Public transport in the Netherlands. Expenses on transport in Holland Travel tickets for public transport in Holland
Holland is a country where it is easy and convenient to travel by public transport. or by bus you can get to almost anywhere in the country. Here is a brief guide to using public transport in Holland.
How do I know which transport is right for me?
Use the route planner:
- 9292.nl - for travel from point A to point B by all means of transport in Holland
- ns.nl - for train travel in Holland.
How can I find out the schedule of the transport I need?
Both of the above sites show up-to-date transport schedules in Holland, updated in real time.
How much are tickets for public transport?
The cost of train tickets can be checked on the website ns.nl. In addition to the tariff, you need to pay 1 euro for a one-time card. This can be avoided by buying your ticket online or using an OV card.
Approximate fares for other modes of transport can be found on the website 9292.nl. There, the cost is calculated depending on the distance - the owners pay the fares at these rates
For example, using an OV card on the metro from Amsterdam Centraal to Museumplein costs 1.46 euros. Train Amsterdam - Haarlem 4.50 euros. Tram Amsterdam Centraal - Rembrandtplein 1.26 euros.
Single tickets tend to be more expensive: from 3 to 6 euros per trip, depending on the carrier. Almost all carriers sell tickets on board only by card.
Where to buy transport tickets in Holland?
You can buy train tickets from yellow machines at stations, at ticket offices (there will be an additional fee for the service) or online.
How to buy train tickets in Holland online? Recently, buying a train ticket online has become easier than ever. To do this, just go to the NS International website and choose where you are from and where you need to go.
One-time bus tickets can be purchased from the driver. He does not accept cash, payment is by card only.
Are there public transport passes in Holland?
Tourist passes are available in Amsterdam and the surrounding area:
- Amsterdam Travel Ticket for travel around Amsterdam and from/to the airport
- Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket for trips around Amsterdam and the surrounding area for 1-3 days
There are no unlimited train passes for non-residents.
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How to use public transport in Amsterdam? Amsterdam's trams, buses, metro and ferries are operated by GVB. You can buy tickets valid from 1 hour to 7 days.
You can fly to Holland by plane, travel by train or bus. There are several types of public transport in the country: railway, metro, bus. You can also take a taxi, rent a car or rent a bicycle.
How to get to Holland?
The most popular form of transport by which you can travel to Holland is by plane. But if you are afraid of flying, you can take a bus or train.
By plane
There is no shortage of flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Amsterdam.
Direct flights are offered by:
- Russian air carrier Aeroflot;
- Dutch KLM.
The cost of round-trip tickets for flights from Moscow: from 14.4 to 17.8 thousand rubles, from St. Petersburg - from 13 thousand.
Flights with transfers from Moscow and Northern capital The following companies have it:
- Austrian Airlines with a transfer in Vienna;
- Air France - in Paris;
- Lufthans - in Munich or Frankfurt;
- Swiss - in Zurich;
- Сzech Airline – in Prague;
- Finnair – in Helsinki;
- airBaltics – in Riga;
- Estonian Airs – in Tallinn;
- Turkish Airlines - in Istanbul.
The time of such a connecting flight is longer, but the cost of flight tickets is significantly lower.
Which airline companies can fly to Amsterdam from major cities Russia:
- from Ekaterinburg, Perm, Ufa, Samara, Kazan, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod– Czech Airlines with a transfer in Prague;
- from Samara, Nizhny Novgorod - Lufthansa via Frankfurt am Main;
- from Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don – Austrian Airlines with a transfer in Vienna;
- from Ekaterinburg – Finnair via Helsinki;
- from Kaliningrad – Air Baltic with a transfer in Riga;
- from Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Sochi, Kazan, Yekaterinburg - Turkish Airlines via Istanbul.
From other cities, you can choose a plane to Holland, which will fly through Moscow on a connecting Aeroflot flight.
By train and bus
The disadvantage of this method of transportation is the significant amount of time that you will have to spend in a train carriage or on a bus. But there is also an advantage: the route passes through European countries. You will get a lot of impressions from visiting Germany and Poland, the cities of Cologne, Berlin and Warsaw.
