Amsterdam Tram & Metro Tickets: Prices and How to Buy

What do Amsterdam tram tickets actually cost?

Amsterdam tram tickets are priced three different ways: a single fare per ride, an hour ticket for short unlimited hopping, or a day ticket for unlimited rides across a full calendar day, and the trams and metro share the exact same pricing since GVB runs both on one fare system. A single fare runs around EUR 3.40 regardless of distance, an hour ticket suits a short burst of hopping between two or three nearby stops, and a day ticket from EUR 10 wins once your day includes more than a couple of rides. The table below breaks down which structure fits which kind of day. Our public transport in Amsterdam guide covers the full network these tickets ride on, including the ferries and OVpay basics.

Single, hour or day: which fare structure actually fits your day?

Fare type	Typical cost	Best for
Single fare	About EUR 3.40 per ride	One quick hop, no return trip planned
Hour ticket	A little more than a single, unlimited transfers within the hour	Two or three stops in the same outing
Day ticket	From EUR 10, unlimited rides all day	Three or more rides, or a full sightseeing day

Once your plans cross roughly three rides in a single day, the day ticket almost always beats stacking single fares, since the flat price stops mattering the moment you clear it. Our GVB tickets guide has the full multi day ladder if your trip runs longer than one day.

How do the contactless tap in and tap out rules actually work?

Every ride on a tram or metro needs two taps on the same card or device: once boarding through any door, once again leaving. The national OVpay system reads a contactless bank card or an OV-chipkaart at both ends and calculates the fare from the distance between those two taps, so skipping either tap breaks the calculation. Day ticket holders skip this ritual entirely, since a day ticket charges one flat price regardless of how the system would otherwise measure distance.

What happens if you tap in but forget to tap out?

The system charges a maximum default fare as a safeguard, since it has no way to know your real destination once the second tap never happens. That default charge is sometimes refundable through the OVpay website for a genuine mistake, but the process takes time and is not guaranteed, so the safer habit is building the tap out step into your routine from the very first ride of the trip. Groups traveling together feel this hardest, since every rider taps individually, so four people forgetting to tap out means four separate maximum fare charges rather than one shared mistake.

Does the ticket metro Amsterdam price differ from the tram?

No. GVB prices trams and the metro on the identical fare system, so a ticket metro amsterdam costs the same as a tram ride of similar distance, and a day ticket covers both modes without any separate purchase. The only real difference between the two is speed over distance: the metro’s North South line crosses under the IJ in about seven minutes, a trip that would take considerably longer above ground by tram, so longer hops across the city often favor the metro even at an identical fare.

What about the night bus network?

Trams and the metro wind down around midnight, after which the dedicated night bus network, marked with an N prefix, takes over the busiest routes from Central Station until the day network restarts. Every fare type covered on this page, single, hour, day ticket and the I amsterdam City Card alike, covers the night buses at no extra cost, so a late canal side dinner never forces an expensive taxi back to the hotel. Night buses run less frequently than daytime trams, so checking the timetable before a late departure saves standing at an empty stop.

Which ticket actually beats paying per ride?

For most sightseeing days, the day ticket wins outright. Two or three single fares already sit close to the day ticket price, and a fourth ride pushes the math clearly in the day ticket’s favor. The exception is a light trip with only one or two rides total across your whole visit, where paying per ride through OVpay stays cheaper than a ticket you would barely use. Visitors already holding the I amsterdam City Card skip this decision entirely, since the card includes unlimited trams and metro for its full validity at no extra fare.

Ready to stop counting fares? Book the GVB Public Transport Ticket for unlimited trams, metro, buses and ferries from EUR 10, and never think about single fares again.

How does this compare with the bundled multi day GVB tickets?

An amsterdam metro pass covering multiple days almost always beats buying single or hour tickets across the same stretch, since the per day rate drops sharply once you commit to a longer block. Our GVB tickets guide breaks down every duration from one to seven days, including the current price ladder and the e-ticket app rules to know before you board. If your trip also needs the airport train or a regional day trip, a plain tram and metro fare will not stretch that far; our Amsterdam travel pass comparison lines up the bundled options that do.

Does holding the City Card change any of this?

Yes, entirely. Amsterdam tram prices stop being a decision the moment you hold the I amsterdam City Card, since unlimited GVB travel is already bundled into the card price alongside more than 70 museums. Buying single fares, hour tickets or a separate day ticket on top of the card wastes money on rides you have already paid for. Our worth it verdict runs the full break even math across museums and transport together, useful reading before you decide whether the card or a standalone ticket fits your trip.

Do these tickets reach outside the city?

No. Every fare structure on this page, single, hour, day and multi day GVB tickets alike, stops working at the Amsterdam city limit. A day trip to Zaanse Schans, Haarlem or Keukenhof needs a separate regional product layered on top, and landing at the airport needs its own ticket too. Our day trips from Amsterdam by train guide covers the regional option, and our Schiphol to Amsterdam guide covers the airport leg with a train versus bus versus taxi breakdown.

How does public transport pricing fit the wider Amsterdam trip budget?

Transport is only one line in a bigger city budget, and it is worth checking against the alternatives before locking in any single ticket. The Amsterdam city card overview compares every pass and standalone ticket covered across this site in one table, so you can weigh a plain tram and metro ticket against a full bundled card before you commit either way.

Are there discounted fares for children or seniors?

Often, yes, though the exact age brackets and discount levels shift periodically, so treat any specific figure you read online, including elsewhere on this site, as a starting point rather than a guarantee. The safest habit is checking the discount tiers shown directly at purchase, whether that is on the GVB ticket booking page or at a physical ticket point, since that live figure reflects the current policy. Very young children often ride free alongside a paying adult on many European city networks, GVB included, which is worth confirming before you buy a full price ticket for a toddler who may not need one at all.

Can you buy Amsterdam tram tickets without cash?

Yes, and increasingly that is the only option. GVB and the wider OVpay system are built around contactless payment, whether that is a foreign bank card tapped directly at the reader or a ticket purchased online in advance and loaded onto a phone. Cash purchase options at physical points have shrunk over recent years across most Dutch cities, so travelers used to paying cash for transport elsewhere should plan to bring a contactless card or buy online before arriving, rather than assuming a cash option will be available at the tram stop itself.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a single Amsterdam tram ticket? About EUR 3.40 regardless of how far you ride within the city, since GVB uses a distance based OVpay fare rather than a zone system for single journeys.

Do tram tickets also work on the metro? Yes. Trams and the metro share the identical fare system, so any ticket, single, hour, day or multi day, covers both modes with no separate purchase needed.

What happens if I forget to tap out on the tram? The system charges a maximum default fare, since it cannot calculate your real distance without the second tap. Building the habit of tapping out every single ride avoids the charge entirely.

Is a day ticket cheaper than paying for each tram ride? Usually, yes, once your day includes three or more rides. Below that, paying per ride through OVpay can stay cheaper than a day ticket you would only partly use.

Do I need a separate ticket for the night bus? No. Every fare type on this page, plus the I amsterdam City Card, covers the night bus network at no extra cost once the trams and metro stop running.