How To Get Around Amsterdam Easily & Cheap

Getting to the City Centre

Schiphol international airport, Amsterdam is well connected with rest of the world. This busy airport has direct flight connections with most of the countries of Africa, America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The flight time from Heathrow (London) to Schiphol is around one and half hours over a distance of 371.4 kilometres.

Once you arrive at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, you will find a Tourist Information Centre at terminal 2 which is open from from 07:00am to 10:00pm. ATM’s, Currency Exchange kiosks and banks are available down the main hall. The City Centre is about 22kms from the airport and to the east.

Straight down the main arrival hall you will find the train station. Taxis are available outside the arrival hall on the right. Schiphol Travel Taxi is a popular taxi service and offers both private and shared transfers.

You can choose from a wide range of private transport and transfer services (including airport transfers) and book online from this Viator site.

Public buses and Shuttle services to hotels are also available straight out of the arrival hall. Schiphol Hotel Shuttle connects to over 170 hotels in Amsterdam. Shuttle fare for adults is 17 Euros while it’s half for children between 4 to 14 years. Public buses ply to various parts of the city… the bus number 197 goes to the center of Amsterdam Leidseplein. Bus service is quite frequent.

A good option to reach Amsterdam city centre from the airport is to avail a train. It takes only 20 minutes and costs 4 Euros to reach the Central station. There are plenty of ticketing machines that operate with credit cards. Machines allow you to choose English as the language… specify number of tickets, destination, class of travel, and opt for single or multiple rides.

You can even board the train without a ticket; reach Central station and then purchase on arrival… however this would attract a penalty of half Euro per ticket… follow the sign ‘Arrival by Train’ on reaching Central Station and pay for the ticket and penalty at ‘Train Tickets and Services’ counter.

The Central station of Amsterdam is operational since 1989 connecting various international destinations as well as cities within Netherlands. There are also city metro connections and trains connecting suburbs around Amsterdam. 15 platforms are operational to receive international trains. Station’s central hall is located downstairs.

The station has amenities such as fast food centres, restaurants, kiosks, newsstands, ATM’s and currency exchange center of GWK Travelex which usually remain opens from 8:00am to 10:00pm on weekdays and from 9am to 10pm on Sundays. Currency exchange is available near the centre of platform number 1 and 2, you will find ATM between platform number 4 and 5. Pay toilet is available towards platform number 2 and it costs half a Euro.

Tourist information center is available just outside the station building across the street. Luggage storages and lockers are available both at airport and Central station.

Public Transport

City Bus Service

Apart from GVB (public transport) there are three more private bus services available in Amsterdam (i.e. Connexxion, Arriva and EBS). Remember that OV-chipkaart is not valid in private transports. Instead an Amsterdam & Regional Day Card can be bought for 13.50 Euros which is valid for 24 hours and also accepted by all GVB transports.

GVB operates 32 bus routes in and around Amsterdam. 3 routes from Central station reach out to most parts of the city. There are other connecting routes around different parts of the city center as well. You can reach almost every part of the city by direct bus service or by connecting services offered by GVB. GVB operates normal services until 12:30 am. However there are special night bus services in 10 different routes (with excess fare). Visit the GVB website https://en.gvb.nl for further details.

Connexxion is a subsidiary of Transdev Netherlands and covers most of the country. They have few designated tourism routes as well. Presently almost 1,900 buses and coaches are in service in and outside Amsterdam. One important route (Red bus route number 397) connects Schiphol airport to various important hotels in Amsterdam with a frequency of 15 minutes. This company also offers unlimited travel per day with their all modes of transportation at a price of 11 Euros. For further info visit their website or you can collect information from VVV (Amsterdam Tourist Office). Visit their website www.connexxion.nl for booking and further info.

EBS is mostly known for its buses to waterland areas. It has 7 routes to various water lands around Amsterdam and few outskirt destinations. The routes originate from Central station area (outside platform number 15) on the bank of river IJ. These red and grey R-Net branded buses also offer free wi-fi networks. You can purchase unlimited EBS waterland day tickets for 10 Euros. Tickets can be bought from the bus drivers, EBS booth (rear the central station) or from Amsterdam Tourist office (VVV).

