Halal Rotterdam

Rotterdam is compact, flat and very walkable in the centre, and the public transport (run by RET) is excellent: a metro network (lines A-E), trams, buses and a water taxi across the river Maas. Metro lines D and E run to Zuidplein, a five-minute walk from the Rotterdam Ahoy halls, so getting from the centre or Rotterdam Centraal to the expo is a single easy ride. The intercity rail network also makes day trips to Amsterdam, The Hague and Delft quick.

Licensed taxis wait at ranks at Rotterdam Centraal and the airports, or use Uber/Bolt for an upfront price. For short hops in the flat centre, the city is built for bikes — but be careful as a pedestrian: the red-asphalt lanes are for cyclists only, traffic moves fast, and stepping into one can earn a fine.

Euro · EUR

The Netherlands is heavily cashless — contactless card and phone payment is accepted almost everywhere, including transit. Note that some Dutch shops and markets take only Maestro/Mastercard debit and may decline Visa or Amex, so carry a contactless Mastercard to be safe.

Service is included, so tipping is optional — rounding up the bill or leaving around 5-10% for good service in a restaurant is appreciated but never required.

KPN, Vodafone, Odido and Lebara prepaid SIMs from airport and city shops; EU 'roam-like-at-home' means a SIM from any EU country also works at no surcharge

Plug: Type C / F (two round pins, European) · 230V / 50Hz

General: 112 (Europe-wide emergency, English-speaking)

Fire: 112

Essalam Mosque (Essalam Moskee): The largest mosque in the Netherlands, with tall minarets and a capacity of around 1,500 — a major Friday congregation in the south of the city, with separate halls for men and women and parking. Check the exact jummah time locally as it shifts with the season.

Neighbourhood mosques & prayer rooms: Rotterdam's Turkish and Moroccan communities run numerous mosques and prayer rooms across the southern and western districts, so a place to pray is rarely far in the diverse parts of the city.

Airport multi-faith rooms: Schiphol — the main arrival airport — has quiet multi-faith meditation and prayer rooms in the terminals for travellers between flights.