Count your museums before you buy a pass. Most short visits come out cheaper on single tickets.
Single tickets, usually. Unless you are hitting four or more museums.
The two main passes are the I Amsterdam City Card (museums + transport, by the day) and the Museumkaart (museums only, annual). Both can save money, but only if your itinerary is dense enough. For a 2-3 day trip with two museum visits, single tickets will be cheaper. Run the maths before you commit - the logic below holds even when the exact prices shift.
| Pass | Where to check price | What it covers | Worth it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Amsterdam City Card | iamsterdam.com | Unlimited GVB transport + free entry to 70+ museums and attractions, including Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, EYE, FOAM, ARTIS. Heineken Experience gets a discount, not free admission. | Visiting 4+ paid attractions and using transport for the full card period |
| Museumkaart | museumkaart.nl | Free entry to 400+ museums across the Netherlands for one year. Does not include public transport. | Staying a week or more, or visiting other Dutch cities. Not practical for 3-4 day visits. |
| GVB Day Ticket | gvb.nl | Unlimited GVB trams, buses, and metro within Amsterdam for 1-4 days. Does not cover NS trains. | Paying with cash, or making many short hops in a group. Otherwise OVpay with its daily cap usually works out cheaper. |
| Amsterdam Travel Ticket | ns.nl | Unlimited GVB in Amsterdam + NS train between Schiphol and Amsterdam (and Haarlem/Zandvoort). For 1, 2, or 3 days. | Flying in from Schiphol and making frequent GVB journeys. The Schiphol train is covered both ways, which alone accounts for a big chunk of the cost. |
Sold in 24h, 48h, 72h, 96h, and 120h increments - prices go up in rough steps as the duration increases, and the longer you go the cheaper it gets per day. The free museum list is long: Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, EYE Filmmuseum, FOAM, ARTIS Royal Zoo, H’ART Museum, Rembrandt House, and dozens more. Heineken Experience gets a discount rather than free entry. If you are planning to visit three or four of those free-entry museums plus using trams throughout, the maths usually works in the card's favour. Check iamsterdam.com for the current price on each tier before you buy.
Buy it online before you arrive to skip the tourist office queue. It works as a QR code on your phone. Note: the Anne Frank House is not included and requires a separate timed entry (book months in advance at annefrank.org). The Van Gogh Museum also requires a separate ticket.
An annual pass covering 400+ museums across the Netherlands. Entry is free, or heavily discounted, at virtually every significant museum in Amsterdam. Designed for residents and frequent visitors - you buy it once and use it all year. Tourists can buy it too, and some do, particularly if visiting for a week or more and also going to Leiden, Haarlem, or Delft. For a standard city break it rarely makes sense: the City Card is better calibrated to short stays. Current price at museumkaart.nl.
Since 2023, OVpay lets you tap in and out on GVB trams, buses, and metros with any contactless bank card or phone - no need to buy anything in advance. The fare is distance-based, so a short hop across the centre costs less than a longer journey. There is a daily cap on GVB (called GVB Max), which means your costs stop after a certain point even if you travel all day - this is the most useful thing to know when deciding whether a pass makes sense. Current fares at gvb.nl.
If you prefer a flat rate, a 1-hour ticket covers unlimited transfers across trams, buses, and metros for 60 minutes. A full day ticket is only worth it over OVpay if you are paying in cash, have a group, or are making a lot of short hops with long gaps in between.
The one to buy if you are flying in from Schiphol and plan to move around a lot. It covers the NS train between Schiphol and Amsterdam in both directions plus unlimited GVB, available for 1, 2, or 3 days. The Schiphol train alone accounts for a significant part of the cost, so you start ahead from day one. Buy it at Schiphol from the NS machines or online. It does not cover the Intercity Direct or other NS regional lines. Current price at ns.nl.
If you are visiting four or more paid attractions within the card period, usually yes. Add up the individual entry prices for the museums you actually want to see, compare with the card price for your duration, and the answer is usually obvious. Two museums only and the card rarely pays off. Current card prices at iamsterdam.com.
No to both. The Anne Frank House requires a timed-entry ticket bought at annefrank.org, usually months in advance. The Van Gogh Museum also requires a separate ticket. Do not leave either until you arrive.
Probably not. Tap your contactless bank card at the yellow OVpay reader on trams, metros, and buses and pay as you go - distance-based, with a daily cap so costs stop after a point. A flat-rate 1-hour ticket is also available from drivers and machines if you prefer simplicity. A multi-day ticket only beats OVpay for cash payers or very high-frequency travellers. Current fares at gvb.nl.
Rarely, for a short visit. It is an annual pass - good value if you are staying several weeks or returning to the Netherlands. For a 3-5 day trip, the I Amsterdam City Card is more practical.