Amsterdam has a reasonable bus network which complements the coverage already provided by trams and the metro. The GVB city buses mainly serve the outer suburbs of Amsterdam whilst other companies provide bus services to various places around the region.
Buy the Amsterdam & Region Ticket here which is valid on all city and regional buses (as well as trams, metro and some regional trains).
For visitors, the most useful bus services are probably the Schiphol airport lines, the night buses and the Waterland buses.
GVB Amsterdam Buses
Amsterdam city transport company GVB runs a total of 44 bus lines in and around Amsterdam – serving the city centre and outer suburbs including some of the other train stations around Amsterdam.
This includes 33 day lines and 11 night bus lines and a fleet of 222 buses, some of which are electric.
GVB Amsterdam Bus Ticket Fares (2024)
The GVB 1 hour ticket costs €3.40 – this is not really great value if you are just going 1 or 2 stops. There is also a 1.5 hour Bus Tram Metro (BTM) ticket which costs €6.50 and is used for longer journeys in the region.
These tickets can be purchased in advance at the GVB ticket office or GVB ticket machines. It is possible to buy on-board from the driver but note cash is no longer accepted. The ticket is simply validated on first check-in.
You can also pay for your fare on a distance basis using either OVpay or an OV-chip card (public transport smart card).
Distance-based fares in Amsterdam are calculated as a fixed €1.08 boarding fee plus a variable distance fee of €0.196 per km – calculated every 50 metres on the tram. This means a 3km trip will cost approximately €1.67.
OVpay is a relatively new system that allows you to check-in/out using a contactless debit/credit card or smartphone. Your account will be billed as a single transaction (sum of all the day’s trips) on the next day.
An anonymous OV-chip card costs €7.50 (non-refundable) and lasts 4-5 years. You then need to add some credit to the ‘e-purse’ – you will need a minimum of €4 credit to travel by tram. The card can be used for travel on all public tranpsort in the Netherlands (with sufficient credit).
The OV-chip card is being phased out by 2025 and a new OV-Pas with digital features will be introduced.
Amsterdam Buses: unlimited travel multi-day tickets
There are a number of multi-day tickets for unlimited travel around Amsterdam. If you plan to use public transport more frequently then these can save you a significant sum of money.
Best Value & Validity | Best for AMS airport | Best for Excursions |
GVB Day/Multi-Day tickets | Amsterdam Travel Ticket | Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket |
1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days | 1/2/3 days | 1/2/3 days |
€9-€41 | €18/€24/€30 | €21/€31.50/€40.50 |
Valid on all GVB transport (trams/metro/buses) in Amsterdam | Valid on all GVB transport (trams/metro/buses) in Amsterdam | Valid on all GVB transport (trams/metro/buses) in Amsterdam |
– | Valid on Schiphol airport train + 397 airport bus | Valid on Schiphol airport train + 397 airport bus |
– | – | Valid on regional NS trains + EBS/Connexxion/Arriva buses in region |
24 hours basis | Calendar day basis | Calendar day basis |
Digital + Card versions | Card only | Card only |
Order here | Order here | Order here |
more info | more info | more info |
We highly recommend the GVB 1-7 day tickets as it can really improve your stay in Amsterdam giving you the flexibility to just hop-on and hop-off city public transport as required.
However, consider the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket if you also require travel on regional buses.
Amsterdam Airport Buses – Connexxion 397 and GVB 369
Connexxion runs the useful Amsterdam Airport Express service from Schiphol airport to the centre of Amsterdam.
The red bus 397 (R-NET branded) departs from Schiphol Plaza just outside the arrivals area and goes to Amsterdam Elandsgracht bus station including stops at Leidseplein and Museumplein – it does NOT go to Central station.
The 397 departs every 15 minutes, a single (Bus Tram Metro ticket) costs €6.50 and the journey takes just over 30 minutes. You can buy bus 397 tickets online here
There is also the N97 Niteliner service running hourly all night between Elandsgracht and Nieuw Vennep via Schiphol Plaza.
