This is our guide to what you can do in Amsterdam with a GVB day or multi-day ticket.
GVB is the local transport company which operates the metro, trams, buses and ferries in and around the city. GVB day tickets (1-7 days) can offer great value and convenience for visitors to get around Amsterdam. Book your GVB tickets online here
For some inspiration, let’s take a look at 21 places of interest that you can get to using a GVB day ticket.
1. Amsterdam Central Station
They say all roads lead to Rome Central Station! Amsterdam Centraal is the beating heart of the city and from this central transport hub you can connect onto trams, the metro, buses and ferries.
The NS Dutch Railways network here can get you to most other Dutch cities and there are international trains to various destinations.
Wherever you are in the city it should always be easy to hop on to a nearby GVB service to get you back to Central.
2. Museumplein
TRAM: 1/2/3/5/7/12/19 Stops: Museumplein/Concertgebouw/Rijksmuseum
Museumplein is a large grass square in Amsterdam surrounded by some of the city’s iconic museums.
The imposing Rijksmuseum with its rich collection of art and historical objects; the Van Gogn Museum with the world’s largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh paintings; the Stedelijk and MOCO museum both of which feature modern and contemporary art.
On the opposite flank you will find the majestic Concertgebouw theatre.
GVB trams criss-cross the Museumplein area with a number of lines and stops, making it easily accessible from various points of the city.
Tram 2 was named by National Geographic in 2010 as one of the “world’s great trolley rides” – and the first half of the route from Central is certainly worth the ride – passing Dam Square, the picturesque canal rings and into the chic museum quarter.
3. Plantage district
TRAM: 14 Stop: Artis
Plantage is a historic district of Amsterdam just to the east of the centre with many museums and attractions of interest. The area is home to the world-famous Artis Zoo which also has Micropia and the Groote Museum.
Nearby can also be found the Dutch Resistance Museum, the Holocaust Museum/memorial theatre and the Hortus botanical gardens. A bit further out at Alexanderplein is the fascinating Wereldmuseum.
To visit the area jump on GVB tram 14 to the Artis stop on Plantage Middenlaan.
4. Anne Frank House
TRAM: 13/17 Stop: Westermarkt
The Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht canal is one of Amsterdam’s most well-known museums. It was here that the young girl Anne Frank and seven others hid from German occupation during WW2 and where she wrote her world-famous diary.
GVB trams 13 and 17 stop at the nearby Westermarkt square – dominated by the 85m tall Westerkerk church and tower.
5. Foodhallen/De Hallen
TRAM: 7/13/17 Stop: Bilderdijkstraat
Foodhallen is a compact indoor food court located in a former tram depot in the west of Amsterdam, near the Ten Kate street market. It contains a central bar plus around 20 different food stands.
The tram depot was constructed in 1901 to house the new electrified trams which had replaced the previous horse-drawn trams. It was used by GVB for tram storage and as a workshop right up to the year 1996.
The De Hallen complex also houses a cinema, library, hotel and some shops.
Various trams stop at the nearby Bilderdijkstraat stop which is a short walk away from De Hallen.
6. Leidseplein
TRAM: 1/2/5/12/19 Stop: Leidsepelein
Leideplein is a lively square in Amsterdam and is surrounded by a plethora of bars, restaurants, theatres and cinemas. It is also close to Vondelpark, a green oasis in the city centre.
It takes 25-30 minutes to walk from Central Station to Leidseplein. Jumping on a tram can save about 15 minutes travel time.
7. Olympic Stadium
TRAM: 24 Stop: Olympisch Stadion
Sport lovers would probably find a visit to Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium of interest. Located in the southern part of the city, it was built in the Amsterdam-School style of architecture and hosted the 1928 Olympic Games.
The adjacent Marathon tower was used for lighting the Olympic flame.
The stadium is still in use as a venue for various athletics events including the annual Olympischstadionloop, a 5km and 10km fun run.
GVB tram 24 can take you to just outside the stadium.
8. A’DAM Lookout/EYE Film
FERRY: F3 Stop: Buiksloterweg
Although no ticket is required, we should mention the free GVB ferries. These can take you across the IJ to various points in Amsterdam Noord (North).
