We've got a big group (5 adults and 3 kids) and spending the day in Kinderdijk is high on our list. However, the logistics are a bit daunting. On a previous visit two of us with a rental car, a visit to Kinderdijk was easy-peasy.
I'd rent an 8 passenger van for the day but the rental fees are $400 and up.
The train to Rotterdam and the Water Shutter could be a good option but I'm uncertain on how to get our gang from the train station to the Water Shuttle dock - not to mention that they only have one departure per hour.
There's also a bus that goes out to Kinderdijk but again the connection/schedule from the train is something that I am unfamiliar with.
Thanks in advance!
Posted by
411 posts
the bus schedule is driving me to drink!!!!!
But before I do that, it seems that it would be much simpler to go to Dordrecht (direct train from Amsterdam and only a slightly longer ride than Rotterdam) then catch the bus from there because it starts at the station.
The bus is run by QBuzzDMG on behalf of both the Dordrecht Region and R-NET for Rotterdam, and changes line numbers accordingly before it reaches Kinderijk!!! So at the Dordrecht end it is Qbuss/streekbuzz 93 but at the Rotterdam end it's R-NET 489. However the Rotterdam end is not central so it's mess, it begins at Kralingse Zoom metro station - but the Rotterdam Metro doesn't serve Central railway station, at which point I realised it is simpler to stay on the train from Amsterdam through to Dordrecht and get the bus from there!
The problems do not end here, both Qbuzz and RET use the same not-very-good journey planner software - and Qbuzz has an entire website which can throw tantrums (or 403 errors). But if you can persuade it to work Qbuzz have the schedule sheets for the R-NET service as well . Go to this page https://dmg.qbuzz.nl/lijnfolders and download the plans for streekbuzz Lijn 93 and R-NET lijn 489. Then get a pen and patch the useful Kinderdijk, Molenkade times from the 489 onto the 93 pages. The buses that run through as a direct service are marked with an "a".
No bus on Sundays!
The journey is in fact really easy, you just get a fast train from Amsterdam to Dordrecht, walk out of the main exit and the bus stop is on the right.
Posted by
Lake District, England
12054 posts
but the Rotterdam Metro doesn't serve Central railway station
Since when did that happen? Lines D (which start there) and E (the old heavy rail line from Den Haag) call at Rotterdam Central Station. From there it is 3 stops south to Leuvehaven (for the waterbus, at the north end of the Erasmus Bridge), and 4 stops south to Wilhelminaplein (south side of the Erasmus Bridge) for the cruise terminal).
Trams 3 and 5 also run from Central Station to both sides of the Erasmus Bridge. (Erasmusbrug)
I see nothing on the RET website to indicate that is not currently the case.
I've used the Rotterdam metro extensively, way beyond tourist Rotterdam, so am reasonably familiar with it.
Kralingse Zoom metro (for the bus) is 5 stops from Beurs Metro on Lines A, B and C (Beurs is on Lines D and E, 2 stops from Central Station).
If you take a train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam Blaak (direct inter city train every 30 minutes) that station is directly on metro lines A,B and C. Blaak is also reached by Trams 1 and 11 from Central Station (direction De Esch).
Posted by
411 posts
to be very clear, the Rotterdam Metro line that goes to Kralingse Zoom does not serve Centraal and I though that with a group of 5 adults and 3 kids having to use 2 metro lines just to reach the bus stop they would be better off staying on the train to Dordrecht with the bus stop by the door. Especially given that time between train and bus in Rotterdam (by various combinations) is about 10 minutes longer than the extra train ride to Dordrecht.
Posted by
1912 posts
We took the tram from the Rotterdam central station to Erasmus bridge. Then took the water taxi. Is there really only one water taxi an hour on the summer schedule?
Posted by
San Diego, California
7151 posts
From Rotterdam Central I believe Tram 7 takes you straight to the Erasmus Bridge water ferry stop. It's quite easy. The ferries are every 60-70 minutes I think. It seems there's only one boat that goes back and forth all day. It did run on time,
The Rotterdam Tourist Information Center promptly responds to emails, and should be able to confirm my info.
Kinderdijk has their own website with the ferry schedules. Even tho the website implies there are timed tickets, on my recent April 2026 trip, tickets purchased in advance were good for the entire day. Many folks purchased tickets after they boarded the ferry .
When are you going? There's a different summer and winter schedule. Winter is only on Friday thru Sunday.
If you have great weather, it's a glorious day. Enjoy!
Posted by
Lake District, England
12054 posts
Is there really only one water taxi an hour on the summer schedule?
Yes and no. Yes in that it has now become a dedicated service, rather than being a stop on the Rotterdam to Dordrecht waterbus, with extra seasonal direct services.
No, in that you can still use the Dordrecht boats, alight at Ridderkerk and use the cross river Driehoeksveer ferry every half hour- https://www.waterbus.nl/en
So in effect there are still 3 boats per hour from Rotterdam, two an hour from Dordrecht.
Posted by
Wengen
4058 posts
For all your travel planning you only need one site really:
9292.nl
They have an app too I belive. You do not have to second guess the route, deal with different companies website. 9292 has been the go to place for all public transit in the Netherlands for going on 40 years now.
Btw. 9292 refers to a telephone number you could call to get public transit routes before there was this internet thingy... They actually still offer that service!
Using that site you will find both the bus, and the watershuttle routes. The site will give you connections, show you how to walk etc...
Posted by
OP
Wynnewood, PA, USA
288 posts
Many, many thanks to me.crewe, isn31c, KD, Pat, WengenK !!!