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PTG Tours · Escorted tour

Rotterdam and the Dordt Steam Festival

Rotterdam-based rail tour to Dutch steam railways and the Dordt festival

Illustration of Rotterdam and the Dordt Steam Festival

PTG Tours' Rotterdam and the Dordt Steam Festival is an 8-day, 7-night escorted tour led throughout by Tour Manager Kevin. Travellers leave London St Pancras by Eurostar and are based for all seven nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotterdam, making day trips out and back by Dutch rail rather than changing hotels. The tour is timed around the bi-annual Dordt in Stoom steam festival in Dordrecht on Day 3, and also visits the Veluwe steam railway near Apeldoorn, a canal boat tour in Amsterdam, the Dutch National Railway Museum in Utrecht, and the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik followed by a cruise across the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen. Breakfasts, five dinners, and first-class Dutch rail travel are included throughout. With a single hotel base, an escorted structure, and a heavy focus on steam railways and rail heritage, the tour suits history lovers and rail enthusiasts who want the logistics handled while getting close to steam trains, trams, and preserved ships.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is currently listed, in May 2026, at GBP 1,750 per person joining in Rotterdam or GBP 1,950 including Eurostar from a UK home station.
  • The single supplement at the main hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, is GBP 490; a lower-graded hotel option is available for single travellers with very limited places.
  • Dinner on Day 2 is not included, deliberately left free in case travellers choose the optional evening trip to Dordrecht for the steam boat parade.
  • The Speelklok museum of mechanical music in Utrecht and Rotterdam's Maritime Museum are optional extras, not included in the tour price.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Rotterdam

    London to Rotterdam

    Eurostar at 11:04 from London St Pancras direct to Rotterdam Central. Check in to the Holiday Inn Express, welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

  2. Day 2overnight: Rotterdam

    Rotterdam Tram Museum & Harbour Cruise

    Tram to the Rotterdam Tram Museum, city tour on a vintage tram, then a 75-minute Spido boat tour viewing the preserved SS Rotterdam. Free afternoon; optional evening trip to Dordrecht for the Parade of steamboats.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Rotterdam

    Dordt in Stoom Steam Festival

    Train from Rotterdam to Dordrecht for the bi-annual "Dordt in Stoom" festival, steam train rides, model exhibition, steam boat trips, vintage bus connection. Dinner in Dordrecht then train back to Rotterdam.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Rotterdam

    Veluwe Steam Railway

    Train east to Apeldoorn and the Veluwe steam railway, a steam-hauled return trip to Dieren stopping at Beekbergen to visit the loco depot.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Rotterdam

    Amsterdam Canal Tour

    Train to Amsterdam, canal boat tour of the city's famous canal system, free time with a public transport rover ticket, dinner at Central Station area then train back to Rotterdam.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Rotterdam

    Dutch National Railway Museum, Utrecht

    Train to Utrecht Central, change to a local train to the Dutch National Railway Museum (several British-built locos in the collection). Free time in Utrecht, dinner locally.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Rotterdam

    Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik & Ijsselmeer Cruise

    Train to Hoorn, museum visit then a steam-hauled train to Medemblik on the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik. Board the MV Friesland (built 1958) to cruise the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen, dinner locally, return to Rotterdam by mainline train.

  8. Day 8rail

    Return to London

    Eurostar at 17:28 from Rotterdam, arriving London St Pancras at 19:47.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2A 75-minute Spido boat tour in Rotterdam passes the preserved SS Rotterdam, following a city tour on a vintage tram.
  • Day 3The bi-annual Dordt in Stoom steam festival in Dordrecht includes steam train rides, a model exhibition, steam boat trips, and a vintage bus connection.
  • Day 4A steam-hauled return trip on the Veluwe steam railway runs from Apeldoorn to Dieren, stopping at Beekbergen to visit the locomotive depot.
  • Day 6The Dutch National Railway Museum in Utrecht displays several British-built locomotives in its collection.
  • Day 7A steam-hauled train on the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik runs to Medemblik, followed by a cruise on the 1958-built MV Friesland across the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen.

Included

  • Eurostar London St Pancras to Rotterdam and return
  • 7 nights at the Holiday Inn Express, Rotterdam
  • All breakfasts
  • 5 dinners
  • City tram and Metro pass (Rotterdam)
  • Rotterdam Tram Museum visit and vintage tram city tour
  • 75-minute Spido boat tour including SS Rotterdam
  • Dordt in Stoom festival tickets (steam train rides, model exhibition, steam boat trips, vintage bus connection)
  • Veluwe steam railway return trip
  • Amsterdam canal boat tour and public transport rover ticket
  • Dutch National Railway Museum visit
  • Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik museum and steam train
  • MV Friesland cruise over the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen
  • Rail travel within Holland (first class)

Not included

  • Speelklok museum of mechanical music (Utrecht)
  • Dinner on Day 2 (not included, to allow flexibility for the Dordrecht steam parade option)
  • Maritime Museum (Rotterdam, optional)

Questions travellers ask

Is the train travel included?
Yes. Eurostar from London St Pancras to Rotterdam and return is included, along with first-class rail travel within Holland for all the day trips.
Is it escorted or independent?
It is an escorted tour with a Tour Manager, Kevin, throughout.
What hotel is used?
The Holiday Inn Express in Rotterdam for all seven nights, rated 3-star. A lower-graded hotel, Hotel Breitner, is available for single rooms with very limited places.
When does this tour run?
One departure is currently listed, in May 2026.
What is not included?
The Speelklok museum of mechanical music in Utrecht, dinner on Day 2, and Rotterdam's Maritime Museum are not included in the tour price.
Which trains are used?
Eurostar between London and Rotterdam, Dutch rail network trains in first class, the Veluwe steam railway between Apeldoorn and Dieren, and the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik between Hoorn and Medemblik.

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