Strippenkaart NOT VALID FROM AUG 2009!, Amsterdam

It is hard to argue that Amsterdam has a superb public transportation system.
The combination of Trams, Subway, Bus and Train means that you can get to every street and every corner in the city without having to rely on a car.

One tip related to public transport is as soon as you get to Amsterdam you want to get yourself a "strippenkaart" (literally translated to strip-cards).

Strippenkaart is accepted in all means of public transport (including short trips on the large trains) and it has two main benefits:
1. It is cheaper than getting a ticket on the bus / tram.
2. You don't need to queue each time you need to board a train or subway.

It works as follows- you buy a card that has multiple strips on them (the most common is 15); Amsterdam is divided into zones, and depending on how many zones you are crossing the strips on the card will be stamped.
Within the city center it will cost you two strips. If you are traveling across two zones then it will cost you three strips, three zones will cost you four strips, etc.
One card can be used by multiple people too.

When boarding a subway the stamping machine is located before you get onto the platform. When boarding a tram either the conductor will stamp your card or you can do that in a machine on the tram. Bus drivers will stamp your card as you board.

The card cost Euro 6.80 for 15 strips and card can be obtained in metro stops, bus/train stations, magazine/cigarette shops and supermarkets.

There are always lot of discussions going on which ticket to buy...simple, it depends on ur need. If you are going to roam only during the day time and not going to use public transport during night, go for strippenkarte. A 15 strippencarte will do for 2 days. Amsterdam city is well connected by tram, and keep in mind, travelling by tram always saves your precious time though all the places can be covered by walk. But this strippencarte is not valid on night buses. This strippencarte is valid on all day buses including connexxion buses to Keukenhof gardens.

If you are going to use the night bus, then go for 24, 48 or 72 hours GVB pass. You can get this in all the stations through a vending machine. But, this pass is not valid for bus trips outside Amsterdam like Schipol or Keukenhof. Each journey in a night bus will cost you 3 Euros. So, you have to decide which one will suit you best.

The Strippenkaart is the most cost effective way to make several tram journeys in Amsterdam.
It can be bought from Centraal Station or various kiosks in the city.
Remember that a short journey needs the card to be stamped twice.

Besides the standard Strippenkaart you can also buy a daypass.

Cost is €6,30 for unlimited travel on the network of bus/tram/metro in Amsterdam (don't use trains) for 24hrs. 48hrs will cost you €10,- and 72hrs €13,-

There are also single and return tickets for sale but these are with €3,- and €4,50 a real rip-off. They are easy to use, but you'd rather stick to that strippenkaart.

One of de best n cheapest ways to travel in Trams r de Travel Strips. They can be purchased at the Grocery Stores also. However, the smaller Strip has 15 Slots, for the zones and cost about 6 Euro, and the 45 slot one cost about a 19 Euros, if you are travelling more.
Please make sure you are aware of the zone of your desination during stamping. You can get a Zone Contour Map from the Central Station as well. Once stamped, for a zone distance, it is valid for an hour.

You can buy daycards (1, 2 or 3 days), that can be used on the bus, tramway and subway. But I suggest you to buy a '15-strippenkaart' (strip ticket) for 6.40 EUR. That's even cheaper than daycards if you don't intend to travel a lot by public transportation.

We only used the tramway 3 times during our 3-days stay, going from the train station to the hotel and back, and one more trip, and we only used 12 zones out of the 15 for the two of us.

You can buy your ticket at a ticket machine in the train station.

Your strip ticket must be validated at the beginning of your journey. You can do this yourself, in one of the yellow machines on trams and at metro stations, or ask the driver to do it (your best option). How many strips you need to stamp depends upon the number of zones you will be travelling through. You must, however, always stamp one strip more than the number of zones you are travelling. When you are staying in the centre stamp 2 zones.

You can get all over the city by tram, bus, metro and local train for a reasonable fare. The Strippenkaart (a "carnet" of tickets) can be used on all forms of transport. You can buy them in the offices of the city transport authority GVB at the Central Station, Stationsplein 15, in the Scheepvaarthuis, Prins Hendrikkade 108, at Amstel Station and in all post offices and tobacconists.

With a day ticket you can use all public transport for a whole day. They can be bought from the GVB office or at the tourist office.

As you might or not know, in order to take the tram or the bus, you will need to either pay the driver (more expensive fare) or buy a "strippenkaart" before you get on.
Although the name may sound strange it is just a ticket with several "strips" (lines/stripes), each valid for one "zone". Minimum is 2 strips.
In order to understand better how all this work and to understand how many strips you need for your trip (thus avoiding any fine), check out the OV-Info (Openbaar Vervoer - Public Transportation) website that has comprehensive information on the subject. It also has the latest fare information.

www.vbn-bv.nl

When you are in Amsterdam and in good health, most things can be visited by going there on foot... Still you might feel a bit tired from walking or a rainshower might surprise you. Then you can take the tram or subway. Buying cards in the trm are rather expensive (1.60 euro for 2 strips)... It's better to buy a card upfront, in a local bookstore or in a supermarket (15 strips for 6,50 euro's or 45 strips for 19 euro's)... The tram will take you everywhere within the cityring for 2 strips. The strips are valid till 1 hour after you get the stamp from the driver, so if you don't like the place where you went, you can go back (or elsewhere) on the same strips !

If you are travelling around Amsterdam for a few days, and going to use the metro, tram and bus, buy yourself a "Strippen Kaart". You can buy them from most news kiosks and metro stations. They cover a number of trips and are stamped by the driver depending on the number of zones travelled. I bought a "Kaart" for 15 journeys last week and it cost me Eur6.40.
Tip...if you return on the tram within 1 hour you can do the return trip for free.