We will be taking the Viking Rhine cruise in October. The second day puts us in Kinderdjik. What's the best way to tour the Keringhuis flood protection project, and to see the Maeslant barrier? I can't find public transportation to Keringhuis from Kinderdjik. Is renting a car the best option or did I miss a train/bus line?
Here is the Dutch transportation site: http://9292.nl/en#
Looks like a long tortured slog with boats, trams, trains, and a lot of walking.
Fun to do is taking the Waterbus from Kinderdijk to the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam, from there tram to Rotterdam Centraal for taking the train to Hoek van Holland. From May 1st till September 30th direct line 202 needs about a ½ hour. Line 20 with a change needs considerably more time. More info see: http://www.waterbus.nl/kinderdijk-en/
But in total public transport remains as Sam already notes time consuming and if you want to see more places like the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier, you can’t without a car. Nice is to combine the trip with a stop in Goedereede, Zierikzee, Willemstad or Dordrecht.
Visitor centre of the Maeslantkering with a tour is really good, the one of the Eastern Scheldt is quite expensive and still recieves not so good reviews. A visit to the Watersnoodmuseum near Zierikzee / Ouwerkerk is moving, but certainly worth to consider.
Times wise, it actually looks fast to get to the Hoek van Holland from Amsterdam Centraal than from Kinderdijk. The biggest problem is that the Maeslant is about 2 1/2 miles from Hoek Van Holland with no public transportation, so you have to walk it. A car would do wonders convenience wise.
Visiting the storm barriers, dunes and other water-related infrastructure in Zeeland or Zuid-Holland is one of the instances where renting a car for a day actually makes a lot of sense.