Ijmuiden to Amsterdam: Savvy Cruisers’ Transport Guide

Ijmuiden Cruise Port (sometimes labelled as “Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)” in cruise itineraries) is located on the Dutch coast at the mouth of the North Sea Canal.

Ijmuiden, the town itself, (pronounced “eye-mow-dun,”), is centred around one of Western Europe’s largest fishing harbours. While it has a nearby beach, there really isn’t much to do in Ijmuiden for cruisers. Ijmuiden is largely industrial and commercial.

So in this guide, I’ll focus on the transport options from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam. If you’re looking for things to do in Amsterdam, read my Amsterdam in a Day for Cruisers: The Ultimate DIY Excursion Guide.

For the rest of this guide, I’m going to use “Ijmuiden Cruise Port” or “Ijmuiden“, to make the clear distinction between Ijmuiden Cruise Port and Amsterdam Cruise Port.

Ijmuiden to Amsterdam: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎 Needs Hustle

If your ship is docking in Ijmuiden rather than in Amsterdam itself, a little bit of hustle is required to make your DIY excursion to Amsterdam a success and here’s why:

• Ijmuiden is not fun: There’s not much to do in Ijmuiden itself, except a walk to the beach. So the challenge of calling at Ijmuiden is to head somewhere else!
• Hustle Needed for Transport: Whether it’s disembarking early to catch a taxi, reading the bus timetable before hand or pre-booking your cruise line’s shuttle service, a little bit of hustle is needed to get out of Ijmuiden fast to make the most of your time in Amsterdam!

Confused why cruise lines name ports in brackets / parentheses? Then read my guide on Decoding Cruise Itineraries: Guide to Real Port Locations.

Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) Cruise Port: Where Your Ship Docks

Ijmuiden (most commonly listed as “Amsterdam (Ijmuiden)” on cruise itineraries) is located approximately 20-33 km (15-20 miles) west of Amsterdam.

There’s technically two “Felison” terminals – they are indeed similarly named – see both marked in my Ijmuiden Cruise Port map below:

• Felison Cruise Terminal: This is the main terminal used by large ocean cruise ships
  • Address: Cruiseboulevard 10, 1976 EB IJmuiden.
  • Location: Situated near the beach, an area referred to as IJmuiden aan Zee (“IJmuiden at Sea”)
• Felison Terminal: Used primarily DFDS ferry service to and from Newcastle, UK. (DFDS runs “mini cruise breaks” from Newcastle on its ferries, so if you’re on one of these, then you’re in fact going to dock in this ferry terminal.)
  • Address: Sluisplein 55, 1975 AG IJmuiden.
  • Location: Located further inland, along the North Sea Canal.

NCL, Carnival, Oceania, Regent (RSSC) and the UK based Ambassador Cruise Lines are regularly uses Ijmuiden Cruise Port but they all list Ijmuiden as Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) on their cruise itineraries, so as to distinguish Ijmuiden from the cruise terminal in central Amsterdam.

If you’re calling at Ijmuiden on one of these cruise lines, then you will be docking at Felison Cruise Terminal. To be sure where your cruise ship will dock, you can check it at the Felison Terminal Cruise Calendar here. The two terminals are a considerable distance apart (about 45 minutes walk away), so if you’re on one of the cruise lines that I didn’t mention above, then it’s best that you use the link above to double-check.

Why Cruise Ships Dock in Ijmuiden

You’ve probably heard of Amsterdam’s active efforts to ban large cruise ships. But that’s NOT the only reason why more and more cruise ships dock in Ijmuiden these days. Here’s a few more reasons:

Save Time & Fuel: By using Ijmuiden, cruise ships bypass the large sea locks at the canal’s entrance and avoid the lengthy passage up the canal to Amsterdam, a process that saves approximately six hours of sailing time.

Save Port Fees & Taxes: Amsterdam charges a €14.50 “day tourist tax” for cruise passengers per 24 hours. But for ships docked in Ijmuiden, because Ijmuiden is outside the municipal boundaries of Amsterdam, there’s no cruise passenger tax. As you would expect, the port fees in Ijmuiden is also quite a bit lower than Amsterdam. So on a like-for-like basis, you’ll see a lower total cruise fare for ships docking in Ijmuiden instead of Amsterdam.

