Maassluis between art, tugboats and water

Maassluis combines maritime history with visual art, historic buildings and waterside trails. When looking for a hotel for your stay, you can plan your trip around whether you want to focus on museums, shipping or outdoor activities. The city offers different ways to explore each of these interests.

Art and tugboats

At Museum Maassluis, modern visual art and the history of Maassluis come together under one roof. Models of buildings and fishing vessels sit alongside objects from crafts and everyday life. The collection also includes paintings, drawings and textiles. This offers a perspective on the town that extends beyond its maritime history to art and everyday culture.

The Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum tells the story of Dutch tugboat shipping and maritime history. It is considered the only museum of its kind in the Netherlands. A simulation program invites visitors to try steering a ship themselves. It combines a historical perspective with a hands-on activity at the museum.

Sleepboothaven Maassluis is a museum harbor for historic tugboats and salvage vessels, and is described as the only tugboat museum harbor in the world. Among its notable vessels is the Hudson, the only surviving pre-war seagoing tugboat in the Netherlands. On board, visitors can see how the captain and crew lived and worked, and visit an exhibition about seagoing tugboats during the Second World War.

The Furie and the Bruinvisch also represent different chapters in shipping history. The Furie is the last steam-powered seagoing tugboat in the Netherlands and played a central role in the television series “Hollands Glorie,” based on the book by Jan de Hartog. The Bruinvisch is the last surviving vessel from the generation of pre-war salvage boats; after the Second World War, it was used, among other things, to clear wrecks in the Nieuwe Waterweg.

Church, lock and windmill

The Groote Kerk was built between 1629 and 1639 and is known, among other things, for its Garrels organ. By prior arrangement, you can climb the tower; from the top, the view stretches across Maassluis’s historic city center. If you plan to visit, check the latest information about making arrangements.

The history of the Monstersche Sluis begins with an opening described in the Maasdijk in 1343. The drainage lock system was rebuilt in 1602; a lock was constructed in 1889. The reopened Monstersche Sluis allows recreational boats to reach Maassluis’s inner harbor from Midden-Delfland. Before setting out by boat, check the latest waterway and operating conditions. The Wippersmolen dates from 1726; both the windmill and the miller’s house are designated national monuments (Rijksmonuments).

On foot, by bike and by the water

“De 9 rondom Maassluis” is a nine-kilometer walking route. It links historic streets with expansive polders and stretches of water along the Nieuwe Waterweg, passes the harbor and offers views of the large seagoing ships that regularly pass by. Its route through open polder landscapes, over dikes and alongside green fields offers a different experience from the historic streets. Check that the route is available before setting out.

For a bike ride, there is a route of about 15 kilometers that passes six local food producers and artisan makers in Maassluis, Vlaardingen and Maasland. Walking and cycling opportunities along the Waterweg combine exercise with views of ship traffic and the lively activity on the water. Boonerlucht is considered an area for walking and cycling.

Boat trips and seasonal experiences

On trips aboard the Europoort tugboat Steenbank, passengers can visit the engine room and wheelhouse and, with supervision, try to keep the tugboat on course. During the sailing season, visitors can also take a ride on the Tonijn, Steenbank and Bruinvisch on Saturdays; check the dates and current program in advance.

The Trekschuit de Goude Leeuwin offers a different way to travel: this horse-drawn boat starts in Maassluis and travels via Maasland in the direction of De Kwakelweg. Departure times may vary. Guided city walks cover themes such as maritime life, history, Maarten ’t Hart and outdoor art, and last about an hour and a half. Booking options and schedules can change, so checking the latest information can help with planning.

SUP is offered on the Vlieten of Maassluis and at Boonerlucht as a sporting activity for the whole family; check availability and operator information before your trip. Avonturis is a nature playground for children. In October, the Furieade takes place as a multi-day maritime event weekend and is considered the highlight of the year. The date and program change annually.

Planning your stay

You can explore Maassluis according to your interests, through its art and maritime history, historic buildings, routes through the polders or experiences on the water. To cross the Scheur, a ferry connects Maassluis and Rozenburg: the Veerpont Blankenburg carries cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians; the Veerpont Jorina is for cyclists and pedestrians only. Plan ferry and metro connections using the latest information from the operators. Maassluis has metro connections to Hoek van Holland and Rotterdam, as well as three metro stations. The Ervaar Maassluis Infopunt provides brochures and souvenirs and helps visitors plan a day in Maassluis; check the latest opening hours in advance.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Maassluis, Papendrecht, Dordrecht, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Bodegraven, Zederik, Gouda, Cromstrijen

For the main travel overview: South Holland.