Trains from Moscow to Amsterdam depart from Belorussky Station twice a day. In 36 hours of travel you will cover a distance of 2596 kilometers and cross the borders of five countries: Holland, Russia, Germany, the Republic of Belarus and Poland. Train ticket prices: from 7 thousand one way.
Buses from Moscow to Amsterdam depart from the Airport on Tuesdays and Fridays. The route is not too different from the one the train takes, but the travel time is 2 days. Therefore, despite the comfortable conditions, the trip may seem more tiring. Bus ticket prices: from 146 euros one way.
Intercity transport in Holland
There are several options for traveling between cities in Holland.
- Train. Trains in Holland are modern rolling stock with a clear schedule. Intercity and suburban trains run at hourly intervals until 2:00. Railway transport– the most convenient way of transportation in Holland. Approximate prices: from Amsterdam to Haarlem – 5 euros, to Rotterdam – 15 euros.
- Taxi. Taxis in Holland can be ordered by phone or using special parking services. Approximate tariffs: 2 euros – minimum, each kilometer above the minimum – 1.5 euros.
- Car rental. In order to rent a car, you must have driver's license with at least a year of experience, age – from 21 and two credit cards. Rental conditions and prices vary among different companies.
- Intercity buses. Buses in Holland are highly comfortable. But bus drivers are not very punctual. Therefore, it is better to prefer other types of transport to move around the country.
The best view intercity transport in Holland it is considered a railway route: trains run strictly on schedule, they are comfortable, and the cost of the trip is low. Taxi is a fairly expensive form of transport if you are traveling long distances. Renting a car comes with some difficulties: not every person will be able to rent a car. The buses are very comfortable, but they drive at random, they are late and have delays along the way.
Urban transport in Holland
The most common form of transport in Dutch cities is the bicycle. All conditions have been created for cyclists: special roads with road markings and traffic lights are equipped, and there are machines for renting two-wheeled vehicles at every step. Renting a bike will cost you approximately $10–13 per day.
Large cities have a metro. It is important to know well the name of the stop where you will get off and not get confused with transfers. To travel by metro, you must purchase a single ticket, valid for all types of public transport.
You can travel within the city by bus: to stop it, you must vote.
In some cities there are tourist buses with special excursion routes, passing through the main attractions.
A ride on the bright, colorful Dutch trams will lift your spirits. Just hold on tight to the handrails; drivers of this type of transport love to drive and make sharp turns.
So, to summarize:
- It’s more convenient to get to Holland by plane, but more interesting by bus;
- It is better to travel between cities by train, and within the same city by bicycle;
- You should definitely take a ride on the “fun” tram and tourist buses;
- It is better to purchase a single pass for all types of transport.
The transport system in Holland works smoothly and efficiently. Therefore, there should not be any problems with moving around the country.
It is a fairly well integrated network consisting of trains, buses, trams and metro. Every day, about 1 million people use public transport in . Particularly noteworthy is the Dutch railway service, which combines good quality at a reasonable price.
The principle of operation is simple: when entering and exiting a vehicle, the passenger places the card on a reader located near the doors of the bus and tram, as well as at railway stations.
Public transport in quite strictly adheres to the timetable, which is located at each bus and tram stop, along with the route and the corresponding stops. Deviation from the schedule can vary within a few minutes.
If the routes of several buses coincide at a bus stop, then when you see the desired number, it is better to raise your hand and signal to the driver. If there are no passengers on the bus who want to get off, the bus may simply pass by. Yes, unfortunately, this also happens. The driver may think that you are waiting for transport going along a different route, because it is not always written on you in large letters that you are a tourist.
Entrance to the bus interior is strictly through the front door. If you don’t take this point into account and try to enter through the back door, then after the passengers leave the cabin, the doors will slam shut right in your face.
Entrance to the train, metro and tram is through any door. But you shouldn’t break into the carriage, immediately after the doors open, give the passengers the opportunity to get out of the carriage first.
By the way, another important point! In order for a bus or tram to stop at the desired stop, you must press in advance the button marked “STOP”, which are located along the entire cabin.
