Public Transport in Amsterdam
How to get around in Amsterdam?
That’s easy! Public transport journey planner will help you find out which tram, bus or metro line is the best for you. Simply fill in your departure point and destination, and the system will show you the best root, travelling time and schedule.
You can also plan your door-to-door trip in the Netherlands by public transport and shared transport with a free Glimble app.
And here you can find an interactive Amsterdam trams, metro and bus map.
Want to see the best of Amsterdam? Explore the city with a local >>
Public Transport Prices in Amsterdam & Types of Tickets
Important: starting from 20 June 2023 the drivers do not sell tickets in the GVB buses and trams. In the tram, you can only buy a ticket from the conductor. There is no conductor in tram lines 4, 19, and 24, also not in buses (and night buses). It is better to be prepared for your trip by buying your ticket or travel product in advance or paying with your bank card.
GVB (tram, metro, bus) tickets
Amsterdam city transport is operated by the GVB company. You can buy single, day or multi-day tickets from GVB vending machines or directly from the driver. GVB tickets prices in 2023 are:
| Ticket valid for | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 hour | € 3,40 |
| 1 day – 24 hours | € 9,00 |
| 2 days – 48 hours | € 15,00 |
| 3 days – 72 hours | € 21,00 |
| 4 days – 96 hours | € 26,50 |
| 5 days – 120 hours | € 33,00 |
| 6 days – 144 hours | € 37,50 |
| 7 days – 168 hours | € 41,00 |
While using public transport in Amsterdam you have to check-in and check-out (present your ticket to a validator on board). The ticket becomes valid the first time you check-in.
Children up to 4 years old travel for free. A ticket for children aged 4 – 11 in 2023 costs € 4,50 per day. The child day ticket works just like a normal day ticket. It is valid in all GVB trams, buses and metro lines starting from the time your first check in.
Where to buy GVB tickets? You can purchase the tickets at GVB service points, vending machines and info counters.
You can also order GVB tickets for 1 – 7 day online >>
Please note that GVB ticket is not valid in the trains to Amsterdam from Schiphol. You need to buy train tickets separately.
Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket
Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is valid for 1-3 days of unlimited travel by bus, tram, metro and train in Amsterdam and surrounding areas (including Schiphol airport, Volendam, Edam, Marken, Zaanse Schans, Haarlem, Zandvoort beach and Keukenhof).
We definitely recommend this ticket if you’re planning to visit the places in the area, included in the card:
Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket map in 2023. Open the image in a new window to enlarge it.
Prices in 2023:
- 1 day – € 21,00
- 2 days – € 31,50
- 3 days – € 40,50
The ticket is valid from the first time you check in until 04:00 hours after the last valid day.
During the Keukenhof opening season the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is also valid in bus lines:
- 852 (Amsterdam RAI – Keukenhof)
- 858 (Schiphol – Keukenhof)
- 50 (station Haarlem – Keukenhof).
If you’re planning to visit the most popular places in the Amsterdam area, the Amsterdam & Reigon Travel ticket can save you lots of money. For example, if you buy separate tickets, in 2023 they will cost:
- 3 days ticket for public transport in Amsterdam – € 21
- return bus ticket from Amsterdam RAI to Keukenhof – € 17
- return train ticket from Amsterdam to Zandvoort – € 14
- return bus ticket to the Zaanse Schans – € 11,50
- return train ticket from and to the Schiphol airport – € 5,90 x 2
Total: € 75,30 without ARTT. With ARTT you will pay € 40,50 for three days – it’s two times cheaper.
Order Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket >>
I Amsterdam City Card
Alternatively you can order I Amsterdam City Card for 24 – 120 hours, which gives free admission to museums and attractions in Amsterdam and free unlitimed rides by the GVB trams, buses & metro for the duration of your card.
Good news! From September 1 till September 17, 2023 you can buy I amsterdam city card with 10% discount on the official I amsterdam website. The card is activated at the moment of first use. So you can buy it now and use it later.
I amsterdam City Card prices in 2023:
- card valid for 24 hours – € 60
- card valid for 48 hours – € 85
- card valid for 72 hours – € 100
- card valid for 96 hours – € 115
- card valid for 120 hours – € 125
The City Card contains two elements – one for the GVB public transport, the other one for museums, attractions and a canal cruise. They are both activated automatically: the transport element at the moment you first use tram, bus or metro. The museum element – the first time you visit museum, attraction or take a canal cruise.
Order I Amsterdam City card online >>
OV-chipkaart
Another option is to buy an anonymous OV-chipkaart – a contactless rechargable card used for all public transport in the Netherlands, including trains. The card itself costs € 7,50. In order to travel with an OV-chipkaart, the card must contain enough credit to complete a single journey: for the bus or tram journey you need to have a minimum of € 4 credit on the card before checking in. For traveling with NS trains a minimum of € 20,00.
An anonymous OV-card can be purchased at GVB offices, at the stations, in newsagents, in supermarkets.
Please note that GVB (tram, metro, bus) tickets are NOT valid:
- In public transport operated by other companies (Arriva, EBS, Connexion etc. Usually these are buses that run from Amsterdam to other cities, like Volendam and Zaanse Schans). If you need to find out which transport company operates on your celected route, check 9292.nl website (the name of the company is indicated in the line with the bus number – it’s EBS company in the example below).
- In the train from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam. You will need to buy a separate train ticket. Alternatively you can buy Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket.
Public transport in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve (31 December 2022) you can use all GVB buses, trams, metros and ferries in the city until 20.00. On Sunday, 1 January 2023 the GVB timetable starts at 01:30. This applies to all GVB night buses, metro lines 52 and 54, ferries and extra shuttle buses between Sloterdijk, Central Station and IJburg. The timetable for Sundays and public holidays applies to all other GVB transport.
