The Great Hunt: What are your tips for doing Amsterdam on a budget?

Former_MSE_Sam_M · 20 July 2016 at 5:17PM

What are your tips for doing Amsterdam on a budget?

It's known for its world-class art, canals and, er, coffee shops, but how can you save money on a visit to the capital of the Netherlands?

We're after your clever and quirky tips (better than just going Dutch on the bill...).

hairypitz · 26 July 2016 at 10:16PM

Don't go for the most expensive 'shmoke' in the coffee shop! Something more midrange and even the less expensive menu items are likely to blow your head off.
And a little goes a long way.

On a more humdrum note, if you can stay somewhere a little out of the centre but on a tram line you'll pay much less for accommodation.

Indonesian food is done really well here and there are some great and not very expensive Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam.

pandora205 · 26 July 2016 at 10:31PM

Get an i-Amsterdam card and do everything! It includes public transport including a canal cruise, discounts, museums. I'd get a good guide book before going (I used Dorling Kindersley Top 10 Amsterdam - its a great pocket guide) and do my homework before going too.

farci · 27 July 2016 at 1:23AM

The new Amsterdam Ticket also includes travel to/from Schiphol Airport as well as all public transport within the city.

PS: these are supposed to be tips about visiting the capital city of The Netherlands. That's not Amsterdam! Answers on a postcard please

frankenface · 27 July 2016 at 7:09AM

If you're visiting Amsterdam as part of a walking or cycling tour you can stay with locals cheaply using Vrienden Op de Fiets ('Friends on the Bike'). It's around £8 to join and a night's stay (with breakfast) is on a fixed rate of 19 euros + tax. A great way to get some local knowledge as well!

Mvevers · 27 July 2016 at 7:39AM

Take the ferry from behind the main railway station across the harbour. Its free and you see a different aspect of the city.

Doc_N · 27 July 2016 at 7:53AM

Forget the special (expensive) tourist travel tickets for bus, tram and metro.

Get one of these: http://en.gvb.nl/gvb-dag-meerdagenkaart

GVB day ticket or multi-day ticket

The GVB day or multi-day travel ticket provides you with unlimited travel through Amsterdam - day or night - by bus, tram, and metro, for exactly the number of hours that best suits your plans. It becomes valid when you first check in.

Where can you travel?: all of Amsterdam
When can you travel?: 24 hours (all day and all night)
Transport company: GVB
Full-tariff price:
€7.50 Period of validity: 1 day (24 hours)
€12.50 Period of validity: 2 days (48 hours)
€17.00 Period of validity: 3 days (72 hours)
€21.50 Period of validity: 4 days (96 hours)
€26.50 Period of validity: 5 days (120 hours)
€30.00 Period of validity: 6 days (144 hours)
€33.00 Period of validity: 7 days (168 hours)

Siebrie · 27 July 2016 at 8:02AM

Hi Farci! The capital of The Netherlands is definitely Amsterdam. The government is in The Hague, but that is of no consequence :rotfl:

Tips: coffee is free in most supermarkets, some will even offer a table and biscuits, no purchase necessary. Just walking around will show you a lot of the sights you want to see.

rolokate · 27 July 2016 at 8:20AM

Don't have the expensive breakfast in the hotel ( unless it's included) as there are many great breakfast places where you can eat for a fraction of the price .
Get the train in from the airport it's about €10 euros instead of €50 for a taxi just go to one of the ticket machines it's easy to follow and touch ticket in and out at the entrance to the trains like you do on the tube

Misslayed · 27 July 2016 at 8:32AM

It's some time since I went to Amsterdam, but when we were there a notice alongside the queue for the Rijksmuseum said 'Three hours queueing from this point". So we didn't bother, but when we went to the gift shop near the entrance we discovered we could have booked online and avoided the queue, might not be Moneysaving, but certainly time saving (and time is money for some!) Then on the way home we found an exhibition of (real) Van Gogh paintings in the airport - for free. The transport system is run with Dutch efficiency - excellent and cheap.

BlaEm · 27 July 2016 at 8:49AM

I'll be following this thread as I'm going to Amsterdam over the bank holiday!

We booked flights as far in advance as we could with Easyjet - paying a slight premium for the bank holiday but still only £75.

We also looked in to the 'Dutch Flyer' from Liverpool Street (train + overnight ferry), which is from £49 per person each way, and the Eurostar sometimes have deals too.

There's four of us going and we found AirBnB to be the most economical option for us (working out about £35 each a night for a central apartment) - even dorms can get expensive! The added bonus is our host is local and really helpful with tips and recommendations.

The Great Hunt: What are your tips for doing Amsterdam on a budget?

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