In this case, the driver's cabin light will light up and he will be aware that passengers want to get off at the next stop, where he will stop. Otherwise, if there are no people at the stop, the bus or tram will simply pass it without stopping. In order for the tram or train doors to open at the stop, you need to press the button located next to the door or on the handrail. She looks something like this.
The Netherlands has a well-developed transport infrastructure. An extensive network of roads, railways and expressways cover the entire country, ensuring ease and speed of communication with any locality.
Airports
The main gateway to the Netherlands is Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam. The easiest way to get from there to the city center is by train (every 15 minutes, travel time – 20 minutes, fare – 3.5 €). At night, trains also run, but much less frequently - once an hour. There is also an airport in Rotterdam, but it is much less popular. Groningen and Maastricht, as the main cities of the north and south, also have their own airports.
Railway transport
In the Netherlands best view transport - train. Trains from Amsterdam leave to almost any part of the country every hour, and within the Randstad agglomeration, where all are located Largest cities, generally every 10-15 minutes. There are also overnight Nachtnet trains that loop from Rotterdam to Utrecht via The Hague and Amsterdam (running every hour).
Trains from Amsterdam reach the most remote cities of the country - Groningen and Maastricht - in 2.5-3 hours.
Buses
Traveling around the Netherlands by bus is very inconvenient: there are no direct long-distance flights. For example, to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, you will have to go through Schiphol, Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague and Delft. Therefore, they are used to travel to small towns or within small regions.
Public transport
The cities have a unified urban transport system (GVB), including trams, trolleybuses and buses (including night routes - “nachtbussen”). A ticket for one trip is valid for one hour and costs 1.5 euros. It is more profitable to purchase multi-use tickets (“strippenkaarten”), consisting of several coupons that pay for one trip (a ticket of 15 coupons costs about 5 euros), as well as one-day (“dagkaart” - about 6 euros) and 9-day (22-30 euros) ) single travel cards.
Cities are divided into transport zones, therefore, depending on the travel route, coupons must be validated as many times as the number of zones the route crosses. The fee for traveling on a bus at night is doubled for 1-2 zones, and one and a half times for 3 zones. It is customary to enter public transport through the back door; entry into the front door is usually only allowed with multi-day passes, which are presented to the driver.
Rotterdam and Amsterdam have a metro. The cost of travel on the metro is the same as on other types of public transport. Travel cards for all types of transport can be bought at the station, at the post office, in some bookstores, at special GVB ticket offices, as well as from tram or bus drivers (only certain types of cards and slightly more expensive). Widely spread water transport- various pleasure boats, water taxis, etc., but this type of transport is much more expensive than public transport, and is aimed mainly at excursions and tourists.
Bicycles
The Netherlands is a cycling country, and Amsterdam is called the cycling capital of Europe. There are dedicated wide bicycle paths for them, special traffic lights, and parking everywhere. The bicycle is one of the main means of transportation in Holland. For children and dogs there are special luggage racks, boxes on wheels that are attached to the bicycle. You can also find multi-wheeled bicycles or welded bicycles for two or three people. All bicycles are extremely simple, so as not to tempt thieves. There are special parking lots for storing bicycles. In this country, a lot of paths are made specifically for cycling. Bicycles can also be rented at special points.
Roads and driving rules
The traffic is on the right, the road condition is excellent. On city streets, priority in traffic order is given to cyclists. The central strip of many streets is reserved for public transport. Parking on many streets, especially in areas with a concentration of attractions and public transport stops, is extremely difficult. On motorways the speed limit is 120 km/h, on local highways - 100 km/h, within settlements- 50 or even 30 km/h, police radars are installed everywhere.
On my blog there are several articles dedicated to the “” topic, but as it turned out, this section raises a lot of questions from those readers who are going to independently visit not only Amsterdam, but also other cities in the country.
Well, since quite a lot has accumulated in the comments to the articles a large number of questions and answers to them, I decided to combine them into a separate article that can clarify unclear points.
After all, not every reader views the comments and ends up asking the same questions that have already been answered. In addition (to my pride), Russian-speaking employees transport system, represented by Oksana and Mikhail, periodically read our discussions and really help solve pressing problems of misunderstanding in issues.