Easier to Sell Excursions: OK, I’m going to sound cynical here. But more people will be buying shore excursions if the ship was docking in Ijmuiden than if the ship was docking in Amsterdam Cruise Port. The cruise terminal in Amsterdam is very well connected by public transport and within walking distance to Amsterdam Central Station.

Ijmuiden Cruise Port Map

• On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
• On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
• If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps

Note: This map only covers bus stops, train stations etc covered in this guide. Refer to my main Amsterdam guide for a map with locations in Amsterdam.

Ijmuiden to Amsterdam: Your Transport Options

There’s a number of ways that you can travel from Ijmuiden Cruise Port to Amsterdam. The “best” choice for you will depend on your budget, your group size and your ship’s expected departure & arrival times (ie. how long you’re in Imjuiden Cruise Port for).

1. Cruise Line Shuttle (“On Your Own” Excursion)

If your ship is docking in Ijmuiden Cruise Port, then no doubt your cruise line will be selling a “On Your Own” shore excursion. Every cruise line runs these “on your own” excursions differently, so you’ll have to check not just the cost but the drop off / pick-up point in Amsterdam, as well as how long you’ll be in Amsterdam “on your own” for.

From experience, prices do vary quite a bit between cruise lines. On top of these variations are some kind of ongoing sale and dynamic pricing (similar to airfares) which can change shore excursion prices daily, so please don’t hold me to these prices that I quoted above!

The best way is to check your specific cruise excursion portal. I’ve seen NCL selling return shuttles for around US$100 return per person, discounted to around US$50 return per person if you have the “more at sea” package. Ambassador Cruise Lines charges about £40-45 for the return shuttle.

2. Public Transport from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam

From Felison Cruise Terminal, the easiest way to travel by public transport from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam is to take the public bus #382 to Amsterdam Sloterdijk station. From there, you can easily catch a connecting train to Amsterdam Centraal (Amsterdam Central Station), or a tram ride to some place else in Amsterdam.

If you’re on a DFDS “mini cruise break” from the UK (ie. docking in Felison Terminal, the ferry terminal), then I would highly recommend that you pre-book the Ijmuiden to Amsterdam return transfer (usually £9 one way or £18 return), as you’ll see that it’s about the same price as public transport but will get you to Amsterdam a lot quicker!

Step-by-Step Guide from Felison Cruise Terminal

• Exit the Terminal and Find the Dike: Exit the terminal building & look for a prominent staircase that leads up and over the dike, with a sign marked “Marina”. This staircase is less than a minute’s walk away.
• Locate the Bus Stop: At the top of the dike, cross over to the other side of the road and you will find the bus stop named “IJmuiden, Badweg”. It is ~3 minutes walk from the terminal. Look for the bus shelter to locate the stop easily.
• Board Bus #382: Take the Connexxion public bus line 382 heading towards “Amsterdam Sloterdijk”. This service runs regularly, with departures every 30 minutes. (Refer below for more details on tickets.)
  • Timetables: Go to Connexxion’s website here and then type in #382 to download timetable. Make sure that you’ve selected the route “Linjn 382: Ijmuiden aan Zee – Amsterdam Sloterdijk”.
• Travel to Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station: The bus journey to Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station takes about 30 minutes.
• Transfer to the Train: Alight at Sloterdijk and enter the main train station. From here, take a frequent NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) train one stop to “Amsterdam Centraal”. The train ride is very short, less than 10 minutes.
• Total Journey: The journey from the cruise terminal to Amsterdam’s central station takes about one hour. Time your journey well with the bus timetable and it can take as little as 45 to 50 minutes.

