Travel to Amsterdam and Netherlands

We took a 10-day trip to Amsterdam and the region and wanted to share some insights.

---

I don’t usually write travel logs, but Amsterdam is one of the world’s most popular destinations and there is conflicting information online, so here’s my €0.02 on the experience. I won’t bore you with photos and tales of our exploits–we had a great time with minimal disruptions.

I thought I’d share some insights for other (North) Americans who travel there and may not be familiar with the lay of the land.

1. Don’t rent a car. You do not need a vehicle, even if you plan to leave the city. There isn’t a lot of parking for cars and driving seems miserable inside the city, constantly avoiding bicycles and pedestrians. If you want to get out of the city for a day somewhere that isn’t easily reached by the transit system, then go ahead and get a day rental, but you do not need or want a car in the city.

2. Take public transit. There are a myriad of options when you search for how to use public transit. There are 3-day passes, 7-day passes, and some requiring a European bank account. Ignore all of that.

   All the public transportation systems in the greater Amsterdam area and other nearby cities use the same infrastructure, whether it’s busses, trams, subway, or the intercity trains. All use NFC/tap-to-pay and you don’t need a special card. Just your phone.

   Before you leave the States, set up your phone with wallet software. Whether Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or Samsung Pay. After installing the app, register a credit card in the wallet, ideally one with no foreign transaction fees.

   Once you’re in Amsterdam, tap your phone at the entrance to the Metro (subway) or as you’re getting on a bus or tram. You have to remember to tap when you enter and when you exit or you will pay a higher fare. Your phone needs to be unlocked before you hit the payment reader or you’ll get mildly rebuked by the 7 people in the queue behind you. Most of the Metro stations have turnstiles, so you can’t bypass them easily or legally.

   This includes getting from Schipol airport to Amsterdam Central station. When you leave the customs/baggage area, look for the intercity trains, which are 1 level below via an escalator or elevator. Before you go down, look for the NS pedestal near the escalator. It is probably yellow and blue and waist-high. Tap it with your phone and get on the next train to Central. They leave about every 15 minutes and take about 20 minutes to get to the Central Station with maybe 1 stop.

   

   If you’re traveling by intercity trains, you may be at a station where there aren’t turnstiles. In that case, there will be a pedestal with a reader on the platform where the trains depart. Just remember to tap as you enter and exit.

   Be aware that the public transit workers will occasionally strike and some lines may be disrupted. We had this happen and fortunately didn’t have anything that relied on us taking the intercity trains that day. We found things to do in the city and just waited for the next day to visit the countryside.

   For public transit, even between big cities, the 9292 app is your friend. Tell it where you are and where you’re going and it will give you multiple options with the platform numbers you need to be on.

3. Get reservations for anything you really want to see. Pretty much all of the major attractions use a reservation system now and you can’t just walk in when you choose. This includes the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, etc. As of 2025, the Anne Frank house has a 6-week prior signup restriction, so you should set an alarm on your phone for the specific day you want to visit and get the reservations that day if you want a selection of times.

4. Get reservations for supper. Especially in the nice months when the place is full of other tourists. You don’t need to reserve far in advance unless it’s a place that’s truly noteworthy. I booked 2 restaurants about 6 weeks out, but we did run into quite a few places that weren’t taking food orders past 8 PM or were booked up. So, if you want to eat past 8 PM, you should plan where you want to eat and get a seat. I found the Zenchef app is more common there than Opentable.

5. Leave the city. Get on a train and go somewhere. You don’t really need advance tickets, just tap your phone and go.

   • There are windmills a 20 minute train ride from Central in Zaandyjk/Zaanse Schans.
   • Utrecht has a neat inner city and market days on Saturday are filled with people.
   • Delft and Den Haag (The Hague) are an hour away.
   • Alkmaar is a nice smaller city with a cheese market.

6. Get lost. Leave some free space your calendar. There are a lot of things we just happened across while walking around that we’re so glad we encountered. We watched groups walking in double-time to get to the next sight that they missed the vibrant city all around them.

7. Build up your calves and thighs. You’re going to walk and you’re going to be walking up and down stairs. They have tried to adapt the city for disabilities to the best they can, but they’re not knocking down buildings simply because they don’t have an elevator. If you rent an Airbnb, there’s a good chance you’ll be upstairs. Also, not every train station has an escalator or elevator. Even if they do, they’re not guaranteed to be in working condition.

8. Leave your cash at home, mostly. I took €300 with me and rarely used cash. Even for a Coke with a street vendor. Everyone took tap-to-pay. You might want some €0.50, or €1 coins for restrooms. I came back with probably €100 and that was after spending in the Duty Free store at Schipol.

9. Leave our tipping culture at home. Restaurant workers and bartenders make a living wage. They don’t need tips. In fact, if you’re presented with a credit card machine that wants a tip, just hit 0% with no guilt. I did encounter one server that tried to quickly tap the tip button on the machine and I voided the transaction and asked them to restart it.

   HOWEVER, it’s OK to leave a €1 or €2 coin at your table if you enjoyed the service. It’s not an obligation and don’t feel pressured.

Definitely visit and take in everything that a modern, mixed-culture city has to offer. You’ll see and experience things unlike anything at home. You might find things that interest and excite you, but you might see things that bewilder and annoy you. It’s all part of the joys of travel.