Road Trip Weekend in Rotterdam and Amsterdam
Travelling from Hull to Europort by Ferry with us could not be easier. Simply drive to P&O’s Hull port, park up on board and your holiday begins. Here we share in detail what it’s like to travel on board with us, the best places to visit in the Netherlands and our favourite Amsterdam top attractions after experiencing them first-hand.
On Our Ferries – What It’s like Travelling With P&O Ferries
Upon arrival at Hull port, signs were very clear where to go and we had no trouble finding our way through. We arrived pretty early, around 4pm where we were guided by our very helpful staff onto the Pride of Rotterdam where we parked up.
We stayed for one night in a standard inside an en suite cabin, which had everything we needed for the night. Upon arrival, we had the option to upgrade, which we would recommend doing before arrival, just in case all the cabins are fully booked. We dropped our bags off in our room and headed off to explore the ship!
There were two World Duty-Free stores available on the Pride of Rotterdam, fully stocked with alcohol, perfumes and makeup. There were some amazing deals we couldn’t resist treating ourselves to! The show bar had both games such as bingo and a quiz and later on, we watched our brand-new Showstoppers entertainment. It was very good and everybody knew the music and was dancing along.
We had the choice of either a meal in The Kitchen or the Brasserie – both looked great. We chose The Kitchen, purely because we flipped a coin and it won! The Kitchen served up a huge variety of meals, including curry, a traditional roast dinner, with the option of a cheese board or ice cream for dessert. We definitely didn’t walk away hungry.
After a long day of driving, we watched the rest of the entertainment and then headed off to our rooms. On the Hull to Rotterdam ferry, there was a 6:30am announcement for when breakfast is served, which was perfect as we didn’t need to worry about being late for breakfast or arriving in Port. Breakfast was great, they served up an array of croissants, pain au chocolat and of course a traditional cooked breakfast.
Arriving in Europoort, Rotterdam
Upon arrival at Europoort, we drove off our Ferry and straight to a Park and Ride in a place called Slinge which took a 30-minute drive from the Port. Again, the signs were very clear and the port was easy to navigate through.
Slinge car park was private and secure and was also free for the whole day when buying our subway ticket. We hopped on the subway which was just above the car park and cost 16.50 Euros (£14.02), and only took 25 minutes, which took us straight into the heart of Rotterdam city. The subways reminded us of the London Underground a little bit, accessible and quick short stops!
Experiencing Rotterdam City
Our experience of Rotterdam city was lovely. Everybody was so friendly and helpful in terms of directions. We took a slow walk through the town where we saw many lovely Rotterdam buildings and little streets with rows of restaurants. We walked to the Cube Houses, which were just a 23-minute walk away from Centraal Station. If you’re looking for interesting places to visit in Rotterdam, these are definitely worth a visit! We then had a browse around Markthal, which is an arched building also known as the biggest piece of art in the Netherlands, filled with restaurants and food markets. We chose to have some lunch in a place called Sumo Sushi and Grill, it was absolutely delicious, and we can definitely recommend it.
Rotterdam offers some lovely eateries, beautiful sites and a great Subway line getting you in and out of the city. We would best describe Rotterdam Centraal Station as a smaller version of St Pancras. If you are in a rush for the train, you are definitely not short of grabbing a drink or a snack en route.
Rotterdam to Amsterdam
From Rotterdam, we hopped on a train at Centraal Station to get the Rotterdam-Amsterdam train which took 40 minutes and cost 40.20 Euros (£34.16). Although it was more expensive than the subways, it had more places to visit and was much quicker.
First up on our trip to Amsterdam we explored the cobbled streets which were so quaint and beautiful. We found a love for their most famous cheese – Gouda. We went into one shop called ‘Old Amsterdam’ where we tasted as many different flavours as we could, including a Bolognese and a Pesto. The streets were buzzing, bikes whizzing by and the sun glistening off the canals.
Sightseeing in Amsterdam – Exploring the City by Boat
Since we couldn’t visit all of Amsterdam on foot, we decided to take an Amsterdam canal cruise. Whilst there were many to choose from, Flagship Luxury Canal Cruises really caught our eye. With their open rooftop, comfortable seating and departing right next to Anne Frank’s house – we knew we couldn’t go wrong. They also offered umbrellas, blankets, and drinks on board (at an extra cost) and they even had a different boat with a roof, (called a saloon boat) which makes them the perfect canal cruise all year round.
The staff on the Amsterdam canal cruise had a wealth of knowledge about their city, here are just some of the interesting facts about Amsterdam we learned:
- Amsterdam expanded their city for warehouses that held sugar and spices. The warehouses are, of course, connected by the canals.
- If you’ve ever dreamt of living on a houseboat, Amsterdam is the city for you! With over 2500 houseboats in total.
- With over 165 canals, it’s possible to travel 100 kilometres (60 miles) on the water in the city.
- Amsterdam is a city which is built on poles. A lot of poles, Eleven million to be exact.
- The most famous bridge is the Magere Brug or also known as the Skinny Bridge.
- When cruising along the river, you’ll notice lots of the houses have hooks on them. These were to hoist up deliveries many years ago. These distinctive Amsterdam buildings were also built with a tilt due to this, so the goods didn’t touch the walls and damage them.
- The houses are very narrow due to tax reasons. The wider their houses, the more tax they had to pay.
We then headed back to our hotel which was back in Rotterdam at the Van der Valk Hotel Avifauna. The hotel was very small and friendly, with a free entrance to the biggest bird park in the Netherlands, Bird Park Avifauna which was right next door.
Heading Home – Sailing Back to Hull Port
After our breakfast, we got on the road again ready to get the Ferry back home from P&O’s Rotterdam port (Europoort). What an amazing experience we’ve had!
So, there you have it, our fun weekend trip to the Netherlands with just a small taster of all the city has to offer. Experience a weekend in Amsterdam or Rotterdam for yourself, by travelling with P&O Ferries on our Hull to Europoort route.
Book your trip today on P&O Ferries Hull to Rotterdam Ferry Route!
