Rotterdam The Hague airport (RTM) is the third busiest airport in the Netherlands and is located 6km from Rotterdam city centre and around 60km from central Amsterdam.
Below we show how to get from Rotterdam airport to either Rotterdam or The Hague (Den Haag) by public transport and then beyond to Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands.
Rotterdam airport transport options: summary (2024 prices)
1. Local RET bus 33 to Rotterdam Central station (€4.50 single, up to 6x hourly).
2. Local RET bus 33 to Meijersplein then Metro line E to Rotterdam Central, The Hague Central or other Rotterdam metro stations (€4.50 single, up to 6x hourly).
3. Intercity or the faster ‘Intercity Direct’ train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam Central (from €17.90 single, €1 extra for disposable tickets, Intercity Direct supplement €2.90, run regularly all day). Book refundable Rotterdam-Amsterdam train tickets here
4. Intercity train between The Hague Central and Amsterdam Central is cheaper (from €13.60 single, €1 extra for disposable tickets). Book refundable Den Haag-Amsterdam train tickets here
5. Rotterdam airport taxi rates: to Rotterdam station €25; to Den Haag €55; to Amsterdam approximately €150. Book a taxi at fixed rate with Sneleentaxi
Let’s take a look at these travel options in more detail with some tips and advice for visitors.
1. Local bus to Rotterdam Central
RET city bus 33 serves Rotterdam The Hague Airport. These electric buses run between Rotterdam Central Station and the nearby Meijersplein metro station, stopping at the airport both ways.
During the day, the buses depart approximately every 5 minutes from the airport bus stop – with the destination alternating between Meijersplein and Rotterdam Centraal. In the evenings the bus frequency is reduced to half-hourly. The service runs from 0600 weekdays, 0630 on Saturday and 0830 Sunday and operates all day until just after midnight.
To get to Rotterdam Central from the airport you have the choice of the 33 bus (a journey of around 20 minutes) or taking the 33 bus to Meijersplein (5 minutes) and then taking line E metro from there to Rotterdam Central (3 stops, 7 minutes) or any other station on the network.
The OV-chipkaart (public transport smart card) is in use in the Netherlands which means you have to check-in and check-out using the card readers on the bus.
For the Rotterdam airport to Rotterdam Central journey we would advise most visitors to keep it simple and just buy a standard single ticket. The “RET 2 hour” ticket costs €4.50 and can be purchased from the ticket machine or driver. Children 0-3 travel free.
As you come out of the terminal, head left – the airport bus stop is a short walk away. At the bus stop there is a RET ticket machine which sell a variety of RET tickets – coins, debit and credit cards are accepted. Note, the driver will not accept cash payments,
There are other tickets available: RET 1 day (€9.50), RET children’s 1 day ticket (€5, ages 4-11) and a Tourist Day Ticket (€15.50, valid for 1 day’s travel in South Holland province on RET Rotterdam, HTM The Hague, Arriva, Connexxion, EBS and Syntus). These tickets are valid on a ‘calendar day’ basis, not 24 hours.
The Rotterdam Welcome Card is a city card offering free public transport and discounts off attractions. It is available as a 1 day (€15.50), 2 day (€21) or 3 day (€25.50) validity. Note you can buy online here but pickup is at the Rotterdam Tourist Information in the city centre – not at the airport.
On board the RET airport bus has reasonable space to fit passenger luggage.
If you have a personal or anonymous OV-chipkaart then the single bus journey to Rotterdam Central is a bit cheaper at around €2.10. You can buy an anonymous OV-chipkaart at the ticket machine or the AKO newsagent store in the airport terminal.
It is also possible to use the OVpay system where you can check-in and out using a contactless debit/credit card/mobile instead of an OV-chip card.
The 33 bus arrives at the bus terminus near Rotterdam Central station.
2. Bus + Metro to Rotterdam or Den Haag (The Hague)
To connect onto the metro, take the RET bus 33 to the nearby Meijersplein metro station – this takes about 5 minutes. The bus stop is directly outside the metro station.
From there you can take the RET metro (E line) operated by RandstadRail which runs between Slinge and Den Haag Central via Rotterdam Central. See our Rotterdam metro map for more details – the airport is marked.
The standard RET 2 hour ticket (€4.50) can get you from the airport to any station on the network. You need to hold your ticket against the gate barriers to enter to the metro station platforms.
If going towards Rotterdam then go up to platform 2 (the nearest one). The trip to Rotterdam Central is just 3 stops and takes 7 minutes.
For direction Den Haag go to the other side (platform 1). The trip to Den Haag Central takes 25 minutes and is the 11th and last stop. The total travel time from the airport to Den Haag is about 45 minutes.
The line E metro train runs every 10 minutes.
