Travelling to and from Zuid-Holland
The province of Zuid-Holland can be reached by plane, car, bus, train and boat. Zuid-Holland's many attractions are in relatively close proximity to each other thanks to the road infrastructure density. There is also an excellent public transport system connecting the various cities.
By plane
Rotterdam is home to Rotterdam Airport, which has witnessed a rapid expansion in recent years and serves a range of European destinations. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, just across the provincial border, is the biggest airport in the Netherlands and has a direct railway link with all the major cities and towns of Zuid-Holland.
Rotterdam Airport www.rotterdam-airport.nl
VLM www.flyvlm.com
KLM www.klm.com
Transavia www.transavia.com
By train
The Netherlands Railways [Dutch: Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS] operate regular train services between all Dutch cities. Most trains operate twice an hour. It is also possible to board international trains from The Hague and Rotterdam to Paris, Brussels and Cologne (Thalys).
Within The Netherlands www.ns.nl
From Belgium www.b-rail.be
From Belgium and France www.thalys.fr
From France www.sncf.com
From Germany www.bahn.de
From Great Britain www.eurostar.co.uk
From Austria www.oebb.at
From Switzerland www.sbb.ch
From Italy www.trenitalia.com
From Spain www.renfe.es
Trips within Europe www.interrailnet.com
By boat
Zuid-Holland has direct ferry connections to the U.K. Stena Line operates daily ferry services between Harwich and Hook of Holland, while P&O Ferries offer daily sailings between Hull and Rotterdam. Once in the Netherlands, why not hop aboard the Waterbus between Rotterdam and Dordrecht? Regular ferries operate between these "Drechts” cities.
Stena Line www.stenaline.com
P & O Ferries www.poferries.com
Waterbus www.waterbus.nl
By car
Zuid-Holland is also easily accessible by car. Thanks to the road network density of the Netherlands, every town and city is easily accessible. City and town centres are often busy and more difficult to reach by car. It is particularly difficult to navigate your way around the Old Dutch towns and cities, renowned for their narrow streets and one-way systems. Visitors are therefore advised to leave their car on the edge of the centre in one of the many (multi-storey) car parks. A parking fee is payable in virtually all cities, in particular in the town centres. In Rotterdam, payment must be made using so-called chip cards, available from various locations around the cities. The machines situated at the multi-storey car parks accept coins and banknotes.
Route planners:
www.map24.com (in various language versions)
www.routenet.nl (also in English and French)
By tram, bus or metro.
Various city buses operate in the cities. The Hague, Rotterdam and Delft all have a tram network, and Rotterdam has a metro system. City buses, trams and metro trains on average run every 10 minutes.
There are currently three ways of paying for these means of transportation: by buying a bus & tram card (the so-called “strippenkaart") in advance to pay on the bus, tram or metro, or by purchasing a ticket from the driver of the bus, tram or metro.
The latest method of payment is the "OV-chipkaart”, a public transport prepaid card. This single card will soon allow access to all forms public transport: train, bus, tram and metro. The OV-chipkaart is approximately the size of a credit card and contains a chip which requires topping up in Euros, allowing the traveller to go everywhere. You can also use the OV-chipkaart for any ticket type, such as a single, return or season ticket. For further information on the OV-chipkaart please visit www.ov-chipkaart.nl
Planning a trip with public transport (within The Netherlands) www.9292ov.nl
