There are 3 ferry services running across the North Sea from the UK to the Netherlands – Harwich to Hook of Holland, Newcastle to Amsterdam Ijmuiden and Hull to Rotterdam.
If you are not keen on flying or simply enjoy travelling by ship then these UK-Holland ferries could be a good way to get to Amsterdam or Rotterdam – particularly if you live on the eastern side of England.
They are also convenient if you want to bring your own car or vehicle to the Netherlands.
UK to Holland ferry map
The following map shows the 3 UK to Holland ferry services:
1. Harwich-Hook of Holland (Stena Line)
2. Newcastle-Amsterdam (DFDS Seaways)
3. Holl-Rotterdam (P&O Ferries)
1. Harwich – Hook of Holland (Stena Line)
Stena Line runs a daily and nightly ferry service both ways between Harwich and Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland). You can book the Harwich-Hook of Holland ferry here
The 240m sister ships Stena Britannica and Stena Hollandica ply the route over the North Sea and the trip takes roughly 7 hours.
The ships are very comfortable akin to a small floating hotel with 538 cabins, bar/restaurant and lounge facilities. There is capacity for up to 1,200 passengers and 230 cars.
| Route | Departs | Arrives | Sail time |
| Harwich-Hoek van Holland (day) | 09:00 | 17:15 | 7 hrs 15 mins |
| Harwich-Hoek van Holland (night) | 23:00 | 08:00 | 8 hrs |
| Hoek van Holland-Harwich (day) | 14:15 (13:45 Sun) | 19:45 | 6 hrs (30 mins) |
| Hoek van Holland-Harwich (night) | 22:00 | 06:30 | 9 hrs 30 mins |
Europe is 1 hour ahead of UK time
Facilities includes the Taste self-service restaurant, the Riva bar, the Social Cafe & Bar, a duty-free shop, a guest services desk, a Stena Plus lounge and a Family Hub area with kids corner.
For more detailed info, see our complete Harwich-Hoek van Holland Stena Line ferry guide
The on-board cabins are well appointed with decent beds, compact toilet/shower, tea/coffee making facilities and TV (English and Dutch channels). All the cabins are located on floors 10 and 11.
You can choose inside cabins or outside cabins with windows. There a various cabin configurations including single, 2-berth and family (3-berth, 4-berth and 5-berth). Higher level cabins – Comfort Class, Captain’s Class and the Captain’s Suite – include a free minibar.
Fares are priced in pounds or euros depending on whether you book from UK or the Netherlands.
Car + driver starts from £94/€107 one-way with each additional passenger priced from £32/€37. Foot passengers fares start from £57/€66 one-way.
Fares are split into economy (non-refundable), flexi (refundable) and premium (refundable with lounge access).
Note, on overnight sailings you are obliged to pay extra for a cabin. Prices of the cabins vary between £51-£214/€57-€251 – depending on cabin type and fare level. Cabin prices are half-price on day sailings.
You can book the Harwich-Hook of Holland ferry here
There is also the option of the Rail & Sail tickets which includes a Greater Anglia train from Harwich to London Liverpool Street. These are priced at £75/€89 each way (£38/€44 for children 4-15).
On the Dutch side the RET Metro Line B operates from Hoek van Holland Haven towards Rotterdam in direction Nesselande. See our Rotterdam Metro map.
If travelling onto Amsterdam you can change to NS train services at either Schiedam Centrum or Rotterdam Centraal.
If you have the time the Stena Line ferry is an excellent way to travel between the south-east England and the Netherlands.
