Rotterdam eSIM
In Rotterdam you connect to KPN or Vodafone, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 94 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- KPN and Vodafone
- Typical speed in Netherlands
- 94 Mbps typical, 28 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Rotterdam
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.34 | $26.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.16 | $57.89 |
How Netherlands compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, KPN, Vodafone
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Estonia, 95 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Luxembourg, 91 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 3: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht
Landing at Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM)
- Airport
- RTM / EHRD
- Distance
- 6 km from the centre of Rotterdam
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalThe airport privacy statement says visitors may use the Wi-Fi network as a free service, provided by KPN, after explicitly agreeing to the terms and conditions. Data is then processed according to the KPN terms and conditions.
- SIM on arrival
- No SIM counter in the terminalNo SIM card sales point is stated on the airport website.
- Also serves
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
Getting into Rotterdam
- Bus line 33 from Rotterdam The Hague Airport to Rotterdam Centraal and Meijersplein (RTM)
- Rotterdam Metro line E from Meijersplein into the city centre (RTM). Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
- NS intercity from Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Centraal (AMS)
- Eurostar direct, Rotterdam Centraal to London St Pancras International, about 211 minutes. Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
- Rotterdam Metro line B to Hoek van Holland, on the former Schiedam to Hoek van Holland railway
Underground and on the metro
Rotterdam Metro runs 5 lines. It opened in 1968. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Rotterdam
- Rotterdam The Hague Airport has no railway station of its own; the link is bus 33 to Rotterdam Centraal or to Meijersplein for metro line E.
- The Rotterdam Metro opened in 1968 and was the first metro system in the Netherlands, with its original line crossing the Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel.
- The airport is only about 5.5 km north-northwest of the city centre, right beside the A13 motorway.
- Rotterdam city council offers free wifi through Publicroam. You create an account once, using the Publicroam app, the publicroam.nl website, or by SMS, after which your devices connect directly to the publicroam network.
- Publicroam covers about 300 public locations in Rotterdam, including municipal buildings, city libraries, neighbourhood centres, sports halls and swimming pools, De Kuip stadium, the Erasmusbrug car park and the Centraal Station bicycle parking.
- On RET bus, tram and metro you can check in and out with a contactless debit card from ABN AMRO, ASN Bank, bunq, ING, KNAB, Rabobank, RegioBank or SNS, a Mastercard or Visa contactless credit card, or a linked mobile device.
- RET also accepts a Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard or Visa contactless debit or credit card from a foreign country. Take the card out of your wallet to check in, and check out with the same card or device.
- RET fares are not charged immediately. All the fares you spend travelling on a given day are deducted in one go from your account the following day, with a payment reference starting NLOV.
- One RET exception, it is not yet possible to park for free with OVpay at P plus R locations in the Rotterdam region. An OV-chipkaart is still needed there.
- On NS trains you check in and out with a contactless debit card, credit card or mobile device. NS states you do not need to register beforehand, and you must check out using the same card you checked in with.
- Rotterdam Centraal sits on the HSL-Zuid, the first Dutch high speed line, which runs in two fast sections, Hoofddorp to Rotterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Lombardijen to the Belgian border. Trains exceed 200 kilometres per hour on it.
- The Willemsspoortunnel, the four track rail tunnel under the Nieuwe Maas at Rotterdam Centraal, is 3,150 metres long, of which 2,600 metres are underground, reaching 20 metres below street level.
- VodafoneZiggo, KPN and ProRail built a mobile network inside the Willemsspoortunnel, with more than 70 antennas suitable for both 4G and 5G, plus 4.5 kilometres of power cable and 6.5 kilometres of fibre.
- The Rotterdam Metro runs 5 lines over 103.1 kilometres with 71 stations, and carried 100.7 million passengers in 2024. Line E is a direct conversion of the former Hofpleinlijn railway, done in 2006.
- Rotterdam Centraal fully reopened on 13 March 2014. In 2023 it handled 104,840 train passengers and 23,141 metro passengers a day, and is served by NS, Eurostar, European Sleeper, metro lines D and E and many trams.