Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede

78 km road cycling route0 m climbing5 h 33 minGPX

Rotterdam, Netherlands · Road

A flat 78 km road cycling route from Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede through Feijenoord, Krimpen aan de Lek and Lekkerkerk, with 0 m of climbing.

Retraced from the map Ridden by Marcus on Sunday 30th August 2015; the recording was lost, so the line is the road between the day's towns, drawn from OpenStreetMap (the rider logged 84.7 km that day).

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At a glance

Best for: Flat, steady riding
Distance: 77.7 km; Point to point
Elevation gain: 0 m
Riding time: 5 h 33 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Moderate
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Paved; 85% paved · 2% unpaved · 13% no data
Traffic: Mostly minor roads; 4.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 4.6 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 34.1 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water: Regular; 388 cafés and restaurants · 39 shops · 9 water points · 15 petrol stations · 12 public toilets · 32 bike shops
Best months: May to Sep; Rotterdam climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start → finish: Rotterdam → Wijk bij Duurstede

Sculptuur Armband van Esther van Vliet uit 2015 op de M.A. Reinaldaweg / Vrouwenmantel (rotonde). Een van de Zilverstad rotondekunst — Photo: Agaath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 0 m
Distance: 78 km

What it was like to ride

Marcus’s notes

An improvised fitting of the rear pannier rack allows a mid morning departure from Amsterdam.

Short pedal in the warm sunshine takes me to Amsterdam Centraal for the only train of the trip [all being well]. Ignored the “no bikes” signs on the Intercity for the trip to Rotterdam. So it’s all looking good at the start location. Two bikes, 2 riders geared up and ready to go. A short pedal to the river for a lunch and planning meeting. Donny has “The Rhine Cycle Route” book which seems to be of limited use as it assumes a start point in Germany. Still, it made a handy wasp swatter.

Thanks to trusty Google Maps we made it out of Rotterdam and picked up signs for the first stop of the day. If you’re ever planning a tour of Holland there is little to recommend Schoonhoven. 32km covered.

Onwards from here, passing through some classicly pretty Dutch countryside. A Donny said, “This is what we signed up for.” Mid-afternoon and we picked up the Rhine as it flows from Amsterdam towards Germany. Here the path turned from a paved roadway into an uneven slabbed toepath. The new Ridley performed well. That is until my improvised pannier installation decided to shed one of the untightened bolts. Unsurprisingly, neither of us had brought any spanners for the trip. A quick zip tie fix to replace the lost bolt and we were on our way.

Perhaps due to the heat of the day, and my lack of fluid intake, I started to hit the wall around 6pm with a mere 65km covered. Donny saved the day with some of the best tasting honey and oat bars I’ve ever had. That was enough to see us on to the first day end point, the very pretty Wijk bij Duurstedm, or just Dijk as the locals call it.

Weather was just about perfect all day. Big lightning and thunder storm just hit so here’s hoping it blows itself out by morning. I’ve decided we need to have perfect weather for three weeks.

Route description

Rotterdam
Feijenoordkm 5
Krimpen aan de Lekkm 14
Lekkerkerkkm 18
Ammerstolkm 30
Gelkeneskm 33
Lopikkm 42
Graafkm 45
Klaphekkm 52
Wijk bij Duurstedekm 78

This 77.7 km point-to-point route starts in Rotterdam, passing through places like Feijenoord, Kinderdijk, and Schoonhoven before reaching Wijk bij Duurstede. The elevation gain is negligible, with the highest point at 7 m near km 52.5. The profile is flat throughout. The route surface is mainly paved (85%) with 2% gravel or unpaved sections and some unmapped segments (13%). Road types vary: about 30% cycle path, 21% minor roads, 15% roads with cycle lanes, 10% quiet streets, and 6% paths. There are 4.6 km on main roads with speeds over 80 km/h and 4.7 km of main roads without cycle lanes. Food and drink options include cafés and restaurants such as Starbucks at 0.6 km, Van der Grijn bakery at 18.2 km, and Café-Slijterij De Roode Leeuw at 50.2 km. Shops are available in several towns, with the longest stretch without café, shop, or water lasting 7.8 km between km 20.2 and 28. Multiple bike shops and bailout points accessible by ferry or station provide support along the way.