The GVB 369 bus service (also R-NET branded) runs between Schiphol Airport/Plaza and Amsterdam Sloterdijk station. This trip takes about 40 minutes and singles cost €3.40 – it is much faster to use the train on this route.
The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is valid for all airport buses.
See detailed info on travel from Amsterdam Schiphol airport to the city
GVB Amsterdam Night Buses
There are 11 GVB night bus lines which run through the night from 0030 when the metros and trams cease operation:
N81 Central Station – Sloterdijk station
N82 Central Station – Geuzenveld
N83 Central Station – Osdorp de Aker
N84 Central Station – Amstelveen Busstation
N85 Central Station – Gein via Amstel
N86 Central Station – Bijlmer-ArenA
N87 Central Station – Bijlmer-ArenA via Diemen
N88 Central Station – Nieuw Sloten
N89 Central Station – Vennepluimstraat (IJburg)
N91 Central Station – Nieuwendam
N93 Central Station – Molenwijk
A single costs €5.40 – tickets are valid for 90 minutes including transfers. Note, a standard GVB 1 hour ticket is not valid for travel on night buses. You can also pay with an OV-chip card or OVpay.
Regional Buses – EBS / Connexxion / Arriva
There are a number of regional bus services to various places of interest beyond Amsterdam.
Probably of most relevance to visitors are the buses to the popular Waterland area – which includes the traditional fishing villages of Volendam, Edam and Monnickendam – and buses going to the Zaanse Schans windmills.
Waterland buses are run by EBS using red and grey R-NET branded buses. The buses have free WiFi on board.
EBS lines run now from outside Amsterdam Noord metro station or at Amsterdam Noorderpark station which can both be easily reached from Amsterdam Central using metro line 52. See Amsterdam Metro map
Here are some lines of interest run by EBS:
Route | Line | Via |
Zaandam – Marken | 111 | Amsterdam Noord, Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam |
Amsterdam Noord – De Rijp | 305 | Purmerend |
Amsterdam Noord – Purmerend | 306/307/308 | |
Amsterdam Noord – Hoorn | 314 | Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam, Edam |
Amsterdam Noord – Monnickendam | 315 | Broek in Waterland |
Amsterdam Noord – Edam | 316 | Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam, Volendam |
Amsterdam Noorderpark – Zaandam Zaanse Schans | 391 | |
Amsterdam Noorderpark – Zaandam Station | 394 |
Connexxion operates buses from Amsterdam Elandsgracht (near Leidseplein) to Zandvoort via Haarlem (bus 80) and from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to the port of IJmuiden (R-NET bus 382).
Bus to Keukenhof Gardens: Arriva operates bus 852 from Amsterdam Europaplein to Keukenhof and bus 858 from Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof. These only run March to May when the spring flower garden is open.
The best ticket for regional travel is the 1/2/3 day Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket as it is valid on all the above mentioned regional bus services around Amsterdam – as well as GVB transport within Amsterdam and some trains in the region. The 3 day ticket at €40.50 works out at just €13.50 per day.
Book the Amsterdam & Region Travel Tickets online here and pick-up in Amsterdam when you arrive.
Alternatively, a Waterland day ticket costs €12.50 for adults, free online for children 4-11. It is valid the entire day (until 0100) on all EBS buses serving the Waterland and Zaanse Schans areas.
The downsides to the Waterland day ticket are that you still need to travel to Amsterdam Noord to pick up the EBS buses. It is not valid on the metro line 52 to Noord unlike the Amsterdam & Region ticket.
Also, it is not seamless and straight forward to combine Waterland and Zaanse Schans without travelling back to Amsterdam and transferring between Noord and Noorderpark.
TIP: Don’t get on a bus with destination “Geen Dienst” – it actually means Out of Service!
This article was originally published in 2010 and has been regularly updated. Last update 2 February 2024.
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