Amsterdam

[Whistledown2]

Will be there for 4 days, predominantly for keukenhof gardens, just one day there. What is the best way to buy public transport tickets. I have seen online something similar to our Oyster card system but can't quite get my head around it. Can anyone shed light?

There are a number of options:

You should be able to tap in and off using a Visa or Mastercard debit card, though bear in mind some foreign-issued debit cards won't necessarily work, despite what the official blurb says.

9292.nl or the 9292 app is invaluable for public transport planning as it covers all types of transport, with real-time updates. You can also buy e-tickets on it, though there is a small admin charge.

NS.nl or the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) app covers the Dutch rail network. Again e-tickets can be bought on it, with discounts sometime available if you buy in advance.

For Amsterdam itself, it may be better value to get a GVB travel pass which covers the city itself. Similarly, an Amsterdam & Region Travel Pass can be bought for the city plus a considerable area around it, if you wanted to venture further afield.

For Keukenhof, I think there's a travel section on their website covering the optiobs.

If you want transport advice once you arrive in Amsterdam, there are tourist info offices both at Schipol and outside Amsterdam Centraal.

Have a wonderful time!

Meant to add, the card system you mentioned is the OV Chipkaart.

The term refers either to paper tickets you can buy from ticket machines or service points, or to a plastic card (purchased from the same places), which you can load with credit. You then use the plastic card to tap on and off, as you can with a bank/credit card.

For a 4-day stay the plastic card probably isn't worth getting as it costs a non-refundable 7.50 euros, before you even put credit on it. You also have to make sure you have more credit on it than you may actually need, which can be a faff.

The OV chipkaart isn't needed any more — your debit card should work fine, tap-on/tap-off. My UK Visa debit was fine last time I visited.

Keukenhof itself is a little bit in the middle of nowhere. We went once before but it was near the end of the season and a few of the displays were a bit past their prime, so we are going again in a couple of weeks (hoping not to be too early this time!). It's an interesting event from an organisational point of view because it is run by the council of a small town of 20,000 people together with the tulip breeders (is that the right word?), so the local infrastructure is very limited as it's a very quiet place apart from 6 weeks of utter mayhem (numbers-wise) every year. Imagine if 25,000 visitors per day were to descend on a place the size of Kenilworth. On the plus side it is wonderfully non-corporate.

You can buy bus+entry tickets starting from Amsterdam RAI (a station on the southern edge of the city), Schiphol airport, Haarlem, or Leiden from here https://www.tiqets.com/en/lisse-attractions-c260931/tickets-for-keukenhof-entry-ticket-public-transport-bus-different-locations-p1110973/?partner=explorer. We are staying at a hotel near the airport, so we will get their shuttle bus and start from there.

@TreesAtSea @samarrange We are staying at a hotel near the airport (Hampton by Hilton) and will be going to Keukenhof from there, I think it's easy enough from what I've read. I think I'll use my currency credit/debit (Monzo type) card that I normally take abroad and use that for journeys. Thank you both for the info.

OV chipkaart is still needed if your card doesn't work. On my visit a few months ago, my UK Visa debit card worked fine on buses and on NS ticket machines, but not on NS ticket barriers, so I couldn't tap on and off, whereas my UK Visa credit card did work.

@samarrange thanks so much for the links to tickets, I used it and it was seamless.
@TreesAtSea thanks for the info on the touch system. I used my currency card and worked perfectly.

Had a fabulous few days. Than me to both of you😊