Amsterdam Public Transport Tickets & Fares

OVpay: contactless pay-as-you-go with the GVB Max cap

For most visitors OVpay is the easiest choice. Hold your contactless debit or credit card — or a phone wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet — against the pink-and-blue reader when you board and again when you leave, and the system charges the correct distance fare automatically. There is no app to install, no card to buy and no balance to top up. A GVB ride costs a €1.16 boarding fee plus €0.217 per kilometre, and short hops usually come out cheaper than the flat €3.40 hour-ticket.

The clever part is the GVB Max cap: keep tapping with the same card all day and your total GVB charge never exceeds €10.50, so heavy riders effectively get a day pass without buying one. The catch is the tap-out rule — you must tap out on every leg, including trams and metro, or you are billed a €4 penalty fare. One traveller needs one card or device; you cannot tap two people through on a single phone.

• Works on GVB trams, buses, metro and the IJ ferries, plus NS trains
• Fare: €1.16 boarding + €0.217/km; GVB total capped at €10.50/day
• Use Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or V PAY — American Express is not accepted
• One person per card or device; always tap in and out, or pay €4 extra

GVB hour and 1–7 day tickets

GVB also sells fixed time-based tickets that ignore distance. A single 1-hour ticket costs €3.40 and covers unlimited transfers across trams, buses and metro for 60 minutes — handy for one longer journey. If you will ride repeatedly from your first tap, a day ticket is cleaner: €10 for 1 day, €16 for 2, €21.50 for 3, €27.50 for 4, €34 for 5, €39 for 6 and €43 for 7 days, which works out to about €6.15 a day on the week pass.

Day tickets are valid in hours from first check-in and run day and night, so they also cover night buses. They cover GVB city transport only — they do not include the NS train to or from Schiphol, which is a separate fare. Buy them at metro and tram-stop machines, in the GVB app, at GVB service points or online in advance. Note that the older 1.5-hour BTM ticket has been discontinued for 2026.

• 1-hour ticket €3.40; child 4–11 day ticket €5; under-4s ride free
• Day tickets: 1d €10 · 2d €16 · 3d €21.50 · 4d €27.50 · 5d €34 · 6d €39 · 7d €43
• Night-bus single €5.70; multi-day passes already cover night buses
• Best value once you take three or more rides a day

Getting in from Schiphol: train, bus 397 or taxi

The fastest link is the NS train: the station sits directly under Schiphol Plaza, trains run up to eight times an hour from 05:30 to 01:00, and the ride to Amsterdam Centraal takes about 17–20 minutes. A second-class single is roughly €5.90–7.10 (add €1.60 for a single-use chip ticket if you are not paying contactless); first class is around €11.50. Hourly night trains run 02:00–05:00 with a change at Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.

The Airport Express bus 397 is the scenic alternative — €6.50 single or €11.75 return on the official Connexxion fare, about 30 minutes, roughly every 10 minutes by day (hourly Niteliner N97 at night). It boards at stop B17 to the right of Schiphol Plaza and stops at Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein before ending at Elandsgracht, about 2 km from Centraal. It is not covered by GVB tickets. A metered taxi from the marked rank runs about €35–55 (occasionally up to ~€75), with Uber or Bolt around €40–65 — use only official taxis, never drivers who approach you in the hall.

• Train: ~17–20 min, up to 8/hr, single ~€5.90–7.10 (1st class ~€11.50)
• Bus 397: €6.50 single / €11.75 return (Connexxion fare), ~30 min, every ~10 min by day
• Taxi: ~€35–55 (up to ~€75); Uber/Bolt ~€40–65, official rank only
• The Amsterdam Travel Ticket bundles the train and bus 397 with GVB

Amsterdam Travel Ticket vs Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket

The Amsterdam Travel Ticket is built for arrivals: it bundles unlimited GVB city transport with the Schiphol airport train and bus 397, sold in 1-, 2- and 3-day versions at €23, €34 and €44. If you fly into Schiphol and will lean on trams and metro, it removes the need to buy separate airport and city tickets and usually beats paying piecemeal.

The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket goes wider — from about €23 — adding regional Connexxion and EBS buses that reach Schiphol, Haarlem, Volendam and Marken, Zaanse Schans, Keukenhof and the North Sea beaches. Choose it only if your itinerary genuinely leaves the city. For a trip that stays central, the standard Amsterdam Travel Ticket is the simpler, more focused pick.

I amsterdam City Card: transport plus museums

The I amsterdam City Card pairs unlimited GVB transport with free entry to 70+ museums, bike rental and a canal-cruise discount, priced by the hour from €67 (24h) to €140 (120h). As a rough rule it pays off once you do three or more paid attractions a day plus transport — but note it excludes the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum (and the airport train), and there is no child version. We work through the full inclusion list, the 2026 prices and whether it beats individual tickets in the I amsterdam City Card guide.

• Includes 70+ museums, unlimited GVB, bike rental and a cruise discount
• Excludes the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and the Schiphol train

Which ticket should you buy?

Match the ticket to your trip rather than buying the biggest pass on offer. If you walk and cycle and take only the occasional tram, OVpay pay-as-you-go is cheapest — and GVB Max quietly caps a busy day at €10.50 anyway. If you criss-cross the city from the first ride, a GVB day ticket locks in the cost. If you are arriving from Schiphol and staying central, the Amsterdam Travel Ticket folds in the airport train. If your plans reach Zaanse Schans or Volendam, step up to the Region ticket; and if you are doing heavy museum days, weigh the I amsterdam card.

• Light rider, lots of walking → OVpay contactless (capped at €10.50/day)
• Several rides a day, central trips → GVB day ticket
• Flying in via Schiphol, staying in town → Amsterdam Travel Ticket
• Day trips to Zaanse Schans or Volendam → Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket
• Three-plus paid attractions a day → I amsterdam City Card

Amsterdam ticket types, durations and 2026 prices