Public transport

The Netherlands offers excellent public transportation. You can travel to every corner of the country by bus, metro, tram and train. To pay for your journey, you can either buy a paper ticket or use an OV-chipkaart.

How to get around in the Dutch public transport

This video by Study in NL shows you how to get around with an OV chip card and gives you insights into the extensive Dutch public transport system. 

 

OV-chipkaart

The OV-chipkaart is a reusable public transport smartcard. You can purchase one from the NS Dutch railways’ yellow and blue ticket machines located at every train station. The machine will guide you through the necessary steps in your language of choice.

Once you have bought the card, you can top up your balance both at every station and in some buses, trams and supermarkets. Payment by cash is only possible at a few tickets machines in railway stations. The top-up points in buses, trams and supermarkets all require electronic payment.

Please note that you need a minimum balance of 15 euros on your card to be able to travel by train.

Paper tickets

Alternatively, you can buy paper tickets for Dutch public transport. Paper train tickets are available from the NS ticket machines, or from the Service Desks located in most large railway stations. Please note that a EUR 0.50 surcharge applies for tickets bought at the Service Desks.

Journey planners

Visit 9292 to plan your journey by public transport. NS has its own planner available online for train journeys.

International Student Identity Card

The International Student Identity Card offers a range of discounts, including travel-related discounts. More information is available from the website.