Arriva is one of the leading bus service providers in Netherlands. Presently they are operating 1,320 buses in the whole of Netherlands. This red buses have good connectivity from Amsterdam to other parts of the country. Refer to their website www.arriva.nl for booking and further info.

City Ferry Service and Boat Trips

Since Amsterdam is situated on the banks of river IJ and crisscrossed with canals, the ferry service too is well-developed. From the north side of the central station there is free ferry service (for passengers, bicycles and mopeds) to cross over the river IJ to reach Noord. There are 14 different ferry services (with multiple operators) in and around Amsterdam to reach different parts of the city and outskirts. The services are frequent.

Many private boat services are also available in the city. For canal cruise you can contact companies like Plezierig Varen to sail on a historical boat. It will cost you 59 Euros per person that includes sailing, dinner and drinks (Van Diemenkade 14, 1013 CR Amsterdam). For stylish leisure sailing contact Private Boat Tours, Oudeschans 2, 1011 KX Amsterdam.

You will find some of the most beautiful boats on hire from the Belle shipping company at Rederij Belle, Kruithuisstraat t/o 25, 1018 WJ Amsterdam. You might also try Rederij Lee Zaanferry Company located at Reggestraat 24H, 1078 DA Amsterdam. There are many other such companies in Amsterdam. For further information, visit www.iamsterdam.com.

Trams

Trams are integral part of Amsterdam’s public transport. There are government and private liner trams throughout the city. Tram in Amsterdam are convenient, efficient and offer a great way of experiencing the city life. Central station is the termination point for many tram routes. There are two tram stations outside the central station at a walking distance. One is located at the east side another on the west of Central station.

All trams starting from these two stations will get to the city center before radiating to their designated routes. For ticketing details see the OV-chipkaart section above. You can get specific details like route charts, timetables, stoppages and wheelchair accessibility etc from the GVB office.

Metro Rail

Metro system in Amsterdam operates centering Central station and reaches out to various suburban destinations. Metro is the fastest transport to reach some of the districts like Bijlmer, Amstelveen etc. OV-chipkaart, I Amsterdam card, Amsterdam Travel Ticket and One hour Tickets are the only means to avail metro services. The entry and exit system is totally automated although you might get someone for assistance if required.

There are total of five metro lines out of which four lines connect Amsterdam Central station. 58 stations in and around Amsterdam are connected through this Metro service. Note that you will require special tickets to reach airport by metro. Metro services are available from 6:00am to midnight. Note that metro premises are no smoking, no eating and no drinking zones. From July 2018 the fifth and the newest line became operative which connects Zuidlijn and New Noord via Central station. This is the first metro line running under the river IJ. Contact a GVB office for more information.

Trains

Majority of the railway service in Netherlands is operated by its National Railways known as NS. There are also private operators like Connexxion and Arriva. Netherlands has very strong railway network not only connecting suburbs of Amsterdam, it also connects all the major cities of the country along with international destinations like Germany, Belgium and France.

Within the city periphery of Amsterdam there are ten train stations including Amsterdam Central. Central station is the main station of Amsterdam and has great connections to other modes of transports i.e. Metro, Bus, Tram, Ferry etc. It is also easily accessible from Amsterdam city center. You can take your bicycle on trains with a bicycle ticket between 9:00am to 4:00pm on weekdays and anytime during weekends and anytime during the months of July and August.

For train schedules and other specific information visit www.ns.nl. Since 2014 standard paper tickets were withdrawn. Local commuters use OV-chipkaart. Single journey chip ticket can be purchased paying an extra surcharge of 1 Euro. Ticket can be bought online as well. Amsterdam Travel Ticket is a good option for non-tourists and business travellers to commute around Amsterdam including in trains. Stations are equipped with modern amenities such as lift, ramps and escalators and trains have provisions for wheelchairs.

City Taxis

Taxis are helpful especially at night and when you are late. But during peak time other public transports might be faster than taxis. The metered bill from the taxi driver has all the information printed about the journey details. Taxi drivers in Amsterdam accept short trips as well.

Taxis should have a roof light displaying the operator name and blue number plates. The rates since 2017 for taxis (four passenger max) are as follows… Starting price 2.98 Euros (max), per kilometer 2.19 Euros (max) and 0.36 Euros per minute (max).