The most frequent service runs from the back of Amsterdam Central to Buiksloterweg on the opposite side, a journey of under 5 minutes. Here you will find A’DAM Lookout, the spectacular white EYE Film and ‘This is Holland’ attraction.
9. Albert Cuyp Market/De Pijp
METRO: 52 TRAMS: 3/4/12/24 Stops: Albert Cuypstraat/De Pijp
Albert Cuyp is the largest street market in the Netherlands with around 260 market stalls selling all sorts of food and non-food items. It is found in the trendy and colourful De Pijp neighbourhood. The market is frequented by visitors as well as local residents.
De Pijp is easily reached either by metro line 52 (stop: De Pijp) or a number of GVB trams.
10. RAI Amsterdam
METRO: 50/51/52 TRAM: 4 BUS: 62 stop: Station RAI/Europaplein
RAI Amsterdam is the largest convention centre in the Netherlands with 12 multi-functional halls. It regularly hosts a wide variety of conventions, expos, conferences and theatre events.
It is easily reached via metro lines 50/51/52 or tram 4 and it has a train station as well.
11. Amsterdam Bilmer ArenA
METRO: 50/52 Stop: Bijlmer ArenA
Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA is a business district and major entertainment hub with the Johan Cruijff ArenA stadium (FC Ajax), AFAS Live and Ziggo Dome music venues. It is also a shopping district and has a number of hotels. It is located to the south-east of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA is very well connected to both the city and the airport, having a modern combined train and metro station. Lines 50 and 54 can get you quickly to the area with the ride from Amsterdam Central taking about 16 minutes.
12. Schiphol Airport
BUS: 369 Stops: Schiphol Plaza/Schiphol Knooppunt Noord
It is actually possible to reach Amsterdam Schiphol airport on a GVB ticket – but the route is rather a long-winded one. GVB Bus 369 (often with red R-NET branding) runs between Amsterdam Sloterdijk bus staton and Schiphol Plaza with the journey taking around 35 minutes.
GVB bus 22 runs from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Amsterdam Central.
If you are in a rush then take the much faster train – however if not then you can save money by using your GVB ticket.
If you are into plane spotting then bus 369 can get you to stop Schiphol Knooppunt Noord.
Cross the road to the car park (near the McDonald’s) and there is a spotters area with good views of some of the runways – particularly the Buitenveldertbaan (09-27) and Aalsmeerbaan (18L-36R).
13. Amsterdam’s IKEA store
METRO: 50/54 Stop: Bullewijk
If you fancy your Swedish meatballs fix (or veggie balls for that matter) or you just want to browse at the Swedish retailer then take the Amsterdam metro (lines 50 or 54) to station Bullewijk. See our Amsterdam metro map here
From there it’s about 5-10 minutes walk south and west and then having to navigate the slightly confusing IKEA car park and entrance.
14. De Nieuwe Ooster park and cemetery
TRAM: 19 BUS: 40 Stop: Kruislaan
De Nieuwe Ooster is a large arboretum park with a monumental cemetery located just south-east of the city centre. It is 33 hectares in size and contains 28,000 burial plots and 500 species of trees.
Free to enter, you can wander about and admire the trees and the wide variety of graves. The Dutch Funeral Museum (Tot Zover) is also located at the entrance of the park.
From Amsterdam Centraal you can take GVB tram 14 to Alexanderplein and change to tram 19 (direction Diemen) to the Kruislaan stop.
From Amsterdam Amstel station you can take GVB bus 40 (direction: Muiderpoortstation) to Kruislaan.
15. Amstelveen
TRAM: 5 Stop: Amstelveen Stadshart
Amstelveen is a satellite town located just south of Amsterdam. The centre has good shopping facilities and there are 2 museums of interest – Cobra (avant-garde art) and Museum Jan (visual arts).
Amstelveen is easily reached by taking GVB tram 5 to the last stop right to the town centre.
