller coasters, and a driver who takes you door to door instead of two trains and a bus.
Madurodam
The whole of the Netherlands, built at knee height. Canal houses, Schiphol, windmills and harbours in perfect miniature — the one attraction that genuinely works for every age in the family at once.