For Taxi buses (5 to 8 passengers) rates are 6.06 Euros (max) as starting price, per kilometer 2.76 Euros (max) and per minute charge 0.41 Euros (max). Waiting charge for taxis are 3.98 Euros per hour. You cannot stop a taxi on your will especially on the busy roads. There are designated taxi stands.

Here are few taxi service providers (all of them have online booking facilities too)

Taxicentrale Amsterdam- 020 777 7777,

Staxi- 020 705 8888, Taxistad- 020 208 0000,
Taxi Direct Amsterdam- 020 633 3333,
BBF- 0900 900 6666,

Sustainable Taxi Service B.V.- 088 100 4444
Aemstel Taxi- 0900-0288.

Bike Taxi & Horse Carriage

You can also opt for Bike taxi, Disco taxi or Horse Carriage. Here are the contact numbers: Amsterdam Fietstaxi- 06-4650 2718, Tuk Tuk Sightseeing- 06-2020 9294, Karos Citytours (For horse carriage) 020-691 3478, Tom tours- 06-1494 2293, Disco taxi- 06-5469 8187 and Solar Rickshaw- 06-1529 6629. Apart from all these there are Van Delden Limousine Service (020-684 8408), Uber Amsterdam (download apps), Amsterdam Taxi online (06-1963 2963) etc.

Transport Passes

Transport Pass can be very handy as you travel in and around Amsterdam, it is not only economical, it allows you to travel hassle free. The pass would also work as your entry ticket to many tourist attractions. The public transportation system in Netherlands is known as GVB. There are mainly three types of travel cards available for public transports.

Note that the card that can be solely used for public transportations in Amsterdam is OV-chipkaart and the card that additionally gives access to tourist sites (not all) is I Amsterdam city card. Apart from this the Nationalised railways of Netherlands offers Amsterdam Travel Ticket for all public transport in Amsterdam.

OV-chipkaart

This card is widely used by the locals and is helpful for tourists as well to roam around the city and anywhere in Netherlands by public transports (i.e. Tram, Bus, Metro and Trains of the National Railways). This public transport chip card is of mainly two types but both are rechargeable. They are personalized and non-personalized.

A non-personalized OV-chipkaart can be purchased from GVB information centers, GVB ticket vending machines, newsstands and few supermarkets. Even short term (valid for one hour) card can be purchased from the GVB drivers and conductors although price for this is costlier (around 3 Euros for an hour).

Personalized card can be obtained online. If purchased from Dutch Railways site, a passport size photo is required. Remember that whenever you travel with your OV-chipkaart, do not forget to check in and check out while boarding and getting off, otherwise you might attract a fine. You will find machine with the logo of OV-chipkaart for check in and out.

Approach a GVB help desk if you have any confusion, or ask a local commuter… most can speak English. Always ensure you have minimum 10 Euros balance in your card. Note that cash is no longer accepted on board. Daily paper tickets of OV-chipkaart are also available for children. Check chipkaart website for further help.

I Amsterdam City Card

If you want to get around the city and visit museums and other attractions, I Amsterdam city card is a good option. This not only gives you opportunities to travel free in all modes of public transports, it will also gives you free or discounted entries to almost 60 museums in or outside Amsterdam (but within Netherlands). The most interesting part is this card offers a one-hour free canal cruise with any of the operating canal cruise companies in Amsterdam. You will also get discounts at theatres, restaurants and various other places. The card will be handy even for your day trips from Amsterdam.

As with OV-chipkaart, do not forget to check in and check out. You can purchase the card online from this website iamsterdam.com. A 24 hours validity card costs 59 Euros, 48 hours validity card 74 Euros, 72hours card 87 Euros and 96 hours card 98 Euros. The card gets activated and time starts counting when you use it for the first time. You can also purchase this card directly from Amsterdam Tourist Office (VVV) 10 Stationsplein (opposite to the central station entrance), arrival hall 2 at Schiphol airport and in few selected shops, news agents and some selected hotels.

Amsterdam Travel Ticket

If you are on a short trip or for a business trip in Amsterdam then a good transport solution is Amsterdam Travel Ticket. This ticket is valid for all GVB operated transports that includes tram, bus (night bus also), metro, ferry and train for unlimited use within the city. This ticket also includes return journey from Schiphol airport to any train station in Amsterdam. Like other two cards checking in and out is must during commencement and termination of your journey.