Highlights

Kinderdijk at 14.4 km
Unesco viewpoint near Kinderdijk
Slotgracht voormalig kasteel Liesveld at 31.7 km
Kasteel Heemstede near 59.4 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Feijenoord 4.6 km
Bolnes 11.5 km
Krimpen aan de Lek 14.4 km
Kinderdijk 14.4 km
Nieuw-Lekkerland 17.2 km
Lekkerkerk 17.9 km
Achthuizen 18.6 km
Ammerstol 29.8 km
Groot-Ammers 30.8 km
Liesveld 31.7 km
Gelkenes 32.9 km
Schoonhoven 34.7 km
Cabauw 38.4 km
Lopik 42.1 km
Jaarsveld 44 km
Graaf 44.7 km
Uitweg 47.4 km
Lopikerkapel 50 km
Klaphek 52 km
Houten 62.3 km
't Goy 67.8 km

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 4.7 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads: 30% cycle path · 21% minor road · 15% road with cycle lane · 10% quiet street · 13% other roads and tracks · 11% unmapped
Main roads: 4.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 4.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 34.1 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: M A Reinaldaweg (6 km), Beusichemseweg (3 km), Wijkersloot (3 km)
Surface: Paved: 85% of the route is mapped as paved, 2% as unpaved and 13% has no surface data.
Gradient: 0% climbing · 0% descending · 100% flat

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 388 cafés and restaurants, 39 shops, 9 water points, 15 petrol stations, 12 public toilets and 32 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0.2 kmAlbert Heijn · supermarket · 40 m off route
0.8 kmGot2Go · toilets · 40 m off route
1.5 kmApotheek Vasteland · pharmacy · 90 m off route
9.8 kmLunchroom Leuk! · restaurant · 190 m off route
17.5 kmRijwielhandel Hoogeveen · bike shop · 60 m off route
18.2 kmPLUS · supermarket · 170 m off route
19 kmDrinking water · 60 m off route
30.2 kmEsso · petrol station · on the route
34.2 kmDrinking water · 30 m off route
34.6 kmKok's Bakery · bakery · 40 m off route
35.3 kmAlbert Heijn · supermarket · 70 m off route
44.5 kmBP express · petrol station · on the route
53.4 kmAlbert Heijn · supermarket · 240 m off route
55.5 kmBike & Scooter world · bike shop · 120 m off route
61.2 kmStella e-bike testcenter · bike shop · 160 m off route
63.8 kmBakkerij Hogenboom · bakery · 320 m off route
67.1 kmAVIA XPress 't Goy · petrol station · 60 m off route
73.9 kmRustpunt 't Zuivelhuysje · café · on the route

Need to bail out?

2 km — Rotterdam, Erasmusbrug (ferry), on the route
14.4 km — Kinderdijk, Molenkade (ferry), on the route
33.9 km — Gelkenes veer (ferry), on the route
43.4 km — Lopik, veersteiger (ferry), 1.4 km off route
53.4 km — Nieuwegein, Veer (ferry), 220 m off route
63.8 km — Houten Castellum (station), 390 m off route
76.6 km — Wijk bij Duurstede - Wijkse Veer (ferry), 1.2 km off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

0 km — Court Square Fountain (attraction)
3.1 km — Bruggenhoofd 1e Willemsbrug (viewpoint)
7.9 km — Maaskijker (viewpoint)
14.7 km — Unesco viewpoint - Kinderdijk (viewpoint)
31.7 km — Slotgracht voormalig kasteel Liesveld (castle)
59.4 km — Kasteel Heemstede (castle)

Stay after this ride

Hotel Restaurant OTTO · hotel · 530 m from the finish
Hotel Brasserie Florian · hotel · 600 m from the finish
Dijklodges · guest house · 1.2 km from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Rotterdam. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Trains and ferries: Stadhuis (100 m)
Food and coffee: Cornelis (170 m), Restaurant Joelia (50 m), SOCOCO W70 (170 m)
Shops: Albert Heijn (110 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee: Bakkerij Lakerveld (710 m), Kwalitaria Duurstede (280 m), HappyFood (710 m)
Shops: Albert Heijn (720 m)
Pharmacy and medical: Apotheek Medsen De Horden (650 m), Medsen Apotheek Dorestede (470 m)

Know before you go

7.8 km longest stretch without café, shop or water from 20.2 km to 28 km
4.7 km on main roads without cycle lane
4.6 km on roads with speed 80 km/h or more
2% gravel or unpaved surface

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

6 photographs from the road

Photo: Frans Berkelaar · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Rudi Seidel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Agaath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

Rotterdam to Budapest

About this route

Ridden by: Marcus
Date ridden: Sunday 30th August 2015
Route line: Retraced from OpenStreetMap between the day’s towns - the GPS recording was lost.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Rotterdam (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Sunday 30th August 2026
Page last updated: Sunday 13th September 2026

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Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede