Getting Around Amsterdam

Seeing Amsterdam On the Cheap

A beautiful city for walking, with its canals, flower gardens, parks and historic sights. The city of Amsterdam is laid out like a fan with the Central Train Station being the base of the fan. The tram routes sort of radiate out through the city from the Central Train Station and Centrum neighborhood with the city’s famous canals arcing across the fan.

Inside the first canal’s arc is the Centrum. It is the heart of Old Amsterdam that houses a majority of the museums and major sights and measures only about a kilometer quare but there is much more to explore outside the Centrum area. If you have the time. To get around quickly and inexpensively be sure and make use of public transportation.

To use public transportation in Amsterdam you will need to get the public transport chip card (OV-chipkaart) available for use to ride on all trams, buses and metros. The most convenient option for visitors is a disposable one-hour card or day card (valid for one to seven days). One-hour tickets can be bought from the conductor or driver on the tram or bus.

Buying A Chip Card

The main fare used is the non-personalised (rechargeable) GVB card, available at GVB ticket vending machines, GVB Tickets & Info locations, and many newsstands and supermarkets. The 24 hour ticket is €8.50 and currently €19 for a 72-hour ticket (February 2021).

Using Your Transportation Chip Card

The most important thing about using your chip card is to always to check in and check out. At the start of ride, hold your card up to the card reader until you see a green light and hear a beep. Also remember to do the same every time you leave the tram/bus/metro.

Seeing Amsterdam from a boat on the canals is another popular pastime and the most popular is the Hop On Hop Off Boat Amsterdam. It will allow you to make unlimited use of the sightseeing boats that cruise through the historic canal district. Hop On Hop Off Boat Amsterdam is the best way to explore the city’s canals and you can hop on and off as often as you like and wherever you want, or just sit back and enjoy the tour. At last check the tickets were €34.