Question: You can transfer money back from your travel card to bank card, if, for example, you haven’t spent all the money on travel and are already leaving the country and don’t need a travel card anymore?
Answer: Yes, you can, you just need to pay attention that it does not exceed 30 euros and you will have to pay 2.50 euros in administrative costs for the refund service.
Question: Please tell me, when returning money with a loss of 2.50 euros, does the chip card remain with the owner or is it taken away?
Answer: When returned, the card itself remains with the owner - a separate amount of 7.50 euros is paid for it, and its validity period is 5 years.
Question: If, when transferring to a similar type of transport (for example, from bus to bus), the amount on the card is less than 4 euros, then the “check-in” during the transfer will work or the machine will somehow show that the amount on deposit is less than 4 euros , and therefore further travel is like a hare?
Answer: When “check-in” on the bus, 4 euros will be immediately written off as a deposit (this is the maximum cost of the bus route from the starting point to the final point) and the display will show how much money is left on the card. If the route is the maximum duration, it turns out that part of the journey you will pass as a “hare.” I hope that on the last section you will not fall into the clutches of the controllers, since they are also people and are lenient towards the mistakes of tourists, but they can “get off on the wrong foot”...
Question: Tell me, can commuter trains, for example, Amsterdam - Haarlem, also be paid for with this card or is it only for public transport in Amsterdam?
Answer: You can pay for commuter trains too, the only thing you should pay attention to is that during the “check-in” - for the train, there must be an amount of at least 20 euros on the card.
Question: Tell me, is it possible to use the NS ticket machine in advance for a certain route and load it onto an anonymous card, so as not to keep a deposit of 20 euros on it and not to buy a one-time ticket with an additional payment of 1 euro?
Answer: We'll tell you of course - unfortunately it's not possible.
Question: And, when traveling on an NS train with a transfer, you can skip the next train and take the second or third, and when you arrive at the final station, do " check out"?
Answer: If you travel by train, you can do a check-out within 6 hours from the moment of “check-in” without sanctions. But, if the time is closer to midnight, then you will have less than 6 hours, because all transactions are processed then and if the controller passes on the second train, then some of you will not be happy... I would still risk missing one train, but I didn’t try two or more :)
Question: Is it possible to travel from Amsterdam to Antwerp and back using OV-chipkaart on the same day? Or is it only valid in the Netherlands?
Answer: operates only in the Netherlands, and to get to Antwerp you need to buy a ticket at the box office.
Question: Are there any discount cards for travel to commuter trains? We plan to live in Haarlem and travel every day to Amsterdam, The Hague, Delph, etc. All this within a week. Is there any way we can save on travel?
Answer: There are no discounts on train travel for short stays in the Netherlands. There are discounts, but this applies to subscriptions - monthly or annual, for children and the elderly, students, etc. You can save a little by using OV-chipkaart or by purchasing tickets online, which must be printed. Despite the fact that they are sent to the specified email address, the electronic tickets shown on the gadget (phone, iPad, etc.) are NOT a travel document.
Question: Please tell me, this map valid for travel throughout the Netherlands? Let's say, if I buy a card at the airport, then use it to travel to Amsterdam, there for several days, using public transport (trams and metro), and then go to Amsterdam with this card and use it there to travel around the city (trams and metro). Is this possible?
Answer: That's right, the OV-chipkaart card is valid for paying for all public transport throughout the Netherlands, with the exception of intercity buses. So you can use the card to pay for travel both in Amsterdam and in.
Question: My wife and I and our 23-year-old son are flying to . Next, with a transfer in Leiden, we move to Hillegom. Do you need to buy 3 or is one enough, but with which you can check-in three times in a row and at the exit, respectively, check-out three times?
Answer: You need to buy one for each “rider”, since you won’t be able to check-in three times. Officially, it is considered as if one person “entered, exited, entered”;
Question: I read somewhere that the action does not apply to Arriva buses. Is this so and what advice can you give on paying for trips on Arriva?
Answer: On the official Arriva website it is written that travel on buses is paid for both with a ticket purchased from the driver (the second, of course, is more expensive).
Question: Who is given/how to get a discount of 20% and 40% on OV-chipkaart? If anything, I'm 60 years old.
