By plane
Rotterdam airport is developing rapidly: the number of international flights is increasing and the departure and arrival facilities have been modified to meet today’s needs. You can find shops, restaurants, a business lounge and a panoramic terrace. Transavia Airlines offers a wide variety of flights to and from Rotterdam. From London City, Hamburg and Manchester VLM Airlines offers direct flights to Rotterdam Airport. The airport is located in the north of the city and has a good bus connection to the Central Station in city centre. The Rotterdam Airport shuttle leaves every 10 minutes from the airport to city centre and back. It takes about 20 minutes to get to city centre with the airport shuttle. Tickets cost less than 3 Euros and can be bought at the bus driver.

By plane to Amsterdam
The biggest and busiest airport in the Netherlands is Schiphol Airport just 14km outside Amsterdam. It is also one of the major European airport transit hubs efficiently handling over 40 million business and tourist passengers per year. The Dutch national airline, KLM, is based there and is the largest airline group in the world. Over 100 other airlines fly into Schiphol too, among them over twenty budget airlines offering cheap flights from many European countries.
As Schiphol Airport is so close to the city centre, there are several ways to get quickly from the Airport into Amsterdam. On leaving the baggage reclaim area, you enter Schiphol Plaza, and you can follow the sign posts to find the trains, taxis, shuttle buses and car rental. Train is the cheapest and perhaps the most convenient. They run 24 hours a day and take about 15 minutes. Train tickets can be bought at ticket counters or the yellow ticket vending machines in Schiphol Plaza. Taxis are located in the rank just outside Schiphol Plaza. Some hotels provide their own free airport shuttle bus, but there is also the Conexxion Hotel shuttle bus that services 100 city hotels. It runs between 6.00a.m. and 21.00 p.m. All the major car rental companies have offices in Schiphol Plaza. You can chose from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Alamo and Sixt.

The first challenge for many first time visitors is buying a train ticket from the airport to the city centre. The ticket machines do not provide instructions in English and can be a bit confusing. The machines give change but do not accept bills, so be sure to have some coins on hand.

Step 1: Enter the four-digit number on the upper key pad corresponding to your destination listed on the left side of the machine. The code for central station is 1000. The code going to Schiphol is 1117.
Step 2: Press the lighted button marked 2e Klas for second class or 1e Klas for first. (Note: there is almost no difference between first and second class travel in Holland)
Step 3: Press the Vol Tarief button for a full tariff or Korting if you happen to have a discount train card.
Step 4: Press Alleen Vandaag Geldig if travelling today or Zonder Datum if you want your ticket to be valid for some other date.
Step 5: Press Enkele Reis for a one-way ticket or one of the Retour buttons for a return ticket valid for a return trip on the same day (or Weekendretour valid from Friday 19.00 to Monday 4 o'clock).
Step 6: Insert the amount indicated.
Step 7: Collect your ticket and any change in the basket near the bottom of the machine and hop aboard your train.

Please note:
Undated tickets (option: Zonder Datum) must be validated in the stamper (Stempelautomaat) before entering the platform.
You cannot buy tickets on the train: From 1 October 2005 a fine of 35 Euro will be added to the fare if you do not have a valid ticket on the train.

Disclaimer:
For authorized information on buying tickets for NS please visit the official Dutch Railways web site

You can easily reach Rotterdam by taking the high-speed train. This takes you only 19 minutes, but take into account that you need a reserved seat for the high-speed train. You can get the reserved seat by contacting the sales office at the Central Station or by ordering it at the website of the Dutch Railways.
You could also take the regular train, which takes you 47 minutes but you don't need a reserved seat and it's much cheaper.
 

Useful Information

Language: Dutch, but most people speak English as well.

Weather: Rotterdam has a mild, damp climate but the weather can be variable with temperature extremes even in summer. Spring and autumn especially bring changeable, unsettled weather. In the winter months clear, frost days are the norm, the coldest months being December to March. Rain is likely all year round.

Opening times: Shops in the center are open 7 days per week. Their opening hours are usually 09:00 hrs – 17:30 hrs except for Mondays and Sunday where they open around noon. At Friday night the shops close at 21:00 hrs.
Most attractions are open seven days per week although some museums are closed at Mondays. Banks are closed in the weekend and after 16:00 hrs at weekdays.

Currency: Euro

Money: You can find cash machines at almost every corner of the street. Cash and debit card are the most common payment methods in shops. In the bigger shops and in almost all restaurants the major credit cards are accepted as well. Visa and Mastercard are more generally accepted than American Express.
You can exchange money at the bank offices or at the GWK exchange offices, which you can find at Rotterdam Central station. Hotels tend to charge high commissions but do exchange money as well.

Post offices: The main post office in Rotterdam is located at the Coolsingel next to the city hall. At the post office you can ship packages and buy stamps. Stamps can be bought at tobacco shops and supermarkets as well.

Smoking: Smoking is forbidden in all enclosed places of work in Rotterdam. This includes banks, office blocks, public buildings and, most importantly for the tourist, all bars and restaurants. So if you want to smoke, you're going to have to go outside. Many bars, and some restaurants, have installed or extended existing patios to cater for smokers, but not all bars have had the space to do this.