Step-by-Step Guide from Felison Terminal (Sluisplein 55)

If you’ve arrived in the Felison ferry terminal, then you can also head to Amsterdam on a bus & train combo:

• Exit the Terminal and Walk to the Bus Stop: From the Felison Terminal exit, it is a 5 to 10-minute walk to the bus stop named “IJmuiden, Oranjestraat”.
• Board Bus 74: Take Connexxion bus line 74, with the bus heading towards “Heemskerk Centrum”. You’ll be getting off at Beverwijk station. (More details on how to pay below).
  • Timetables: Go to Connexxion’s website here and then type in #74 to download timetable. Make sure that you’ve selected the route “Linjn 74: Ijmuiden Dennekoplaan – Heemskerk Centrum”.
• Transfer to the Train: At Beverwijk Station, transfer to an NS train bound for “Amsterdam Centraal”. This train journey is longer – about 40 minutes.

How to Pay For Public Transport Tickets from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam

There’s two ways to pay for public transport tickets for your journey from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam:

• Amsterdam & Regional Travel Ticket (ARTT): Drop by the public transport desk inside Felison Cruise Terminal before you walk to the bus stop and buy a ARTT – one-day version costs €21. This covers unlimited travel on the Connexxion bus trip to Amsterdam Sloterdijk station, the NS (Dutch Railways) ride to Amsterdam Central Station, as well as all public transport (trams, buses, metro) within Amsterdam for the day. Note that this ticket is NOT sold on the bus and you still need to validate your ticket on every single bus, train and tram ride that you take.
• OVpay System (ie. Contactless Payments): You can also do pay-as-you-go using a contactless card (Visa/MC only) for the bus and rail tickets (as well as your tram and bus rides in Amsterdam itself) by tapping in AND out on the contactless card reader. (Apple Pay and Google Wallet also works but only with Visa/MC). Everyone needs to use their own card.

Note that OVPay (pay-as-you-go) fares are calculated based on how far you travel and that’s why you need to tap in AND tap out when you get on and off buses/trams / trains in order for the system to calculate the correct fare.

Which Payment is “Better”: It really depends on where you’re going in Amsterdam and whether you will be taking lots of bus/tram trips within Amsterdam itself.

• Pay-as-you-go is about €9 one-way (for the bus & train ticket from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam Central Station). So if you just want to walk around Amsterdam, then pay-as-you-go will be marginally cheaper. But if you’ll be taking tram rides in Amsterdam, then the ARTT pass is a good deal.
• Don’t want to pay with contactless cards? Then I’m afraid that your only option is to buy the ARTT pass with € cash before hand.

Reminder: No cash fares are accepted on buses (or trams) in either Ijmuiden or Amsterdam (or indeed anywhere in the Netherlands anymore). You can buy a physical train ticket with cash at train stations but it costs more than paying with a contactless card.

3. Taxis

There’s a dedicated taxi stand outside the Felison Cruise Terminal and in theory, there should be taxis waiting when a ship is in port but if you’re an experienced cruiser, you’ll know that it’s never guaranteed. (Also, you’re “competing” with other fellow cruisers, so depending on whether you disembark early, there may be a queue for a taxi.)

A taxi from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam one-way cost around €75 – €125 depending on where you’re going in Amsterdam and traffic conditions. It sounds like a lot but if you’re a family or group of 4, then this is a good option, considering how much the cruise line run shuttles cost.

4. Rideshare (Uber & Bolt)

Both Uber and Bolt (popular in certain European cities, for my North American readers) works in the Ijmuiden and Amsterdam area, so you can use these to get a ride into Amsterdam too. An Uber costs around €45 to €75 one-way, depending on traffic conditions, demand surcharges and where you’re going in Amsterdam.

Again, for experienced rideshare users, the availability of cars in the area is never guaranteed, so be prepared to wait. I think the best way to get a “fare estimate” is to log into your choice of rideshare app and put in your destination address.

Uber and Bolt will generally be cheaper than a “normal” taxi but note that you may be subject to demand surcharges on the day.

Featured Image by Zana while sailing past Ijmuiden Cruise Port on the way to Amsterdam!

If your ship is calling at Ijmuiden Cruise Port, I hope that this guide has helped you navigate your transport options into Amsterdam! And if this guide has been valuable to you, I would really appreciate it if you can share it with your roll-call groups or Facebook groups! Have a great cruise! Zana

Anchors aweigh! Search for your next port of call 👇

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