The nearest airport is Rotterdam The Hague Airport with (cheap) flights from selected cities in Europe. See the [wiki=8f49c208e01797381033a70b55fbac13]Rotterdam[/wiki] page.
There is no direct public transportation connection to Schiedam. [url=http://www.ret.nl/nl-nl.aspx?sc_lang=en]RET[/url] Bus 33 runs frequently to Rotterdam Centraal Station (in about 25 minutes), your other option is shuttle bus 50 which connects to metro station Meijersplein where you can transfer to metro line E to Rotterdam Centraal (total travel time about 20 minutes). From Rotterdam Centraal, you can take the train to Schiedam Centrum (5 minutes). As it's only 10 km to the centre of Schiedam a taxi can be a good alternative.
If you arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, take the train from there to Schiedam Centrum station. The fastest option is the Fyra high speed train to Breda, change at Rotterdam Centraal. Total travel time about 40 minutes. Note that a small supplement is required for Fyra trains.
The cheapest but slightly slower option (50 minutes) is to take the intercity service to Rotterdam Centraal and change at Den Haag HS for the intercity to Dordrecht or Vlissingen. All trains are operated by NS [http://www.ns.nl].
The main train station is Schiedam Centrum which is well served by national rail (Nederlandse Spoorwegen [url=http://www.ns.nl]),]with direct connections to [[Maassluis[/url]], [wiki=1e3006f00b47bf00590974462ce29cc6]Hoek van Holland[/wiki], [wiki=7aa27fe4ab0a060422eb015c673ffbc2]Delft[/wiki], [wiki=7c3962d55d5980cd87e18f7eebfc2a05]Den Haag[/wiki], [wiki=11fd35f080dbf9757f9eaae899027a91]Leiden[/wiki], [wiki=f1efd9c7b80c3bc948e0621c8f5f3de7]Haarlem[/wiki], [wiki=3eb8670d999ac077dd0e2c345cb7c905]Amsterdam[/wiki], [wiki=8f49c208e01797381033a70b55fbac13]Rotterdam[/wiki], [wiki=0743c965c30a8b07155ff250e49df2a3]Dordrecht[/wiki], [wiki=4960c3b9c04d9eeefc29911d5e513f4b]Breda[/wiki], [wiki=a8def86eeaea239389767daea19309a2]Roosendaal[/wiki], [wiki=d1811b0d96b170f75652c30b3c214f9c]Middelburg[/wiki] and [wiki=a007304092e1c0203f6781ab22b4902d]Vlissingen[/wiki].
For international trains ariving at Rotterdam Centraal Station, Schiedam Centrum is a 5 minute train ride from there.
Schiedam Nieuwland train station is located north-west of the city centre and is served by the Hoek van Holland-Rotterdam Centraal railway line.
Schiedam can be reached via the A4 and A20. Any exit (Schiedam-Noord and Schiedam-Centrum on the A20 and Schiedam-West on the A4 near the Beneluxtunnel) will take you to the city center (follow Centrum).
Near the center a P-route is signed which will guide you along parking locations. The parking garages are cheaper then on-street parking. When parking on-street, be advised that some meters (especially in residential areas of the center) only accept chipknip (a chipcard). Meters near tourist locations accept coins and some accept credit cards. Also watch for signs vergunninghouders where parking is only allowed for permit holders.
Eurolines [http://www.eurolines.com/] links Rotterdam with various cities of Europe. The Eurolines buses arrive in front of Rotterdam Centraal Station, from there it's a 5 minute train ride to Schiedam Centrum, or take tram line 21 or 23.
Watertaxi Rotterdam [http://www.watertaxirotterdam.nl] has a landing stage at the Voorhaven. The city centre is a 15 minute walk through De Plantage, the oldest city park in The Netherlands.
The best way to explore the historic city centre is by foot. Museums, monumental buildings, windmills, restaurants and shops are all well within walking distance of each other.
The OntdekSchiedam.nu website [http://www.ontdekschiedam.nu/en_index.php] offers a good city map and directory.
Like any city in The Netherlands, Schiedam is a very bicycle-friendly. Getting around by bike is probably the fastest way of travel within the city. There are separate bike lanes on most major streets. Avoid getting your tire in the tram rails. Always cross tram rails at an angle. Always lock your bike securely when leaving it, preferably chained to a fixed object.
There is a free, guarded bicycle parking near Koemarkt.
Schiedam Centrum station has a guarded bicycle parking and also offers bicycle rental services.
Although the historic city centre of Schiedam can be easily explored on foot, there is a good public transport service if you want to discover surrounding neighborhoods (or maybe your feet are a bit tired from the sightseeing).
All metro and tram lines, and most of the bus lines are operated by RET.
You need a OV-chipkaart to travel. The Strippenkaart is no longer valid.
The windmills of Schiedam [http://www.schiedamsemolens.nl/schiedamsemolens/uk.html] are the highest in the world. There are six historic windmills in the centre. De Noord (the North) is a restaurant. De Palmboom (The Palmtree) is a museum. De Kameel (The Camel) is the newest. It is an exact reconstruction of the windmill that was broken down in 1868.
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De Plantage was designed by Arij van Bol'es, a city architect from Schiedam and laid out in 1767. It is the oldest city park of The Netherlands. In the 19th century redone by Jan David Zocher a famous Dutch Landscape architect.
===Mid-range===