Check out our visitors guide to Den Haag here
3. Trains from Rotterdam Central to Amsterdam
NS trains run frequently between Rotterdam Central and Amsterdam Central stations. There are a number of different services – a fast domestic train called Intercity Direct takes just 40 minutes and runs 4x hourly on a dedicated high speed track to Schiphol Airport and then onto Amsterdam Central. Supplements for the Rotterdam-Schiphol sector are mandatory for travel on this train.
Alternatively you can take an Intercity train to Amsterdam Central which travels to Schiedam, Delft, Den Haag HS, Leiden, Haarlem and Amsterdam Sloterdijk. The journey times is just under 1 hour 15 minutes with departures every 15 minutes.
There is also a Sprinter stopping train service (direction Uitgeest, 2x hourly) which runs via Gouda and stops at Amsterdam Bijlmer-ArenA, Amsterdam Amstel and Amsterdam Central. Travel time is only a little more than the Intercity.
The OV-chip card system is also used on Dutch railways and you will need to check-in and check-out of your journey.
The standard one-way fare from Rotterdam to Amsterdam Central costs €17.90 (2nd class) or €30.43 (1st class) – these fares also apply when using credit on a personal or anonymous OV-chip card. There is a €1 surcharge for buying a disposable ticket.
You will need to have a minimum of €20 credit balance if using an anonymous OV-chip card for train travel. If you bought a card at Rotterdam airport you may need to add further credit at the station desk or ticket machine – this will also activate the card for use on the rail network.
Intercity Direct supplements cost an additional €2.90 each way – buy the supplement before boarding the train as it costs €10 on board. The supplement is available either as a paper ticket or can be paid with an OV-chip card using the special red card readers on the platform. There is a discounted supplement of €1.74 for travel during the weekday off-peak period – however you must pay by OV-chip card.
Children 4-11 only pay €2.50 each (plus €1 surcharge for a disposable ticket) for a Railrunner ticket which is valid the whole day on the Dutch rail network including Intercity Direct trains. Children 0-3 travel free.
You can buy disposable train tickets, Intercity Direct supplements or anonymous OV-chip cards at the station Tickets & Service desks (inside the ‘Service Center’) or at the yellow and blue ticket machines.
Both accept debit/credit cards (V-Pay, Maestro, Mastercard, Visa and American Express) using pin and/or contactless. If you want to pay by cash go to the service desks as the machines only accept euro coins.
Buy online: You can purchase fully refundable Rotterdam-Amsterdam train e-tickets here. Note, if you want to travel by Intercity Direct you need to buy the supplement at the station.
For speed and comfort it is well worth paying the Intercity Direct supplement – especially if you have large suitcases. Intercity Direct trains have decent overhead storage racks. Standard double-decker Intercity trains have stairs to navigate and tiny racks (or no racks) – though some space for luggage can be found under the seats.
For night owls, an hourly night train (0100-0500) runs both ways between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Amsterdam to Rotterdam return trip: Just do the journey in reverse – train from Amsterdam Central to Rotterdam, then walk out to the bus station to get RET bus 33 back to the airport. Or get a metro to Meijersplein and then the bus to Rotterdam airport.
Amsterdam Central is the transport hub of Amsterdam – see Amsterdam Transport Tickets for cost-effective public transport options in the city.
If travelling elsewhere in the Netherlands there are direct trains from Rotterdam to Amersfoort, Breda, Dordrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Utrecht, Venlo and Vlissingen.
International trains include the Eurostar (blue trains) to Brussels and London, Eurostar (red trains, formerly Thalys) to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris and the Intercity Brussels to Antwerp and Brussels.
4. Trains from Den Haag Central to Amsterdam
Because Den Haag is slightly nearer to Amsterdam, it is actually cheaper to travel by rail to Amsterdam Central from Den Haag Central rather than from Rotterdam Central.
You arrive with metro line E at Den Haag Central station and then need to go downstairs to the main railway station.
The standard one-way fare from Den Haag Central to Amsterdam Central costs €13.60 (2nd class) or €23.12 (1st class) – plus the €1 surcharge for buying a disposable ticket.
You can purchase fully refundable Den Haag-Amsterdam train e-tickets here.
The direct Intercity train takes about 50 minutes and runs every half hour.
5. Taxis from Rotterdam The Hague Airport
Taxis are available directly outside the airport building.
From Rotterdam The Hague airport expect to pay about €20-€25 (central Rotterdam), €35 (Rotterdam Alexander), €55 (The Hague), €100 (Rotterdam Europoort), €125 (Schiphol) and €150 (Amsterdam). Note, Uber is present in Amsterdam.
Sneleentaxi offers slightly cheaper fixed fares to/from Rotterdam airport to Rotterdam, Amsterdam or any destination in the Netherlands. Book a taxi at fixed rate with Sneleentaxi
The airport also has desks from many major car rental companies. If you need to hire a car in advance from Rotterdam, you can book with Discover Cars here which checks all the main sites.
This article was first published in 2010 and has been continuously updated since then. Last update 6 December 2023.
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