Sneleentaxi offers good value fixed taxi fares between Hoek van Holland and Rotterdam, Amsterdam or any destination in the Netherlands. Book a taxi at fixed rate with Sneleentaxi
2. Newcastle – Amsterdam (DFDS Seaways)
There is a daily overnight ferry service each way between Newcastle-North Shields and Amsterdam-Ijmuiden. Book your DFDS Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry here
| Route | Departs | Arrives | Sail time |
| Newcastle-Amsterdam | 17:00 | 09:45 | 15 hrs 45 mins |
| Amsterdam-Newcastle | 17:30 | 09:15 | 16 hrs 45 mins |
Europe is 1 hour ahead of UK time
The large King Seaways and Princess Seaways ferries operate on the route. There are a range of cabins on offer: inside cabins, sea-view cabins, economy cabins and premium cabins (Commodore and Commodore De Luxe). There is a Commodore De Luxe lounge available on King Seaways.
Other on-board facilities include the Explorer’s Kitchen and North Sea Bistro restaurants, Coffee Crew café, games area, a cinema, 4 bars, casino and a nightclub.
Ijmuiden is a seaside port about 24 km west of Amsterdam – don’t be put off by the large Tata steel works close by! It has a marina with a Leonardo hotel and the start of a good (blue-flag) beach running south.
DFDS has a bus service for passengers between the Felison Terminal at IJmuiden and Amsterdam Central. The journey takes about 30-45 minutes.
At Amsterdam Central station the DFDS bus goes from the bus stop at De Ruijterkade 153. The bus departs back to the ferry port between 15:30 and 16:00. Tickets can be reserved online from £9/€10 each way.
Public transport options are available but not so convenient as they require walking and multiple changes – better to stick with the DFDS bus or take a taxi.
A taxi from the Ijmuiden ferry terminal to central Amsterdam would cost €70-€140. You can book a taxi with Sneleentaxi here
There is a DFDS bus service from International passenger Terminal (North Shields port) to Newcastle city centre (Bewick Street near the station) which costs from £7 each way and takes 20-30 minutes. Or walk from the port to Percy Main station (15-20 mins) and take the metro to Newcastle.
Prices for the ferry vary considerably depending on season.
For a standard ferry crossing, prices for a 2 bed inside cabin start from around £78/€90 each way. Add about £93/€109 for a car each way.
Book your DFDS Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry here
3. Hull – Rotterdam (P&O Ferries)
P&O (owned by DP World) operates a daily overnight ferry service between Hull and Rotterdam Europoort terminal. The crossings take 11-12 hours using the 215m long Pride of Rotterdam and Pride of Hull ships.
These ships have 12 decks and have 546 cabins with capacity for 1,360 passengers, 250 cars and 400 freight vehicles.
| Route | Departs | Arrives | Sail time |
| Hull-Rotterdam | 20:30 (20:00 Sat-Sun) | 08:45 (09:00 Sat-Sun) | 11 hrs 15 mins (12 hrs) |
| Rotterdam-Hull | 21:00 (20:30 Sat-Sun) | 07:30 (08:00 Sat-Sun) | 11 hrs 30 mins (12 hrs 30 mins) |
Europe is 1 hour ahead of UK time
Facilities on-board ship include The Brasserie restaurant, The Kitchen buffet restaurant, a coffee bar, a paid Club Lounge, a show bar with live entertainment, a shop, cinema and kids play area.
Choice of cabins are Standard (bunks), Premier (twin beds or double bed), Club (TV, minibar) and the top-of-the-range Club Stateroom cabin and Club Suite cabin.
Be aware that the Europoort terminal is some 37km from Rotterdam centre. A special bus service (operated by De Jong Tours) can be pre-booked with P&O that runs from Europoort Rotterdam to central Rotterdam (international bus stop at Conradstraat).
At the UK end, buses run from Hull port (King George Dock) to the Paragon Interchange, Stand 38.
Ferry prices vary depending on season, cabin booked and type of ticket (Standard, Flexi or Fully Flexi). For 2 foot passengers in a standard cabin expect to pay from about £130/€150 each way.
Book your Hull-Rotterdam P&O ferry here
So if you are looking to take a ferry to Amsterdam from the UK then any of the above 3 services could be a good travel option.
Note that since 2024 the EU is adding a Environmental Trading Scheme (ETS) charge to ferry ticket prices.
This article was originally published in 2010. Last checked and updated 20 August 2026.
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