One of the coolest way to travel from A to B in Rotterdam is with the water taxi, with more than 50 stops within the Rijnmond region. The water taxi is a fun alternative to the decent tram, bus and train connections in the city. But if you are visiting while the sun is shining it’s definitely worth taking a taxi to your destination or just for a bit of fun from the water! Take advantage of this adventurous and efficient transportation in the international city of Rotterdam if you are visiting!Â
As of May 2018 the Dutch water taxi company celebrated 25 years of service! And wow look how far they have come since 1993. I have most definitely become a fan of their great services since living in Rotterdam for 7 years now.
There are three zones in total based on your taxi route, which are West, Center and East, so check out their website first to see where you can plan your route and the costs you can expect.
In total the company has 13 fast MSTX taxis (up to 55km per hour), 4 original classic taxis, a plug-in Hybrid one and even a fully electric taxi (15km per hour). I have never seen the electric one myself though, with the fast MSTX taxi’s mostly owning the river Maas water space.
The Water taxi is great for tourists and groups of up to 12 people as you can fit in one boat at a time. But if your alone or with a smaller group, they will still take you to your destination.
All water taxi platforms can be spotted easily with the yellow signage, easily recognisable when walking along the water’s edge. They have in total 52 place where you can get on and off the water taxi, with a brand new one for the 25 year celebration at the Fenix Food Factory location in Katendrecht!
Boat Tours
If you don’t feel like using it to get to your destination or towards your home, you can also book a boat ride tour on the Maas. These can be either 15 or 30 mins long and price depends on the amount of people joining. This is so fun as you can choose what you would like to see, such as the historic and modern harbour or just to enjoy the amazing views from the river like from underneath the famous Erasmus Bridge, Willemsbrug and the Hef bridge. If you also request it to your driver at the start of the tour, many drivers will pump up the speed (with safety of course) and make it more adventurous by taking sharper corners, experiencing the water taxi like a rollercoaster. But don’t worry, you don’t get wet!
Your Water Taxi Driver
The drivers of the water taxis are actually part time workers, as they are usually found on tugs, barges and patrol boats as captains or helmsmen. So you are transported to your destination by fully qualified boatmen who have high knowledge to navigate on the busy Maas river.
Recommendations
As an expat living in Rotterdam, I totally recommend that as a tourist (and for the locals too!) you should take the opportunity to enjoy one of these across the river. What I love to do and recommend for in the spring or summer is to take a walk from the centre of the city over the bridges and towards the Fenix Food Factory and Hotel New York for a bite to eat in the sunshine, then take the taxi back to the north side of Rotterdam afterwards. Its short but always sweet!
You can also visit much more by Kop van Zuid than just Hotel New York too, such as the Nederlands Fotomuseum and Nieuwe Luxor Theatre.
You can also take a much longer route to Ridderkerk for a day trip to the famous Kinderdijk windmills! Though keep in mind this is one of the furthest routes so also outside of their zones and likely the most costly.
Read more of our Rotterdam posts!Â
Rotterdam Museum ’40-’45 NU
Discover the prettiest neighborhood Kralingen
Rotterdam Centraal Station Rooftop Tour
‘De Rotterdam’ Tour – Highest Skyscraper In The Netherlands!
Tips:
- You can pay on board, but it’s not part of the Dutch OV RET travel card system so bring your cash money or card (hopefully soon though!)
- Can call in advance to book a tour on busy days, but very easy to call at one of the docks
- Any questions? Don’t hesitate to ask your driver!
- Can get a little bumpy so hold on tight
- Check you have all your belongings before you leave
- Keep in mind it might be a longer wait on weekends and during festivals
Pin for later:
Have you used the Water taxi before? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
19 Comments
Holly Goodyear
30th May 2018 at 3:34 pmI love boats as a way of getting around, it’s so much more peaceful than the roads and it’s good to get a new viewpoint. I’ve never been to the Netherlands but will hopefully get there one day and if I do, I’ll take the water taxi!
