Hook of Holland - district of Rotterdam in the Netherlands

Hook of Holland (Dutch: Hoek van Holland or De Hoek, literally "The Corner") is a small town on the Nieuwe Waterweg ship canal near the North Sea coast in Rijnmond. It is well connected to the nearby regional hub, Rotterdam. Most notable for travellers is Hook's ferry port, which has had services to the East of England since 1893.

Understand

The Hook of Holland is a part of the municipality of Rotterdam, and it has 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.

Get in

By boat

Ferries from England (UK)

• Stena Lines runs both daily and daily overnight between Hook of Holland and Harwich in Essex (England). (8 hr; €48 one-way foot passenger not including bunk or cabin.)
• P&O Ferries runs daily overnight from Hull (England) to the Maasvlakte part of the Port of Rotterdam. (10 hr; €88+ one-way foot passenger not including bunk or 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) (dead link: January 2023).

By public transport

The municipality can be reached by Rotterdam Metro line [B] operated by RET or by bus 31 from Den Haag Leyenburg operated by EBS. Both bus and metro terminate at 📍, next to Stena Lines. The station is provisional since line B is being extended to the beach front and engineering works are under way.

You need an OV-chipkaart to use public transport in the Netherlands, or buy a special travel product from the operator.

For RET, ticket machines on the Rotterdam Metro offer English-language menus and accept debit and credit cards. Cash is being phased out and many ticket machines do not accept cash. Alternatively, use the RET Barcode app to purchase tickets.

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

It can be reached by bicycle in about 1 hour from The Hague or Delft, and 1½ 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 cyclists, see for more information the page of the whole region.

Get around

The town 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.

See

• Maeslant Barrier (Maeslantkering), Havennummer 882, 51.955272°, 4.163786°, +31 174-511222, info@keringhuis.nl. M–F 10:00–16:00, Sa Su holidays 11:00–17:00. A 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. 2016-05-24
• 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 (dead link: January 2023) 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, Europaweg 902, info@futureland.nl. Tu–F 10:00–17:00, Su 11:00–17:00, sometimes Sat. 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). 2016-05-24
  • Rondvaart Europoort (Europoort Roundtrip), +31 174-820374. See website for sailing schedule. Harbor cruise tour of the port. Reservations recommended. €17.50 adults for 1½ hour tour, €21–€25 for 2½–3½ hour tours 2016-05-24
  • 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, Widerstandsnest 17, 51.98114°, 4.11173°. open a few days a month (see website). 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. €2.50, cash only 2016-05-24
• Kustverlichtingsmuseum (Coastal lighting museum), Willem van Houtenstraat 102, 51.97453°, 4.13294°, +31 703 912 448, dorva@kpnmail.nl. 2018-03-02
• Fort 1881, Stationsweg 80 – 82, 51.97981°, 4.12073°, +31 881 881 500, info@fort1881.nl. Over 12 years old: €6, between 4 and 12: €4.50, under 4 years of age: Free 2018-03-02

Do

• Beach, 51.9882°, 4.1032°. The 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. Free 2016-07-14
  • 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 (dead link: October 2017), or the Kiteboard Shop (dead link: January 2023) for lessons or gear.
• Bike or hike in the dunes. Separating Hook of Holland from the beach are some lightly forested sand dunes with great bike/hiking/dogwalking paths. Good birdwatching too. Free 2016-07-14

Buy

Eat

• De Boulevard, Badweg 8, 51.98338°, 4.11314°, +31 174 382 595, info@restaurant-deboulevard.nl. 2018-03-02
• La Porte Salute, Paviljoensweg 2, 51.98303°, 4.11389°, +31 174 382 656, info@laportesalute.nl. 2018-03-02
• Unicum Waterweg, Koningin Emmaboulevard 5, 51.98019°, 4.11432°, +31 174 387 635. 2018-03-02
• Vispaleis, Koningin Emmaboulevard 1, 51.9785°, 4.1189°, +31 174 385 555. 11:00 - 20:00. 2018-03-02
• Jutter, Koningin Emmaboulevard 4, 51.9797°, 4.1193°, +31 6 3005 9624, info@jutterhvh.nl. 2018-03-02
• Ocean City, Rietdijkstraat 104, 51.97749°, 4.12958°, +31 174 382 515. 2018-03-02
• SAAM, Prins Hendrikstraat 287, 51.97840°, 4.12942°, +31 174 848 010. Tu-Su 11:00-20:30. 2018-03-02
• L'americain, Rietdijkstraat 96, 51.97780°, 4.13004°, +31 174 310 660. 2018-03-02

Drink

Sleep

• MIJN Torpedoloods, Stationsweg 43, 51.97783°, 4.12553°, +31 174 383 883, info@mijntorpedoloods.nl. Three-star hotel in a former torpedo storage facility. €87 2018-03-01
• Hotel Amerika, Rietdijkstraat 96, 51.97790°, 4.12980°, +31 174 388 145, info@hotelamerika.nl. €88 2018-03-01
• {{sleep | name=Hotel Kuiperduin | alt= | url=https://www.hotelkuiperduin.com/kopie-van-home (dead link: December 2020) | email=Hotelkuiperduin@gmail.com | address=Prins Hendrikstraat 193 | lat=51.97650 | long=4.13231 | directions= | phone=+31 6 5182 8570 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€70 | lastedit=2018-03-01 | content=Hotel in the former vicarage of Hoek. }}
• Hotel Noordzee, Dirk van den Burgweg 69, 51.98631°, 4.13018°, +31 174 382 273, info@hotel-noordzee.com. €80 2018-03-01

Connect

Go next

• Rotterdam — Major multicultural city known for its modern architecture.
• Delft — One of the country's most picturesque canal-lined towns. 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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