You got this!
I know somewhere someone will be wondering how the fuck are you supposed to get around the Netherlands, and you probably heard about their great public transport ( no sarcasm ) and that bike will be your best friend.
True story thou.
If you came here from any other continent or a different part of Europe, you will find the system pretty amazing and the trains are top.
Details right? You are looking for details.
The train system is operated by NS Train and most times they are on time, in case of snow, heavy rain or wind the updates are provided so if you use the train daily the NS App will be your best friend.
If you are staying for not that long you can buy something called OV chip card. You can buy at an NS automated machines, it’s 5 Euros and you can reload it anytime. To reload it you can use coins, Credit Card or a Dutch card. That OV chip card is also valid for buses, trams, and subways. And if you scroll down on the website you will see any discounts are offers for bigger cities of one day trip ( which are pretty cool for anyone on a budget but still wants to see other cities ).
Check-ins and check-outs.
Every train stop or station has the machine to top up your card and a check-in and check-out stations. It’s basically a pole, waist high and you just hold your card against it when going in or out. Control happens 95% of the time so don’t try without check-ins. Also, you can ask anything the control person, most of them speak English or German and if you made an honest mistake they will let you pass through but don’t play dumb because they will read you.
Bikes, oh great bikes.
If you need to go somewhere and Google says it is a 10 min bike ride, use the bike! Soooo much easier and it’s usually faster than 10 minutes. I bike 10 minutes to the train stop without a problem and the country is flat, it can’t get easier than that. I mean, it will be hard first few times if you are not used to it but generally is super simple.
Bike anywhere and everywhere you can. It saves you the money and it is easier.
Oh and in case you were wondering, EVERYTHING is in Dutch AND English. When I saw that I was super thankful because for example German rails don’t have their ticket machines in English, just German and if you don’t know German you are S.O.L.
With Love.
🙂
Let It Land 