This travel ticket costs 16 Euros for single day, 21 Euros for two days and 26 Euros for three days. It can be bought from the NS ticket desk at Schiphol airport and from any of the 10 train stations of Amsterdam. You can also buy this from I Amsterdam Visitor Center, GVB and EBS booths near central station.

Also note that there are few more cards (passes) that offer free entries and other facilities but do not include all modes of transports… They are Amsterdam Holland Pass, Combination Deal Pass and Museumkaart (Museum card for entry to numerous museums).

Day Trips

There are several nice places you can visit by train from Amsterdam. All journeys below start from Amsterdam central station unless mentioned otherwise.

Zaanse Schans is at half an hour train ride from Amsterdam. Once you reach, you can experience the scenes of 18^th century. Do not forget to take a boat ride by Koeienboot (cow ship). Zaanse Schans is located around 16.5 kilometres north of Amsterdam. The best way to reach there is to take a train (Sprinter 4034) towards Uitgeest and get down at Zaandam. From Zaandam take a Connexxion bus line 67 towards Noordweg and get down at Zaandijk, and then walk for 800 metres. To walk less board a direct bus of Connexxion (line 391) from the bus station outside Amsterdam Central station towards Zaanse Schans. In this case you need to walk for only 2 minutes. The journey time is around 40 minutes and return journey ticket costs slightly over 7 Euros per person.

Haarlem, the capital of North Holland is another interesting place for a day trip to witness the history of pre-medieval period. You can reach there in 20 minutes time. Haarlem is located around 17 kilometres west of Amsterdam city. This place is well connected by trains. Take an Intercity 2238 towards Vlissingen and get down at Haarlem. Journey time is around 15 minutes. Intercity 2151 towards Den Haag, Sprinter 4847 towards Sloterdijk and Sprinter 5453 towards Zandvoort aan Zee also stop at Haarlem station. Ticket costs around 4.30 Euros per person for single journey.

The cheese town of Nederland Gouda is located towards south of Amsterdam. It will take around an hour to reach by train. If you are visiting in between April to August-end then plan your trip on a Thursday morning to witness the famous weekly cheese market. Gouda is located around 52 kilometres south of Amsterdam. Sprinter 4047 goes directly to Gouda from Amsterdam central station. Alternatively you can take Intercity 3945 towards Heerlen and get down at Utrecht Central station, change to Intercity 540 towards Rotterdam Central and get down at Gouda. Check for suitable trains on www.ns.nl. Single journey ticket costs 11.50 Euros per person.

Getting To Major Attractions

Visits to all attractions below start from Amsterdam Central station area or Stationplein which is a major transport hub (unless mentioned otherwise).

Jordaan neighbourhood with its narrow streets and quaint buildings is actually a working class area and full of antique shops, art galleries, bars and restaurants along with courtyard gardens. This place is located around 2 kilometres south west of Amsterdam Central. Board a line 288 bus towards Nieuw Sloten and get down at Westermarkt stop (journey time 7 minutes), then walk for 230 metres. You can also reach Westermarkt by line 284 bus going towards A’veen bus station.

9 Streets is located 1.5 kilometres south of Stationplein. You can reach Westermarkt area as mentioned above and then walk for 600 metres to get to 9 streets.

The museum Anne Frank is located at Prinsengracht and at a distance of 1.5 kilometres southwest of Amsterdam Central Station. Take a line 17 (towards Osdorp Dijkgraafplein) or line 13 tram (towards Geuzenveld) and get down at Westermarkt. Then it is around 150 metres of walk to Anne Frank Museum. You can also take a bus as mentioned above.

Rijksmuseum houses 17^th century chiaroscuro masterpiece paintings by Rembrandt Van Rijn and paintings of another maestro of same age… Johannes Vermeer. Rijksmuseum is located 2.5 kilometres south of Amsterdam Central. Take a line 283 bus towards Osdorp de Aker to Leidseplein, from there it is around 10 minute walk. Journey time by bus is around 15 minutes. Alternatively you can ride the newly introduced metro line 52 towards Zuid station and get down at Vijzelgracht station. Then walk for 500 metres to Rijksmuseum.