On New Year’s Eve (31 December 2022) there will also be no trains after 20:00. Train service will resume on New Year’s Day around 10:00. On the Rotterdam-Schiphol-Amsterdam-Utrecht night network, a train will run every hour from 01:00 on New Year’s Day. And from 5:00 am every half hour. Check the train departures times and plan your trip in advance! Happy holidays!
Here you will find more detailed guides to travelling around the Netherlands by public transport:
Travelling in the Netherlands by train
The Netherlands have a modern and extensive railway network, which includes around 400 stations. Intercity (faster) trains run between the larger cities, and Sprinter (slower) trains connect smaller stations. It’s easy to explore the Netherlands by train! Find out how to plan your journey, buy a train ticket online or at the station>>
Travelling from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol is located 17 kilometers away from Amsterdam. After you pick up your luggage, head to Schiphol Plaza and follow the signs to find trains, buses or taxis. Compare travel times and prices from Schiphol to Amsterdam by train, bus 397 and taxi and book airport transfer online >>
Travelling by international trains in the Netherlands
Planning to continue your trip around Europe from Amsterdam? Just take a high-speed train and continue your journey to other European destinations. Most international trains to Germany, France, Belgium run directly from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Check itineraries, prices and book international train tickets online >>
why do you not mentiom senior citizen fares
There are no special senior citizen fares (or discounts) for non-resident visitors in public transport in the Netherlands.
You have to be very careful using the chipcards. I have just spent over E 20 because of confusing check in and check out gates.
Hi Noel, unfortunately those things happen indeed. It’s annoying but you can always get your money back.
Technically the problem here is a missed check out, so you can claim a refund here https://www.uitcheckgemist.nl/ or contact a transportation company’s customer service (this link is for NS –
https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/forgotten/check-in-or-out-forgotten.html). Good luck!
We are planning to visit Amsterdam in a couple of week. We will be going to Ann Frank’s house, Rijksmuseum, and Heineken Brewery, plus airport. What is the most inexpensive mode of transportation that will allow us to get to those locations? What is the estimated cost? Thank you.
It’s probably the best for you to get separate tickets for travelling from Schiphol airport and for transportation in Amsterdam (GVB tickets). Train tickets from the airport costs € 5,60 per person. You can check prices for GVB tickets in the article above. If you stay at a hotel in the city center, it can also be a good idea to get around by walking.
Can I travel to Keukenhof with one day bus pass from Amsterdam city?
Hi! You cannot travel to Keukenhof with a day GVB (Amsterdam public transport) pass. But you can travel with a day Amsterdam & Region travel ticket.
If you are from Maasdam, how do you get access to these cards and can you just go to Amsterdam or are you allowed to go to Rotterdam as well? What will the total cost be for this. First time in the Netherlands. Thank you so very much.
Hi Binita, if you travel outside Amsterdam, you will need other types of tickets. You can use https://9292.nl/ journey planner to see what kind of transport you can use and what your journeys will cost.
Here is the article that explains how to buy train tickets in the Netherlands https://holland-explorer.com/holland-by-train/ If you travel by bus, you can buy tickets from the driver (no cash, cards only).
Have a nice visit to the Netherlands!
Does the Netherlands offer unlimited transportation tickets for people who live in the Netherlands? Bus/Rail/Boat ? I’m moving to the Netherlands for 18 months and would like to know which options makes the best sense.
Hi, you can buy subscriptions (also for unlimited travel) from different transportation companies:
For example,
– rail https://www.ns.nl/nsflex/webshop#/bestelling/producten,pppt
– public transport (bus/tram/metro) https://reisproducten.gvb.nl/nl/abonnementen
Most of this information is in Dutch, but I hope Google Translate helps.
And welcome to the Netherlands 🙂
Are there discounted prices for children?
Yes, a ticket for children 4 – 11 years old costs €4 a day.
Hi I am going to land at Schiphol airport and then am staying at an Airbnb in Haarlem for 5 days where I will be travelling to Amsterdam and back to Haarlem on each of those days, what ticket is recommended?
Hi! Amsterdam & Region travel ticket (for 3 + 2 days) is a good option, especially if you also plan to use public transport in Amsterdam.
If you need tickets only for commuting between Amsterdam and Haarlem + Schiphol, then you can buy usual single or return train ticket (better to do it online, it will save you 1 euro per ticket).
From 2023, you can use contactless payments on Dutch public transport: on all domestic trains, metros, trams and busses. You travel 2nd class, regular full price. The price is the same as using the anonymous ov-chipcard. For occasional travvelers, this is often the easiest and the cheapest solution. You do not have to register or signup to use this. Apple Pay, Google Pay and many contactless debit and creditcards are supported.
Travelling using contactless works as following: At the start of your journey, place your smartphone or bank card in front of the reader to check-in. At the end of your journey, or if you transfer, check-out at the same way. Remove your bank card from your wallet, to ensure that the system uses the right card. The costs will be in your bank transfer statement the next day, along with a website link and code to get your travel itinerary. For all details, see the official website at http://www.ovpay.nl.
Hope this helps anyone!
Hi Rogier, thanks for the update!
At the airport I bought a 1.5 hour ticket. I scanned in to a bus but didn’t know we were suppose to scan out . When I got on another an alarm went off and he told me I need to tap out going forward . Will I be charged a fee for not tapping out now? I purchased the only valid for 1.5 hours anyway so I’m not sure
In general you have to check in and out every time you use public transport in the Netherlands.
But I’m not sure I understood your question correctly – did you have a single 1,5 hours ticket? Then there’s no way you’ll be charged something extra afterwards.