Vlaardingen is a town in Rijnmond, the metropolitan area of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
Vlaardingen is a city located on the banks of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse), which makes the city a part of the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region. The municipality houses some 72,000 citizens. Vlaardingen is dissected by the Vlaardingervaart river. The city is best known as the herring city of the Netherlands. Fishing for herring, anchovies and Atlantic cod however, has long gone. The history as a fisherman's town, however, can still be seen around the Oude Haven and Koningin Wilhelminahaven.
Vlaardingen is first mentioned in the eighth century. Around the year 700, a small church would have been founded by a monk known as Heribald, who donated the church to Saint Willibrord. The city is thought to have obtained its city rights before 1273, as a document from that year allows Vlaardingen rights that seem to be additional rights to pre-existing rights. Herring has been a main focus for Vlaardingen since the eighteenth century. The fishing and trade of herring are what made the city grow.
The opening of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872 and a railroad connection in 1881 are of great significance to Vlaardingen, allowing it to develop industry that could benefit from the activity in the harbour. In 1941 Vlaardingen annexed the neighbouring municipality of Vlaardinger-Ambacht, which gave the city space for further expansion projects such as Westwijk and Vlaardingen-Holy.
Vlaardingen is near the intersection of the A20/E25 highway and the A4 highway. From Rotterdam, follow the A20 heading west, using exit 8 (Vlaardingen-West). From Amsterdam and The Hague, use the A4 heading south, using exit 16 (Vlaardingen-Oost) followed by a turn right towards the Burger King.
Vlaardingen has three metro stops: 📍, 📍 and 📍, all of which are on line A and B. Line A terminates at Vlaardingen West, while line B continues on to Hoek van Holland Strand. These lines connect to the railway stations of Rotterdam Alexander, Rotterdam Blaak and Schiedam Centrum. Services on line A and B are very frequent, with 4 metros per hour between 05:30 and 07:00, and between 19:00 and 00:30, and 6 metros per hour between 07:00 and 19:00 on both lines. There are four trains per hour during the Dutch holidays.
The north of Vlaardingen, which consists of mostly private housing, is accessible via light rail, which also connects to Schiedam Centrum. The main station is De Loper 📍.
Vlaardingen is located along the Vlaardingervaart, which connects directly to the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse). Here, you will find three marinas:
Vlaardingen is easily covered by public transit, whether you'd rather take a bus, tram/light rail or metro, your main hub will most likely be in Schiedam. If you wish to travel a greater area, car rental can be found at Rotterdam-The Hague Airport 📍, found on Metro line E and busline 33.
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