Transport in Amsterdam – The best way to get from A to B

If you have travelled to our beautiful city by public transport, you have already done something right. Amsterdam is not known for being a relaxed place to drive around by car – on the contrary, the city even tries to limit car traffic as much as possible. Once you arrive, you will realise why this is the case. Narrow alleyways, narrow side streets, canals upon canals and cyclists at the top of the traffic pyramid. Here, cyclists are more likely to admonish motorists than the other way round 😉 So if you don’t own or don’t want to hire an ultra-small car, it’s best to use public transport. In this article, we will tell you which transport options you have in Amsterdam and which of them are really worthwhile for your stay.

Travelling without a car – what options are there?

To be mobile here in our beautiful city without a car, there is public transport. It’s called Gemeente Vervoer Bedrijf, abbreviated to GVB and translates as Municipal Transport Company. This gives you the following options:

Tram / Bus

The most common and popular means of public transport are Amsterdam’s trams and buses. Between 6:00 in the morning and 00:30 at night, you can travel flexibly, especially in the centre, west, south and south-east of the city. Line 2 even passes so many sights that it has been named one of the best lines in the world by National Geographic!

But beware, the tram concept works a little differently here: you can board in the front door by the driver and in the rear double door. All other doors are for alighting and are therefore equipped with barriers. This ensures that all passengers can board, alight and transfer quickly and easily. Clever, isn’t it 😉

Cost: €3.40 hourly ticket / €9 day ticket (so if you travel more than twice, you should buy the day ticket).

Underground

In addition to trams and buses, you can also hop on the metro. Although there are “only” four metro lines in Amsterdam, they run very regularly and cover a lot of ground. The centre of Amsterdam is particularly well connected to the south and south-east of the city by metro. Since 2018, one metro line even runs under the IJ waterway, which separates the north from the rest of the city and therefore also takes you to this beautiful part of the city.

Cost: €3.40 hourly ticket / €9 day ticket (so if you travel more than twice, you should buy the day ticket). With the GVB tickets you can use the bus and tram as well as the underground.

Ferry

Attention all savers! The ferries that connect Amsterdam Noord with Amsterdam city centre are completely free of charge. The north of Amsterdam has a lot to offer, so let the gentle breeze blow around your nose and discover the former industrial area of NDSM.

Uber/ Taxi

If you don’t want to do without the comfort of a private vehicle, you can of course fall back on the well-known taxi. The quickest and easiest way to do this in Amsterdam is with Uber! You can usually get a ride via the app in just a few minutes. However, at peak times (hello, weekend!) it can sometimes take longer. So it’s always worth checking public transport again to find the quickest way.

Cost: depends on the route, but expect to pay at least €15 – €45 per trip.

What’s the best way to plan your trip?

Of course, the well-known Google Maps also works for us in Amsterdam. However, in addition to a large number of transport options, we also have a lot of construction work going on at the moment, which can sometimes slow down or paralyse local transport. Maps is sometimes not up-to-date, especially when changes are made at short notice.

We therefore recommend that you do as the real Dutch do and download the local app 9292. It’s completely free and always shows you potential changes in real time. Simply enter your starting point and destination and you’re ready to go! The app is available in Dutch or English.

GVB-Kaart, Amsterdamkart & Co. – Which ticket option is the cheapest?

If you’ve already leafed through all the travel guides and compared all the offers before your trip to Amsterdam, you might not be able to see the transport forest for the trees. Don’t worry, we’ve been travelling from A to B within our beautiful city for over 10 years and know exactly what’s worthwhile – and what’s a waste of money. We have therefore picked out the 5 types of transport that are most typical here. Which one do you belong to? 🙂

1) The frequent travellers

If walking a lot and long distances are not your thing and you still want to discover many different parts of the city (beyond the city centre), we recommend a GVB day ticket (€9). This is worthwhile for more than 2 journeys by tram, bus or underground. The day pass is particularly useful on days when you have planned many stops in different parts of the city.

2) The commuters

Amsterdam’s central accommodation can be quite expensive, so many choose to stay a little further out (at least as nice, but better for your wallet ;)). If you have to travel into the city first, it’s worth comparing your options. The train connections in the Netherlands are very good and usually easy to reach. However, sometimes a bus might be the cheaper option, just check 9292. For all commuters, it’s always worth planning your transport each morning, depending on what you have to do that day. Attention: Train tickets ≠ GVB tickets! In principle, 2 different tickets must be purchased. In individual cases, check online to see which is the best option for you.

3) Those interested in culture

Attention museum lovers! There is a very special card for you in Amsterdam that makes sense for many museum visits: The I amsterdam City Card. Although this card costs €60 for 24 hours, it offers you a lot in return. You get entry to over 70 museums, can use public transport, get a 1-hour canal cruise and can also hire bikes at no extra cost. If you’re only going to Amsterdam for a single day and want to do the hardcore cultural programme, this card is just right for you! For those who want to take it a little easier, it’s worth buying the tickets individually.

Pssst… the I amsterdam City Card does not give you access to our exciting city tours. So if you want to get to know the city in a more personalised way and with a lot of Amsterdam love, you should take a look at our (private) guided tours😉

4) The runners

We all have someone in our family or circle of friends who always says: “Come on, it’s only a 10-minute walk!”. Regardless of the fact that this person is often grossly understating the case, Amsterdam is a great city that can be discovered without any means of transport. If you are sporty and your hotel is in (or not far from) the centre, you can confidently put on comfortable shoes and discover the city CO2-free and free of charge!

5) The cyclists

If you belong to this group, we would like to congratulate you on your courage! You probably know that the ‘fiets’ is Amsterdam’s number one means of transport. What you may also have heard is that cycling is the supreme discipline in our beautiful canal city. The Amsterdammers are travelling at a rapid pace (and without a helmet) and you should have good cycling skills if you want to get into the action here. You can hire a bike from €15/day, which is only a small price difference to the GVB day pass.

If you’d rather hand over the responsibility and relax a little more on your bike, our historic city centre bike tour is just the thing for you! If you prefer to leave the chaos of the city centre behind, you can join us on our idyllic Amsterdam Noord bike tour. 🙂