Race weekend guide

NN Marathon Rotterdam 2027

Sunday, 11 April 2027 · Rotterdam, Netherlands

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The weekend at a glance

Your number
Marathon Sport Expo at the Postillion Convention Centre WTC Rotterdam. In 2026 Friday 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday 10:00 to 19:00, and Sunday 7:00 to 10:00
Start
Schiedamsedijk. Five waves in 2026, at 10:00, 10:07, 10:14, 10:21 and 10:28
Finish
The Coolsingel, in front of the city hall
Bag drop
De Doelen, entrance on Kruisplein, and tents on Schouwburgplein. €5.50 and booked in advance (2026)
Time limit
5 hours 30 minutes. Be across the Erasmus Bridge by 14:15 (2026)
Drinks
Water and a sports drink every 5 km from 5 to 40 km, sponges at 12.5, 17.5, 22.5, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5 km
Climb
No figure given. The organiser says flat
Weather
The last five race mornings ran from 7.4 °C to 13.3 °C at 10:00
Entering
The marathon uses pre-registration for 2027, which gives everyone an equal chance, and the organiser has not yet posted the dates. Charity places are sold through KLABU, and an interest list is open

The NN Marathon Rotterdam starts on Schiedamsedijk and finishes on the Coolsingel, in front of the city hall. The organiser calls the course flat and one of the fastest marathons in the world. It crosses the Erasmus Bridge twice on the way, and it passes Ahoy and Feijenoord Stadium.

The 2027 race is on Sunday 11 April, with the full marathon as the main event of a weekend that starts on Saturday 10 April. Entry is by pre-registration. The organiser's 2025 figure was 51,000 participants across all its distances.

The 2027 page names the date and the finish. The start, the waves and the bag drop below are from the 2026 race, and the 2027 versions aren't out yet.

Getting to Rotterdam

Most visitors fly into Amsterdam Schiphol. A direct NS train from the airport station to Rotterdam Centraal runs every 15 minutes and takes between 26 and 36 minutes.

Rotterdam's transport operator RET has already said that bus, tram and metro run adjusted timetables on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April 2027, with more detail to follow. The organiser's 2025 spectator page said that no metro stopped at Stadhuis, though you could use its underpass, and that Leuvehaven station was closed until 11:00. The organiser's advice is to use public transport or a bike, and to avoid driving into the centre.

Where to stay in Rotterdam

The organiser names Centraal Station, Beurs and Blaak as the places close to both the start and the finish. In 2025 the start area on Schiedamsedijk was open only to participants, and you entered it from Churchillplein, next to the Beurs metro stop.

The expo is at the Postillion Convention Centre in the WTC, by Beurs. A room near Beurs or Blaak keeps you close to the expo on Friday or Saturday, with a single metro ride on Sunday morning.

Collecting your number

For 2026, bring your e-ticket and physical photo ID, such as a passport, identity card or driving licence. Someone else may collect your bib with your physical ID; copies and photographs are not accepted. These are the 2026 participant instructions. Confirm the 2027 collection rules before travelling.

In 2026 the expo was open on Friday from 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00. It opened on Sunday from 7:00 to 10:00 for collection only. The 2027 hours aren't published.

Race morning 2026 details

There are five waves, and you're placed by the finish time you gave by 15 March. The organiser warns you to be in the right wave before your start box closes. In 2026 the waves went at 10:00, 10:07, 10:14, 10:21 and 10:28.

Bag drop in 2026 was at De Doelen, with its entrance on Kruisplein, and at tents on Schouwburgplein, from 8:00 to 17:00. It cost €5.50, had to be booked beforehand, and the bag could be at most 30 by 20 by 50 cm.

The time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes. In 2026 you had to cross the Erasmus Bridge by 14:15, and the finish line closed at 16:06.

The course

The organiser's 2025 course file, drawn by the app. Numbers mark each 10 km. 10 20 30 40 Start Finish
The organiser's 2025 course file, drawn by the app. Numbers mark each 10 km.

The route passes Feijenoord Stadium and Ahoy and crosses the Erasmus Bridge twice. The organiser publishes a map and lists the main landmarks. Kralingse Plas, the lake in the east, is where both the 10K and the marathon go past. The organiser's spectator page places a cheer zone and a video feature around km 34.

Water and a sports drink are on offer every 5 km from 5 to 40 km. Sponges are at 12.5, 17.5, 22.5, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5 km. The organiser gives no climb figure, and its course file carries no heights, so there is no profile here. Its course page links the file and a PDF map.

Where to watch 2026 details

Erasmus Bridge, from WilhelminapleinThe runners cross in the first few kilometres and again just after 25 km, so you see them twice. Wilhelminaplein is the metro station on the south side
Boezemstraat, by OostpleinThe map puts the 30 km and 40 km marks on this street, so you see the runners twice, ten kilometres apart. Oostplein metro station is a short walk east
Coolsingel, by BeursThe last 500 m run past the city hall and the finish is here, a few minutes' walk from the start. Beurs metro station is beside it

Weather in Rotterdam in April

April in Rotterdam starts cool and warms slowly. These are the last five race days at Schiedamsedijk, at 10:00 and at 13:00.

Race day10:0013:00Wind at 10:00
10 April 20227.4 °C10.5 °C11 km/h
16 April 20238.2 °C9.3 °C19 km/h
14 April 202411.6 °C13.2 °C13 km/h
13 April 202513.3 °C16.0 °C17 km/h
12 April 20269.0 °C12.5 °C14 km/h

Every one of the five mornings had a wind of 11 km/h or more at the start, and 2023 had 19 km/h on top of 8.2 °C. The 2025 start was the warmest, at 13.3 °C.

Afterwards

Every finisher gets a medal. Engraving is available on Schouwburgplein. In 2025 the organiser set up four colour-coded meeting points at the exit of the finish area, in blue, green, red and yellow, so supporters can find you. Allow for crowds along the roughly 500 m finish stretch on the Coolsingel.

Other race weekends

Close by, and with guides of their own, are TCS Amsterdam Marathon and Copenhagen Marathon.

The next races with a guide

All race weekend guides

Sources

2027 date, flat course claim, finish on the CoolsingelNN Marathon Rotterdam, organiser, 2027 edition
Start place and waves, time limit, bag drop, drinks stations, finishEvent info, organiser, 2026 edition
Expo place, days and hours, e-ticketMarathon Sport Expo, organiser, 2025 and 2026 editions
Public transport and station closures, start access from Churchillplein beside Beurs, viewing places, 51,000 participantsTips for spectators at the NN Marathon Rotterdam, organiser, 2025 edition
Adjusted timetables on 10 and 11 April 2027NN Marathon Rotterdam and public transport, RET, the city's transport operator
Schiphol to Rotterdam CentraalAmsterdam Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Centraal Station, a timetable site listing NS trains
Past race dates and winnersRotterdam Marathon, Wikipedia
Pre-registration for the marathon, charity places through KLABU, interest listNN Marathon Rotterdam, home page, organiser, 2027 edition, checked 4 October 2026
Course map with the 5 km marks, Erasmus Bridge, Boezemstraat and CoolsingelMarathon course map (PDF), organiser, 2026 edition
Route drawingMarathon course file (GPX), 2025, organiser, 2025 file, linked from its course page, carries no heights
Race-day weatherOpen-Meteo historical weather, at Schiedamsedijk, a 9 km grid

Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 4 October 2026.

If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.