Answer: Discounts of 20 and 40 percent are provided for holders of various passes, for example, annual passes, but, unfortunately, this is not profitable for tourists (meaning purchasing an annual pass).
Question: Price for travel using e-tickets and OV-chipkaart according to railway is identical, so the question is: are e-tickets bought for a specific train or just like OV-chipkaart, that is, without time and date, and does it need to be printed or is it enough to show it to the controller on the train on the screen of a tablet/smartphone?
Answer: E-ticket The e-ticket is not tied to a specific train and place, BUT is valid for a specific day. It MUST be printed, since the picture on the electronic device is not a travel document (information from the official website)
Question: When returning money, it must be less than 30 euros. Otherwise, the money will not be returned at all or only 30 euros will be returned?
Answer: They will not return the money at all, they will send you to travel until the balance drops to 30 euros.
Question: The website “9292.nl” does not say whether you need to check-in and check-out twice when transferring from one Arriva bus to another within one hour, but indicates one amount. Or buy a ticket from the bus driver, which will be valid for an hour?
Answer: Every time you board and disembark from a bus (tram, train, metro), you must do a “check-in” and “check-out”.
If within 35 minutes after the last “check-out” you take another transport, the system automatically takes into account that you made a transfer (overstappen) and does not write off the base fare of 0.88 euros (roughly speaking, “per boarding”). but only the corresponding tariff for the kilometers traveled (they differ slightly in different provinces)
Question: I read on the Russian-language Internet that the “check-in” and “check-out” terminals on the train are different. This is true? That is, if you mistakenly touch the same terminal twice, the reserve 20 euros will be automatically deducted? Do the “check-in” and “check-out” terminals in NS and ARRIVA differ not only in color (yellow or pink), but also in some other features during check-in?
Answer: The “check-in” and “check-out” terminals are the same, but the validators of different transport companies (for example, NS ARRIVA) differ. After "check-in" at the NS terminal, you will be charged a deposit of 20 euros. If you check-out at the NS terminal, the deposit will be returned (minus the cost of the flight). But if you confuse the validator and make a “check-out” at the ARRIVA terminal instead of NS, then the deposit will not be returned to you and NS (for them you did not check-out) and ARRIVA will write off the deposit (for them it is considered a “check” -in”). Then the trip will become really expensive... On each terminal it is written which company it is from and they are located next to each other quite rarely, but it happens (especially in big cities).
Question: Please tell me, can the same device be used for “check-in” and “check out” on buses and trams, or is there a special color for each procedure? And what will appear on the screen after attaching the card? Everything there is in Dutch! How do you know that registration was successful?
Answer: For “check-in” and “check out” on buses and trams, the devices are the same; they are located on the handrails, on each side of the door.
If you do a “check-in” when entering the transport, you will hear one sound signal (“peep”), and the display of the device will show the message “IN OK SALDO...” and how much money is on the card at the time of boarding, after the deposit amount is written off ( 4 euros on the bus and 20 euros on the train).
When exiting the vehicle, during “check out”, you will hear a double beep (two “beeps”) and see the inscription “UIT OK SALDO...”, how much was debited for the trip and the remaining balance on the card.
And yet, during “check-in” and “check-out” the main thing is NOT to miss and to place the card on the pink reader logo, and not anywhere else. If a person by mistake did not check-out, then for the system he continues to drive until the balance is written off for the longest trip along this route.
Question: Please clarify, the NS website has information about Route cart, incl. Traject Vrij Monthly ticket. As I understand it, these are travel tickets. Are they accessible to tourists?
Answer: Of course, a tourist can buy such a travel ticket, but the question is: will it be beneficial for him? A monthly pass represents travel on a given route by train for a month, and this is definitely more expensive than paying with an OV-chipkaart card or buying a ticket.
Question: On one of the sites about public transport in Amsterdam I read the following information: “The cost of travel on the NS train will be the same when using a card or purchasing a one-time ticket.”
Answer: The cost of a one-time train ticket will be the same as when purchasing it online. At the box office and in the machine, its cost will be 1 euro more expensive.
