Hook of Holland

The Hook of Holland is not an autonomous municipality, but part of the municipality of Rotterdam, although there is an advisory council for local affairs. The settlement came into existence when the Nieuwe Waterweg was dug to create a better waterway from the harbor of Rotterdam to the sea.

By boat

Ferries from England (UK)

• Stena Lines runs both daily and daily overnight between Hook of Holland and Harwich in Essex (England). (8hr; €48 one-way foot passenger not including bunk/cabin.)
• P&O Ferries runs daily overnight from Hull (England) to the Maasvlakte part of the Port of Rotterdam. (10hr; €88+ one-way foot passenger not including bunk/cabin.) Then, a local ferry operated by RET links Hook of Holland with Maasvlakte, where the ferry from Hull arrives.

RET Fast Ferry

Coming by bike (or maybe on foot) from Europoort, Rozenburg (landtong) or Maasvlakte a very attractive way to enter the town is the Fast Ferry service from RET (Rotterdam public transport).

By public transit

The municipality can be reached by Rotterdam Metro line . There used to be a railway line from Rotterdam to Hoek van Holland, the former Hoekse Lijn; train service stopped in spring 2017. A lightrail service was supposed to take over in autumn 2017, but the project got delayed several times, mainly due to problems with security software, and the extensions only opened in September 2019. Trains run underground in the centre of Rotterdam, like a subway, but in the outskirts of Rotterdam trains run either on bridges, or at street level, like a rapid tramway.
For the second phase of train service between Rotterdam and Hoek van Holland, the railway line will be extended to the beach. The old railway line ends with a station called 'Hoek van Holland Strand' (Hook van Holland Beach), but that station is about 1,2 km away from the beach. Moving this last station from it's current location towards the actual beach, involves building a railway crossing. Many people in the local community consider a level railway crossing dangerous and/or fear traffic jams from summer beach tourism, so law suits are still underway, as an attempt to force authorities to build a tunnel instead of a level railway crossing.
Trains stop at Hoek van Holland Haven (port), next to Stena Lines. There is also bus service, which was implemented during construction of the new rapid transit link, but during rush hours these buses can be overcrowded or stuck in commuter road traffic. Lines to Hook of Holland are line 35 from Den Haag Leyenburg and lines 711 and 713 to Schiedam Centrum, which is connected to lines , and of the metro system. Upon completion, Hook of Holland will be served by a foot passenger ferry service, Waterbus near the Ferry terminal and , which will be moved to the beachfront.
Expect to buy tickets from a ticket machine and plan for some extra time to do that. To travel by public transport in the Netherlands means you will soon need to buy the OV-chipkaart, a digital card. An empty card costs €7,50 to purchase. After that, you need to charge about €10 (minimum €4 to open the boarding gates) for metro travels or €30 (minimum €20 to open the boarding gates) for train travels. You have to check in before boarding the train and you have to check out before you leave the bus or train station. Only upon checking out, the real fare is registered, so if you forget to check out, you lose your €4 or €20 entrance fee.
Ticket machines in the metro system in Rotterdam offer English language menus, but ticket machines at some train stations are not always programmed to offer English language menus. Long lines of frustrated tourists can be seen around ticket machines on busy summer days. It used to be possible to buy your ticket from the bus driver and pay with cash money, but after several knife attacks on bus drivers cash money is no longer accepted, for security reasons. Alternative options for electronic tickets on smartphones are gradually being made available, but you should inform yourself on beforehand about the terms of use.

By foot

The Hook of Holland is a hub in the network of European long distance footpaths. It is served by E2 (GR 5), E8 and E9.

By bicycle

Similarly it can be reached by bicycle in about 1 hour from The Hague or Delft, and 1.5 hours from Rotterdam. The route is flat, but strong wind near the coast can make the ride more difficult. You might pass some of the largest greenhouses in the world; the greenhouses in this area of the Netherlands produce enormous amounts of fruit, vegetables and flowers for domestic use and export.
There are different networks especially for touristic/recreational cyclers, see for more information the page of the whole region.

The town itself is small and easily walkable. However most of the draws for visitors are 2–4 km (30–50 min walking) from town—not all in the same direction—so a bike or car is helpful if you're hoping to fit a lot into your day.