TheGreatAmbini
30th May 2018 at 2:45 pmThis looks like a great way to get around! I loved the water taxis and buses in Venice and took a water tour in Copenhagen, so I really enjoyed this post. I am hoping to head to Rotterdam soon, so I will take all this advice on board!
PonytailPretty
30th May 2018 at 4:26 pmIm certainly a boat lover so this would be a fantastic way to get around. I remember being in Vancouver and we needed to take a water taxi, it was the first time I had ever heard of one! lol Its very cool!
Kayla
30th May 2018 at 4:39 pmI lived in Rotterdam for six months as a student and this is my biggest regret! I never made it to a water taxi because it was a cold and rainy winter/spring. But I’ll be back and this is at the top of the list!
Melissa Downham
30th May 2018 at 4:58 pmI am totally fascinated by water taxis! Such a fun, unique way to get around. We definitely don’t have this where I live!
katherinefenech2017
30th May 2018 at 5:03 pmI love seeing a city or town from the water, you wouldn’t think that it would give you a different point of view, but it really does. It took me a minute to get my head around these being taxi’s and not public ferries, which is what I’m used to seeing. It looks like an awesome way to do a bit of sight seeing!
Ruth
31st May 2018 at 1:53 amThis sounds like lots of fun! I am not sure if private companies in Rotterdam offer similar trips (on private vessels) for four times more than one of these taxis. In other countries, I have been able to take water taxis (or public ferries) and get a super scenic ride for a third of the price of an excursion. I am sure this is a great experience!
Lyne
31st May 2018 at 10:05 amIt’s such a cool way to get around and get a different angle of the city and its landscape. I’d love to give it a go if I visit Rotterdam!
Togetherintransit
12th June 2018 at 11:00 amThanks for commenting Lyne! It’s definitely pretty cool. Hope you get to visit one day 🙂
louise2812
31st May 2018 at 1:33 pmI’ve heard an awful lot about Rotterdam recently – it seems like it would be a great city to visit and that there’s a lot going on! Travelling on the water is always such a relaxing way to see a city too 🙂
Togetherintransit
12th June 2018 at 11:01 amI hope you get to experience Rotterdam for yourself one day, it’s definitely pretty great here! 🙂
josypheen
31st May 2018 at 3:13 pmOooh this looks so fun!
In London we used to use the Thames clipper to get home on date nights (it’s pricier than a bus, sooo fun to see the city that way!) This looks even better, as you won’t have to wait so long for one to come along!
The Kinderdijk windmills look really beautiful from the water too!!
Togetherintransit
12th June 2018 at 11:02 amOh cool I’ve never used that in London, will had to remember that for next time 🙂 Plus kinderdijk is pretty amazing – I could spend all day walking there and having a boat ride!
RedFedoraDiary
31st May 2018 at 9:21 pmI haven’t taken a water taxi yet, this is soo cool! Glad I saw your posts because now I will not forget to put this in my Rotterdam itinerary when I visit
Togetherintransit
12th June 2018 at 11:05 amGreat to hear! I hope you enjoy the water taxi as much as I do when you visit 🙂
Sarah
2nd June 2018 at 6:03 amI actually haven’t taken a water taxi here yet, but now I will!
Togetherintransit
12th June 2018 at 11:06 amIt’s perfect when you go somewhere like Fenix Food Factory and don’t want to walk back so far 🙂
Millie Hue
11th July 2018 at 6:42 amIt great to know that it water taxi stations are easy to find when walking along the water’s edge. I will be looking for one tomorrow so that my husband and I can finally try this transportation. We have been meaning to try this because we have been curious about this when my husband and I saw water taxis while we were browsing the net. Thanks!
Togetherintransit
11th July 2018 at 12:34 pmLovely to hear Millie, We hope you enjoy it with your husband and have a lovely ride to one of the many locations they have!:)