Strippenkaart NOT VALID FROM AUG 2009!, Amsterdam

A strip of tickets cost 12.5 guilders. At the train station there are machines that you can get them at. HAVE YOUR MONEY READY before you go to the machine. There are scoundrels in the train station that will 'help' you get the tickets if you don't know what you are doing and they usually help you out of some of your money.

When you get on a tram you have to fold the strip to stamp it in the machine at the back of the tram or the conductor will stamp it at the front. If your staying in the Centraal District it will take one stamp, if you go to 2 districts then you skip one of the lines and stamp it. Fold the strip and stamp it everytime you get on the tram.

Bono para el transporte (autobús, tranvía, tren y metro)

El bono para el transporte con el que debes 'picar' es el llamado 'strippenkaart', un tipo de bono multiviaje que vale para cualquier autobús, tranvía, metro y el tren de 2a clase dentro de la zona urbana de Ámsterdam, Rótterdam , La Haya, Utrecht y Zoetermeer. A efectos del transporte público, Holanda se divide en zonas con tarifa estándar. Se paga según el número de zonas que se atraviesa. Cada zona cuesta un casilla más la tarifa base de una casilla. Para saber cuantas zonas tiene que sellar puede mirar en los mapas en las paradas del autobús y tranvía. Lo puede sellar el conductor o la máquina amarrilla que hay destinada para tal fin. Se puede comprar en las estaciones de ferrocarril, estancos, algunas oficinas de turismo VVV, supermercados, librerías y correos (un bono de 15 casillas cuesta EUR 6,80, un bono de 45 casillas cuesta EUR 20,10 ). Es más caro comprarlo en el autobús/tranvía/metro/tren mismo. Está permitido el trasbordo.

Las zonas: Válido por:
1-3 1 hora
4-6 1,5 hora
7-9 2 horas
10-15 3 horas
16 o más 3,5 horas

Buy a '15-strippenkaart' (strip ticket) for 6.80 EUR (Feb 2007) is cheaper than day-cards, if you don't intend to travel a lot by public transportation, it can be used for several days.
If you buy the ticket at VVV office infront of the Central Station, you can get a guide book with some discount ticket for some museum. I've got 10% off for the entrance fee Madame Tusaud museum.

On arriving at Schipol I got money from an ATM. It gave me two 50 Euro bills. The automated machines for tram tickets didn't take any bills above 5 Euro so we had to find a convenience store to buy a stripinkaart. I wouldn't get the day pass. Things are close enough we didn't use the tram much and one stipinkaart was enough.

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.

For a visitor to Amsterdam, the GVB 24 hours ticket or 48 or 72 hours ticket is most convenient and inexpensive ticket. I heard this ticket covers from Tram lines, buses, ferries and metro. I got this ticket at the GVB tickets and information in front of the Amsterdam Central station. (Open time: Mon-Fri 7.00-21.00 Sat-Sun 8.00-21.00) The price was 6.30, 10 and 13 euro respectively. Especially I often used Tram lines because of the coverage, punctuality and above all easy to find! The most surprising thing for me, Japanese, was that most of the drivers of the tram lines were conducted by female. Honestly speaking, this may be by chance but I have never met male drivers… Am I right? Anyway, enjoy your Amsterdam sightseeing with using the GVB ticket.

d first thing u have to buy if u wanna get around amsterdam is a strippenkaart. They have two kinds... one is blue, which is d normal one, and d other is d red one, for kids, senior citizens and d holder of OV (a kind of student identification)... Usually, u need to buy the blue one, which is EUR 6.40 (15 strips) and EUR 18.70 (45 strips)

U can use this strippenkaart in buses, metro, and trams. In buses and trams, when u first ascend them, just give it to d driver. They will stamp your strippenkaart according to d zone of ur destination. for 1 zone, they will stamp on d second strip; for 2 zones, on d third strip; and so on.......... while in d metro, u can just stamp it on d yellow machine near d entrance (there's usually a map telling u about d zones)....

some people like taking d risk of not stamping if they think they can get away with it, but be careful, coz in d middle of d way, sometimes there are officers that will check and if u get caught, u will get a fine

you can buy d strippenkaart at d train station, post office, albert heijn (a supermarket brand), and sometimes, in d hotel u are staying in... it's a lot cheaper than paying by the time you ascend d tram/bus, which is twice as expensive

P.S. you can use d stamped strippenkaart again if u use d tram/metro/bus again within one hour of d stamped time (for one and two zones, more zones will give u more time... see d back of strippenkaart if u can read Dutch)... just show it 2 d driver

StrippenKarts are the most economical way of getting around in Amsterdam if you are visiting for just a short time. At 5,90 Euro per Kaart, one or maybe two will be sufficient