• Maeslant Barrier

  phone: +31 174-511222
  address: Havennummer 882
  Storm surge barrier that is one of the largest moving structures in the world. The Maeslantkering is one of a series of surge barriers, locks, and dikes in the Netherlands, further described in the Delta Works article. The visitors' center (het Keringhuis, €2 per person) explains the history of Maeslantkering as well as the wider context of Dutch water management, but exhibits are in Dutch only. Several times per day, guided tours are provided for €4 per person (most are in Dutch, some in English); check the website for time and reservations. It's also possible to get a good, free view of the barrier from the top of the dune next to the visitors center. Once a year (usually in September), the barrier is closed and re-opened for testing. On that day, the place will be relatively crowded.
• Europoort — The largest port in the world (by some measures) sits on a series of islands facing the Hook of Holland. You can drive or bicycle here on your own, or take Rondvaart Europoort's harbour tour departing from the mainland:

• You can get to the port on foot or bicycle via the RET Fast Ferry from Hoek van Holland Haven, departing hourly from 06:06 to 19:06. (You'll probably want a bike to get around upon arriving at the sprawling Europoort.) Round-trip ferry tickets €5.60.

• FutureLand visitor center & tours

  address: Europaweg 902
  The Port Authority offers 60- and 90-minute catamaran tours and 60-minute bus tours (€9–11 for the boat or bus tour, €15 combo for both), departing from the visitor center (i.e. you must get to the port on your own).

• Rondvaart Europoort

  phone: +31 174-820374
  Harbor cruise tour of the port. Reservations recommended.
• Driving to the port is possible, but you'll have to go almost all the way to Rotterdam to get to the tunnel.

• Atlantikwall Museum

  address: Widerstandsnest 17
  A bunker-turned-museum about the strategic importance of Netherlands' Atlantic coast in World War II. Hook of Holland was one of the most important places for the Germans to hold in the war because of the harbour. Not in English.

• Kustverlichtingsmuseum

  phone: +31 703 912 448
  address: Willem van Houtenstraat 102

• Fort 1881

  phone: +31 881 881 500
  address: Stationsweg 80 – 82

• BeachThe 18 km long sand beach is one of the nicest in the Netherlands. Some affordable restaurants and clubs stretch out from the access roads, or you can find a tranquil spot by walking a bit farther along the beach.

• Get naked — The beach has a designated section for naturists, between poles 116,12 and 116,62.
• Surf, Windsurf, or Kiteboard — Check out De Surfschool, Windsurfing Hoek van Holland , or The Kiteboard Shop for lessons or gear.

Bike or hike in the dunesSeparating Hook of Holland from the beach are some lightly forested sand dunes with great bike/hiking/dogwalking paths. Good birdwatching too.

• De Boulevard

  phone: +31 174 382 595
  address: Badweg 8

• La Porte Salute

  phone: +31 174 382 656
  address: Paviljoensweg 2

• Unicum Waterweg

  phone: +31 174 387 635
  address: Koningin Emmaboulevard 5

• Vispaleis

  phone: +31 174 385 555
  address: Koningin Emmaboulevard 1

• Jutter

  phone: +31 6 3005 9624
  address: Koningin Emmaboulevard 4

• Ocean City

  phone: +31 174 382 515
  address: Rietdijkstraat 104

• SAAM

  phone: +31 174 848 010
  address: Prins Hendrikstraat 287

• L'americain

  phone: +31 174 310 660
  address: Rietdijkstraat 96

• MIJN Torpedoloods

  phone: +31 174 383 883
  address: Stationsweg 43
  Three star hotel situated in a former torpedo storage facility.

• Hotel Amerika

  phone: +31 174 388 145
  address: Rietdijkstraat 96

• Hotel Kuiperduin

  phone: +31 6 5182 8570
  address: Prins Hendrikstraat 193
  Hotel situated in the former vicarage of Hoek.

• Hotel Noordzee

  phone: +31 174 382 273
  address: Dirk van den Burgweg 69

• Rotterdam — Major multicultural city known for its modern architecture.
• Delft — Arguably the country's most picturesque canal-lined town. Home of the famous Delft Blue pottery (or Delftware), and the home of Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.
• The Hague — The seat of the Dutch parliament and government, and home to Scheveningen, the most popular seaside resort of the Netherlands.
• East of England by ferry

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