When you come from the UK you can decide to come to Rotterdam by ferry and even take your car! There are several for getting to Rotterdam by ferry. One option is to take the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam. The ferry leaves in the evening and you can sleep at the ferry, so when you wake up you have arrived in Rotterdam! From the ferry terminal you can take the bus to the center of Rotterdam.

Hoek van Holland
Another option is to take the ferry to Hoek van Holland. The ferry to Hoek van Holland takes only 5,5 hours and you can easily change to a direct train to Rotterdam in Hoek van Holland. The train will take you in 30 minutes to Rotterdam Central Station!

Other connections
When you take your car you could also decide to take a ferry to IJmuiden, Duinkerken (Belgium) or Calais (France) and drive from there to Rotterdam. Most people who travel to and from the UK use the ferries in Dover, because it's a very quick connection and the additional driving time to Rotterdam is not too bad.

Take your car with you
The ferries are very comfortable and have all kinds of facilities on board to enjoy your journey. Most of them have restaurants, bars, shops, casinos and cinemas on board. Of course the ferries take longer than the plane, but the advantage is that you can take your car with you if you would like to see other parts of the Netherlands or Europe. If you just want to visit Rotterdam you won't need your car because public transportation is very good.