De uitgang van de vertrekhal is links, maar veel reizigers lopen eerst de verkeerde kant op.

Dutch often has two natural options for this kind of idea:

• de uitgang van de vertrekhal = the exit of the departure hall
• a longer compound noun, if one exists and sounds natural

Here, van is simply used to show the relationship:
the exit belonging to the departure hall.

This structure is very common and often easier for learners to understand than trying to build a very long compound noun.

• de uitgang = the exit
• van = of
• de vertrekhal = the departure hall

So van works much like English of.

Vertrekhal is a compound noun, which is extremely common in Dutch.

It is made of:

• vertrek = departure
• hal = hall

So:

• de vertrekhal = the departure hall

Dutch makes compounds very freely, much more than English often does. A learner should get used to seeing long nouns built from smaller parts.

These nouns are all de-words:

• de uitgang
• de vertrekhal
• de kant

In Dutch, every singular noun is either a de-word or a het-word. There is not always a simple rule, so you often need to learn the article with the noun.

This matters because it affects things like:

• the article: de / het
• adjective endings

For example:

• de verkeerde kant
• not het verkeerde kant

So it is best to memorize nouns as:

• de uitgang
• de vertrekhal
• de kant

This is because Dutch adjectives usually take -e when they come before a noun in a definite noun phrase.

Here we have:

• de
  • verkeerde
    • kant

Because kant is a de-word and the phrase is definite (de), the adjective gets -e:

• de verkeerde kant = the wrong direction/side

Compare:

• de verkeerde trein
• het verkeerde perron
• een verkeerde afslag

In this sentence, verkeerde means wrong.

Because links can function as an adverb meaning:

• on the left
• to the left
• left

So:

• De uitgang is links. = The exit is on the left.

This is a very normal, natural Dutch way to say it.

You could also hear longer versions like:

• aan de linkerkant
• links van ...

But in this sentence, simple links is the most direct choice.

This is a very common learner question.

• links = on the left / left
• linksaf = leftward at a turn / turn left

So:

• De uitgang is links. = The exit is on the left.
• Ga hier linksaf. = Turn left here.

In your sentence, we are talking about location, not giving a turning instruction, so links is correct.

Both exist, but veel reizigers is much more normal in everyday Dutch.

• veel = many / a lot of
• vele = many, but more formal, literary, or emphatic

So:

• veel reizigers = many travelers
• vele reizigers = many travelers, but more formal or stylistically marked

A learner should usually prefer veel in normal speech.

Here eerst means something like:

• first
• at first
• initially

So the idea is that many travelers first go the wrong way before correcting themselves.

In other contexts, eerst can also mean:

• only later
• not until
• first, before something else

Dutch eerst is very common, and the exact English translation depends on context.

This follows normal main clause word order in Dutch.

The second clause is:

• maar veel reizigers lopen eerst de verkeerde kant op

Breakdown:

• maar = but
• veel reizigers = many travelers
• lopen = walk/go
• eerst = at first
• de verkeerde kant op = in the wrong direction

In a Dutch main clause, the finite verb usually comes in second position:

• veel reizigers = position 1
• lopen = position 2

After that, Dutch often places:

• adverbs like eerst
• then objects or other complements
• and particles/postpositions often later in the clause

So this word order is very normal Dutch.

Because de ... kant op is a very common Dutch pattern meaning:

• in the direction of ...
• toward ...
• the ... way

So:

• de verkeerde kant op = in the wrong direction

The word op comes after the noun phrase here, which may feel unusual to English speakers. This is normal in Dutch with certain directional expressions:

• die kant op = that way
• de goede kant op = the right way / in the right direction
• de verkeerde kant op = the wrong way / in the wrong direction

Using naar would not sound as natural here.

In this sentence, it is best to understand op as part of the directional expression:

• de verkeerde kant op

That whole phrase means in the wrong direction.

Dutch often places this little directional word after the noun phrase:

• de berg op = up the mountain
• de trap af = down the stairs
• die kant op = that way

So rather than treating op here as a simple separate translation of English up, it is better to learn de verkeerde kant op as one useful chunk.

Literally, lopen often means to walk, but in many contexts it can sound broader, like:

• go
• head
• move

So in this sentence, it may suggest literal walking, but the broader meaning is:

• many travelers go/head in the wrong direction at first

This is common in Dutch: verbs of movement may sound slightly wider in use than a strict word-for-word English equivalent.

Maar means but and introduces a contrast.

The sentence says, in effect:

• the exit is on the left,
• but many travelers still go the wrong way first.

So maar highlights the contrast between:

• where the exit actually is
• what people actually do

It is the normal Dutch conjunction for but in this kind of sentence.