Question: For the metro, trams and buses you can buy a ticket for a given period of time in the form of a paper card:
- GVB 24 Hours (1 day) - 7.50 EUR
- GVB 48 Hours (2 days) - 12.00 EUR
- GVB 72 Hours (3 days) - 16.50 EUR
- GVB 96 Hours (4 days) - 21.00 EUR
- GVB 120 Hours (5 days) - 26.00 EUR
- GVB 144 Hours (6 days) - 29.50 EUR
- GVB 164 Hours (7 days) - 32.00 EUR
Did I understand correctly that if I plan to stay in Holland for a week and travel for the most part on trams, then such a pass is much more profitable for me (with an additional purchase of a train ticket if necessary), since I do not need to spend 7.50 on the card and, possibly, 2.50 to return it.
Answer: The paper GVB card is only valid in Amsterdam and how profitable it is depends on the intensity and distance of travel around the city. If it’s only once a day and a couple of stops, then it’s probably easier to buy a one-time ticket from the driver. If more often and further, then, of course, it is more profitable.
Question: If I need to travel from The Hague in transit through Leiden to Amsterdam: do I need The Hague-Leiden and Leiden-Amsterdam for this day and take any train? Or can you immediately buy The Hague-Amstredam, and then get off in Leiden, take a walk, and continue the trip? Is some kind of validation required for these tickets upon boarding?
Answer: You can buy a direct ticket from The Hague to Amsterdam, get off in Leiden, walk around and then continue on to Amsterdam. Tickets for a specific route are not tied to a specific place and time; they are valid for one day from 00:00 to 04:00 the next day.
Question: Do I understand correctly that you can only use a card or you can also pay in cash? And how to return the remaining money from OV-chipkaart? As I understand it, you can only return an amount below 30 euros minus 2.5 euros of administrative expenses.
Answer: You can either use a debit card (at any machine on the street, at a train station or in a store), or at OV-chipkaart card sales points (as a rule, they are located at train stations, at the airport, in newspaper stores). The seller can top up the card with the amount you need and you can pay him in cash.
You can return the balance from the card at OV-chipkaart service points
Question: Can I use one OV-chipkaart card for two people or should I take a card for each?
Answer: It is not possible for two people to use the OV-chipkaart card; each passenger must have their own card (say, like on a Russian bus - you don’t take one ticket for two?)
Question: Tell me where and how to contact if I forgot to do a “check-out”?
Answer: Contact the office of that transport company. which were used: GVB, Connexxion, EBS, etc.
Question: I read that for a ticket purchased in Amsterdam on a tram from a conductor or driver, you also need to do “check-in” and “check-out”, because it is valid for 90 minutes. That is, you can travel for some time, get off at the check-out, and then after some time get on another tram (for example, a return one). Is it so?
Answer: So! True, a ticket purchased from a driver/conductor is valid for 60 minutes, not 90. For it, “check-in” and “check-out” are also required. Within an hour you can transfer to another tram/bus (for example, a return one), that is, not in the total hour, but within an hour from the first validation.
Question: If a child is almost 4 years old, how can he prove to the inspectors that he is not yet 4? Do I need to carry his documents with me?
Answer: There is no need to prove your age; the inspectors take your word for it.
Question: In connection with a trip with a 10-year-old child to Leiden and Amsterdam, the following questions have accumulated:
1. “Rail runner” ticket for children from 4 to 11 years old - where can I buy it?
2. How much does it cost?
3. Can I use it on the train as well as on the bus?
4. How long does it last?
5. What are the terms of use that you need to know if travel is necessary every day?
I answer point by point:
1. Child ticket Rail runners can be purchased at ticket offices or train ticket machines.
2. Ticket costs 2.50 euros
3. Valid ONLY for domestic train travel (not valid for other types of public transport)
4. Valid all day
5. From the terms of use: a child with a “Rail runner” ticket can travel alone in second class carriages. In 1st class carriages he can only travel if accompanied by an adult.
Question: Is the 7.5 euros paid upon purchase refunded or not?
Answer: No.
If, after reading this article about, you still haven’t found the answer to your question, feel free to ask it in the comments, and I (and perhaps the staff of the OV-chipkaart service, represented by Oksana and Mikhail) will try to answer them.