Van Gogh Museum is famous for exhibiting 19^th century maestro Vincent Van Gogh’s creations. It is located around 3 kilometres south of Stationplein and can be reached by metro line 52. From Vijzelgracht station walk for 900 metres. Alternatively get down at De Pijp, then take a line 12 tram towards Central station and disembark at Van Baerlestraat and walk for a minute to reach Van Gogh museum. You can also get there by first reaching Leidseplein (as mentioned above) and from Leidseplein you need to walk for 750 metres.

Oostelijke Eilanden or the Eastern Island is well known for windmills. This place is located only 2.3 kilometres southeast of Stationplein. Board a line 22 bus towards Muiderpoortstation and disembark at Kattenburgerstraat, from there it is a 700-metre walk. Alternatively you can take a line 26 tram towards IJburg and get down at Kattenburgerstraat, from tram station the distance is around 1 kilometre. To avoid the walk you can disembark at Rietlandpark travelling by the same tram as mentioned earlier, then change to a line 7 tram towards Slotermeer, and then get down at 1e Coehoornstraat. However finally you need to walk for little less than 300 metres.

Bloemenmarkt, worlds only floating floral market is located around 1.5 kilometres south of Stationplein. Tram is the most convenient way to get there. Take either a line 12 tram (towards Amstelstation) or a line 2 tram (towards Nieuw Sloten) and get down at Koningsplein, then walk for around 150 metres. Journey time by tram is around 10 minutes. Alternatively you can ride a line 52 metro towards Zuid and disembark at Rokin station and then walk for little over 5 minutes. Journey time by metro is around couple of minutes.

47-acre Vondel Park is the largest park of Amsterdam with an open air theatre, three bars and several restaurants. The park is located around 3.5 kilometres southwest of Stationplein. You can take either line 2 or line 12 tram to Leidseplein Square and then walk for little over a kilometre to reach the park. By tram it is around 12-13 minutes journey.

Car Rentals

There are plenty of car rental companies in Amsterdam. Here are few of the well-known ones:

Sixt Autoverhuur located at Amstel business park (rates around 35 to 40 Euros per day for small cars), Website: www.sixt.com/car-rental/netherlands/amsterdam
Enterprise Rent a Car at Harry Banninkstraat 129, Oosterdokeiland, 1011 Amsterdam (18 Euros for 3 hours), Website: www.enterprise.nl/en/home.html

Europcar Autoverhuur located at Bolstoen 1 , 1046 AT Amsterdam. Website: www.europcar.nl/

Bicycle Rentals

Netherland is a land of bicycles. This country has more than 20,000 miles dedicated bicycle tracks, so it’s natural that roaming around Amsterdam on a bicycle is a popular activity among tourists. There are number of companies that provide bicycles on rent. Normally the charge of bike rental is 9 Euros for 24 hours but it may vary from company to company. You can choose from wide range of bikes.

Here are few bike rental companies:

Discount Bike Rental (open from Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 06:00pm) located at Nieuwe Nieuwstraat 19, 1012 NG Amsterdam (www.discountbikerental.nl),
Yourcitybike- Bike Rental Amsterdam (open 7 days a week from 9:00am to 9:00pm) at Kerkstraat 27-H, 1017 GB Amsterdam (www. yourcitybike.com),
Yellow Bike Rental Central Station (7 days a week from 9:30 am to 6:00pm) located at Nieuwezijds Kolk 29, 1012 PV Amsterdam (www.yellowbike.nl/en/)

Scooter Rentals

You can hire a scooter or a moped for 20 to 25 Euros per 24 hours. Here are a few well-known scooter rental companies.

iBike Scooter Rental, Geldersekade 91 HS, 1011 EL Amsterdam, Website: www.ibikerental.nl
Scooter Experience, Noordeinde 54A, 1121 AE Landsmeer, Website: www.scooterexperience.nl

Scooter Rent Amsterdam, 3e Hugo de Grootstraat 2 HS, 1052 LL Amsterdam. Website: www.scooter-rent-amsterdam.com

Transport tips

Use trains for short day visits to the nearby places around Amsterdam. It’s convenient and time saving.
If you rent a bicycle, stay alert while parking because Amsterdam has high rate of bike theft (since the usage is also very high).

If you are walking around Amsterdam try to avoid designated bicycle tracks because cyclists do not bother to put breaks on and stop. They can hit you and pedal away.
Do not forget to check in and out your travel passes every time you travel.