Ferries from Dordrecht, Merwekade

222 active sailings from a quay most people outside the Drechtsteden have never heard of. The Waterbus is a genuine commuter network on the rivers around Dordrecht, and it runs at frequencies that would embarrass a lot of bus routes.

The three crossings

• Papendrecht Veerdam — about 6 minutes, 41 sailings.
• Zwijndrecht Veerplein — about 9 minutes, 41 sailings.
• Papendrecht Noordhoek — about 6 minutes, 28 sailings.

All operated by Waterbus. Merwekade is the Dordrecht hub they radiate from.

⚠ Two Papendrecht landings, six minutes apart

Veerdam and Noordhoek are different piers on the same bank serving different parts of the town, and both are simply "Papendrecht" in conversation. They carry different sailing counts and different frequencies.

Check which one your journey planner actually chose. Walking between them is possible but adds fifteen minutes to a six-minute crossing.

Why a boat and not a bridge

Dordrecht sits on an island where the Oude Maas, the Beneden Merwede and the Noord meet. The road network has to go a long way round; the water is a few hundred metres across. For a commuter the boat is simply the direct route.

That is why the frequency is what it is — this is not a scenic service, it is the shortest line between two points.

Bicycles

The Waterbus carries bikes, and in a region this flat that combination replaces a car entirely for a great many people. It is also the best way for a visitor to use the network.

Dordrecht itself

The oldest city in Holland, with a medieval centre, a working harbour and the Kinderdijk windmills reachable by the same operator's longer services. Most visitors arrive by train and never realise the water network exists.