16. Uithoorn
TRAM: 25 Stop: Uithoorn Centrum
Uithoorn is a small village about 15km south from the centre of Amsterdam. It is located on the Amstel-Drechtkanaal waterway which marks the border between North-Holland and Utrecht provinces.
There are a couple of old forts on the periphery of Uithoorn which were part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. There is also a lake (Zijdelmeer) and a nature reserve.
Since the summer of 2024 GVB tram 25 has been running on the extended line from Amsterdam Zuid to Uithoorn Centrum. This is about the furthest point from Amsterdam Central you can get on a standard GVB day ticket!
17. Gaasperplas lake
METRO: 53 Stop: Gaasperplas
If you feel like escaping the city then take metro 53 to the end of the line. You will reach Gaasperplas which is a large artificial lake and nature reserve that offers various watersports activities. In the summertime a few festivals are held here as well.
It is a quiet, relaxed spot and you can wander around the 5km of footpaths.
18. Metro Line 52 artworks
METRO: 52 Stops: various
The North-South metro line in Amsterdam (M52) was opened in 2018 following 15 years of construction. The line runs right down the central spine of the city and is certainly a quick way of getting around.
As you pass through it is worth pausing to admire some of the interesting station designs and special artwork installations.
For example the Flyways birds on the platform at Noord, the 7 Gates brickwork sculpture at Noorderpark, the tiled walls and historic artefacts on display at Rokin and the metro-inspired light installation Ramses Shaffy, Lifelines at Vijzelgracht.
19. AMAZE Amsterdam
METRO: 50/51 BUS: 22/36 Stops: Isolatorweg/Kabelweg
Amaze Amsterdam is an immersive 1 hour audio-visual experience in an old industrial nightclub which has 8 separate stages. It is designed to stimulate the senses – from intense, interactive to relaxed and chilled – much like the Amsterdam metro!
AMAZE is located in the West Port district (north-west) of the city. You can get there taking the metro 50/51 to last stop Isolatorweg or take GVB bus 22 or 36 to Kabelweg.
20. IJburg
TRAM: 26 Stop: IJburg
IJburg is an artificial island and now a district of Amsterdam located on the eastern edge of the city. It has some interesting modern architecture and a beach.
To reach IJburg you can take fast tram 26 (Amsterdam’s newest tram line, opened 2005) from Amsterdam Central. You go through the 1.9km Piet Hein tunnel before emerging at Zeeburg.
From there you cross the distinctive Enneüs Heerma Bridge – this 250m long wave-like structure was designed by Grimshaw architects.
From the last tram stop it’s a short walk down the Pampuslaan to IJburg beach.
21. Amsterdamse Bos
METRO: 50/51 stop: Amstelveenseweg
The Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) is a very large park located south of Amsterdam in Amstelveen covering some 1,000 hectares.
It has a free visitors centre at the Boswinkel and also has an organic goat farm, a rowing lake, an outdoor theatre and with many other activities on offer.
The Bos can be reached by taking the metro 50/51 to Amstelveenseweg. From there it is a bit of a trek walking south down the Amstelveenseweg road to get to the entrance.
GVB Multiday Ticket
There are 2 other multi-day tickets available which include unlimited GVB travel.
The Amsterdam Travel Ticket (GVB day ticket + airport journey) and the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket (GVB day ticket + all regional transport).
Note they are valid on a calendar day basis rather than 24 hours like the standard GVB multiday ticket.
| Good for AMS airport | Best for Excursions |
 |  |
| Amsterdam Travel Ticket | Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket |
| 1/2/3 days | 1/2/3 days |
| €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 between airport and city – train or 397 bus | Valid between airport and city – train or 397 bus |
| Valid on trains between any Amsterdam stations | Valid on regional NS trains + EBS/Connexxion/Arriva buses in region |
| Calendar day basis | Calendar day basis |
| Card only (not digital) | Card only (not digital) |
| Order here | Order here |
| more info | more info |
Summing up, a GVB multi-day ticket can be a great value option for visitors to get around Amsterdam. To maximise the use of the card try getting out of the city centre and visit some of the outlying places mentioned.
First published 8 December 2024
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