Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region (dead link: December 2020) (Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag or MRDH in Dutch) is the large metropolitan area around the cities Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag in Dutch). It is also a big part of the Southern Randstad (with other big cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht)
MRDH was first recognised officially on January 1, 2015, with the merging of the areas Haaglanden (Greater Hague) and Stadsregio Rotterdam (Rotterdam Urban Area, more common name Rijnmond, literally "Rhine Estuary")
This is where all the big waterways flow into the North Sea, which is also the location of one of the biggest sea ports of the world. The Hague is the seat of the Dutch parliament and government, and the future residence of King Willem-Alexander (the Royal Family lives also in the MRDH, but in Wassenaar). Besides Rotterdam and The Hague, Delft is a very popular city for tourists. Tourist can discover lots of other interesting places as it comes to culture, nature and recreation. Take the beaches and the dunes which are worthwhile a visit all the year round or discover the beauty of the typical Holland town Schiedam.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport (IATA: RTM) is the only airport in the region. As Amsterdam Airport Schiphol IATA: AMS which is about 45 km north of The Hague receive many more flights, it is the vastly preferable option for many conceivable itineraries even if you final destination is inside this region.
From Amsterdam and Schiphol there are frequent train services to The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam as well as to a few destinations in between like Schiedam. Most of these services are Intercity trains. Railway station Den Haag Centraal (the Hague) is also connected by so called Sprinters, more little trains who call at every station (and so are slower). Fastest to Rotterdam (Central Station) is Intercity Direct or Thalys. Intercity Direct is more attractive as in general this train is cheaper and travelers do not have to make a reservation. A supplement is required for the line from Schiphol to Rotterdam.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport is connected by a bus service to Rotterdam city which also forms a link to the Rotterdam-Den Haag metro line E.
See also: Rail travel in the Netherlands
MRDH has a fast connection with Paris, Lille, Brussels and Antwerp by high-speed train Thalys which calls at Rotterdam Centraal.
A slower but often much cheaper option from Antwerp and Brussels is the so called Intercity Brussels, see NMBS, which also stops at Mechelen. This train calls at Rotterdam and The Hague railway station Hollands Spoor.
Coming from Germany travelers always have to make an exchange in the Netherlands.
Traveling on the German high-speed train ICE from Cologne, Düsseldorf and Oberhausen, the exchange will be in Utrecht Centraal station, and coming from direction Berlin, Hanover, Osnabrück (with the DB-intercity) it is advisible to exchange in station Amersfoort. From Utrecht and Amersfoort Intercity-trains depart to The Hague (Centraal) and to Rotterdam.
Coming from any other city in The Netherlands there are frequent intercity-services to The Hague and Rotterdam (many times direct or with one fast exchange), see for more information the general planner for all kinds of public transport in the Netherlands 9292
Coming from the UK the area is also reachable by several ferry-lines.
Direct connections right to the MRDH are:
Tourists who stay a few days or more time in the area, might like to discover all of the cities, towns and landscapes by (renting a) bicycle. As a part of the Netherlands, MRDH offers a whole infrastructure especially for cyclists.
Especially in city centers, it is strongly advisable to lock your bike, or go to a guarded bicycle parking stations.
Bikes can be rented by several different private companies. Holland-Cycling.com provides a list of addresses in Rotterdam and The Hague. Another list of bicycle-renting in Rotterdam you will find at Rotterdam.nl. Rotterdam also joins oBike a new kind of bicycle-sharing system (see also city tourist information (dead link: December 2020)).
If you have an OV-chipkaart (see also under "By public transport") bicycles can be rented at many train and metro stations and other central locations by the OV-fiets system.
For finding your way you can choose of two systems of signposted touristic/recreational cycle-routes (of course it is also possible to choose to combine both networks!):
Tourist who like to make use of public transport in the Netherlands for several times may consider purchasing an so called OV-chipkaart. These contactless smart card can be used in all modes of public transport. Please beware that for traveling with trains and metros checking in and out is done at the stations, while in (water)buses and trams travelers check in and out in the vehicle.
For planning of all public transport in the Netherlands, see 9292
Rotterdam metro provide an important part of the public transport in some parts in the area, however it is not as extensive as Mass Rapit Transit-systems of many other metropolitans. For example Delft and Zoetermeer are not connected to the metro. On the other hand there is line E all the way to The Hague (but arriving there it has its terminus at the edge of the city center in railway station Den Haag Centraal).
For many destinations within MRDH the train of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen serves as a primary mode of public transport. Traveling from The Hague to Delft or from Rotterdam to Delft is for example fastest by train and even for the short journey Rotterdam-Schiedam, the train might be the best option. The train network within MRDH acts more like a rapid transit network with intervals of 10 minutes or even better on some connections. Travelers can choose between Intercity-services between the larger stations and Sprinters which stop at all stations along the line.
For tourists, the most important train stations are:
Rotterdam and The Hague have their own extensive network of trams. These trams provide good local transport, or it might be an interesting alternative to metro or train to discover more of the area. So travelers can choose to travel by tram from The Hague city center to Delft. For Scheveningen the tram will be the fastest mode of transport from a train station in The Hague.
From The Hague to Zoetermeer most public transport is realised by fast lightrail-trams (line [3] to Zoetermeer Centrum West and line [4] to Lansingerland-Zoetermeer) .
In the waterways in (the port of) Rotterdam tourist can also discover public transport on water. See: