Amsterdam River Cruise Terminal: Where Ships Dock and How to Get There

There is no single river cruise terminal in Amsterdam. River ships moor at a set of quays around the IJ and in the port area, and some cruises sold as “Amsterdam” start or end in Zaandam. Cruise Port Amsterdam assigns the berth for each call, and it can change shortly before the ship arrives.

This page explains where river cruise ships dock, how to tell which quay is yours, and how to get from Schiphol or your hotel to the ship with your luggage. SilverDrive drives river cruise guests to every berth, with sedan transfers from €85, our lowest fare (for example Schiphol to Amsterdam city centre). Vans, Sprinters and the Setra coach are quoted per vehicle. Book your river cruise transfer.

Where river cruise ships dock in Amsterdam

Cruise Port Amsterdam plans the river berths together with Zaanstad. Its calendar spreads river ships over these quays:

• PTA river berths 1 to 4: Piet Heinkade, east of Centraal Station, next to the ocean terminal. Reached via the Muziekgebouw or the Vriesseveem side. Central and walkable to the old town.
• Ruijterkade West: on the IJ directly behind Centraal Station. The most central berths, busy with ferries, trams and cyclists.
• Ruijterkade Oost: on the IJ east of Centraal Station.
• Westerdoksdijk: west of Centraal Station, a short drive from the Jordaan and the western canal hotels.
• Tolhuis: on the north bank of the IJ, Buiksloterweg, across the water from Centraal Station.
• Coenhaven Westerhoofd: port area west of the city. Not a place to find a taxi on the spot.
• Minervahaven passenger pier: port area west of the city, also outside the centre.
• Haven Zaandam: Havenstraat 1, Zaandam, about 17 km from Centraal Station.

The Port of Amsterdam also lists berths in Koog aan de Zaan, because Amsterdam and Zaanstad form one river cruise region. On its berth list, the Coenhaven Westerhoofd, the Kwadrantweg and the berths in Zaandam and Koog aan de Zaan are marked as turnaround berths, where cruises start and end.

How to find out which quay is yours

Your cruise documents name the berth, but it is often confirmed only a day or two before the ship arrives, and the calendar may show it as “TBC” until then. Cruise Port Amsterdam answers questions about the berth and time of your ship on +31 20 509 1009, on workdays from 09:00 to 17:00. Send us the berth when you book and tell us if it changes, so your chauffeur goes to the quay where your ship is actually moored.

Where do Viking river ships dock in Amsterdam?

Viking is the largest single name in the 2027 berth calendar. Most Viking arrivals are at the PTA river berths, with others at Ruijterkade Oost and at the Coenhaven Westerhoofd in the port area. Berths are assigned per call, so check your own documents. SilverDrive is an independent chauffeur company and is not affiliated with Viking or any other cruise line.

Why more ships are moving out of the centre

In 2024, 1,950 river cruise ships called at Amsterdam. The city is cutting that number by about 10% a year from 2026, to a maximum of 1,150 calls from 2028, and moored ships must connect to shore power from 2027. For passengers it means more mooring in the port area and in Zaandam, longer drives from Schiphol and the hotels, and more guests who arrive at Centraal Station only to find their ship is somewhere else.

Sailing in 2027? Our 2027 river cruise guide shows the busiest months and how many arrivals each quay has in the calendar.

Getting from Schiphol to your river ship

You have three realistic options:

• Cruise line transfer: works well when you bought it with your cruise or flights. Coaches leave at fixed times, so you may wait at the airport for the next one.
• Taxi, ride-hailing or train: fine with light luggage and a central berth. Harder with a berth in the port area, a late berth change or several large cases.
• Pre-booked chauffeur: you leave arrivals straight away, go to the right quay and keep the luggage in one vehicle. Book ahead for spring and summer weekends.

Drive times to the river berths

Outside rush hour, based on a route planner. Weekday peaks on the A10 add time.

• Schiphol to PTA or Ruijterkade: about 20 km, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Schiphol to Westerdoksdijk: about 18 km, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Schiphol to Coenhaven Westerhoofd: about 17 km, 15 to 25 minutes.
• Centraal Station to Coenhaven Westerhoofd: about 7 km, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Centraal Station to central Zaandam: about 14 km, 15 to 25 minutes.

How a Schiphol pickup works

You share your flight number when you book. We follow the flight, so a delay or an early landing moves the pickup with it. Your chauffeur waits inside the arrivals hall with a name sign, and airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting from the booked pickup time. Our guide to meeting your chauffeur at Schiphol shows where to go, and the Schiphol airport transfer page covers the service in full.

Viking guests: check whether your transfer is included

Viking packages generally include airport transfers on embarkation and disembarkation day only when the flights are bought through Viking Air. If you booked your own flights, the transfer is yours to arrange. Check your own booking, as inclusions vary by sailing.

Hotel, ship and pre-cruise days

Many river cruise guests spend one or two nights in Amsterdam before or after the voyage. We handle Schiphol to the hotel on arrival and the hotel to the ship on sailing day as one arrangement.

If you land in the morning and boarding opens later, a chauffeur by the hour (2-hour minimum) fills the gap. The luggage stays locked in the vehicle while you see Zaanse Schans or, in tulip season, Keukenhof, and you are dropped at the ship afterwards. The same works in reverse on disembarkation day with an evening flight. For a city day with your own driver, see chauffeur hire in Amsterdam.

One-way transfers to and from Cologne, Düsseldorf or Basel

Not every Rhine cruise starts and ends in Amsterdam. For groups, a one-way road transfer is often simpler than a flight or train with cruise luggage.

• Cologne: about 260 km, around 2 hours 45 minutes in normal traffic. See Amsterdam to Cologne.
• Düsseldorf: around two and a half hours, longer at rush hour around Utrecht and the Ruhr. See Amsterdam to Düsseldorf.
• Basel: a full day on the road, planned only as a group charter in a Sprinter or the Setra coach, with breaks in line with driving-time rules.

Luggage and vehicles

A week or two on the river still means large cases. As a guide from our own fleet:

• E-Class or S-Class: up to 3 passengers and 3 cases.
• V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 7 cases, the usual choice for families or two couples with cruise luggage.
• Mercedes Sprinter: 8, 16 to 20 or 28 to 30 seats for groups and travel clubs.
• Setra coach: 52 seats for a full group.

Groups are quoted per vehicle; see group transport. Sprinters and coaches can be cancelled free of charge up to 72 hours before pickup, as set out in our terms.

Meet and greet at the quay

At the end of your cruise, your chauffeur meets you at the quay where your ship is docked. Pickups at a hotel or quay include 15 minutes of free waiting; after that, waiting is charged per 15 minutes at the vehicle’s hourly rate, so tell us your disembarkation time when you book. More on our meet and greet page.

Sailing on an ocean ship instead? See cruise port transfers for the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, IJmuiden and Rotterdam.

Book your river cruise transfer

Send us your ship, the cruise line, the berth if you know it, your dates, flight numbers and party size via our booking page, or contact us for a group or a one-way trip upriver. We confirm the vehicle and the fixed price before you travel.