Getting Around Amsterdam: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
You do not need a ticket any more. A contactless bank card or phone is all it takes on Amsterdam trams, metro, buses and trains, and GVB's daily cap for 2026 is €10.50. Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal is a 17-minute train. The detail most guides miss is the left luggage: the NS lockers at Centraal now start at €10 for 24 hours. Station and operator prices were checked in October 2026. gvb.nl blocked automated checks, so the GVB figures come from the regional 2026 fare plan and I amsterdam's transport guide: confirm them on gvb.nl.
Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through its Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what is recommended.
Once the bag is dropped, a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app has a story and a quiz question at each stop, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM. The €7 Amsterdam Essentials walk is 4 km and takes about 2.5 hours, starting at Dam Square.
⚡ Quick answer
- Airport to centre: NS train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal, 17 minutes, 8 an hour, about €5 to €5.50 by tapping a bank card. The Airport Express bus 397 is €6.50 and goes to Museumplein and Leidseplein
- Normal rides: tap a contactless card or phone in and out. GVB trips are capped at €10.50 a day in 2026
- Best pass: none for most visitors. The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket (€23 for 1 day) costs more than tapping
- Bikes: skip them on a short stay. A city bike is about €22.90 for 24 hours with insurance, double the daily cap
- Luggage: NS lockers at Centraal are €10 to €25 for the first day. Radical Storage has a spot near Centraal at €3.90 a bag
✈️ From Schiphol
The train is the answer for almost everyone. The station sits beneath the terminal, and a Sprinter runs to Amsterdam Centraal eight times an hour via Sloterdijk and Lelylaan, taking about 17 minutes. Late at night the service thins out, so check NS before a very late arrival. Tap a card or phone at the yellow readers in Schiphol Plaza, then tap out at the Centraal gates.
Neither NS nor Schiphol prints the fare on its pages, and I amsterdam quotes €4.90 in one place and about €5.50 in another, so budget for €5.50. Tapping charges the full second-class fare with no discount. A single-use paper ticket carries a €1 supplement under NS's terms.
The Amsterdam Airport Express is bus 397, from stop B17 outside Schiphol Plaza, every 10 minutes by day. It serves Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein, so it can beat the train for a hotel in the museum quarter. A single is from €6.50 and a return from €11.75. You can pay the driver by card only, no cash, or tap with OVpay. Schiphol notes that the bus station is being renovated, so some buses leave from temporary spots.
At night, the Niteliner N97 bus runs once an hour on the same route.
🎫 The ticket system, explained once
- OVpay is the contactless system. Check in when you board a tram, bus, metro or train, check out when you get off, using the same card or phone each time. Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and V PAY cards work, and so do phones with Apple Pay or Google Wallet. No registration, no Dutch bank account, no app
- The OV-chipkaart is the old plastic card. OVpay replaces it, and a visitor has no reason to buy one
- GVB day tickets run for 24, 48, 72 or 120 hours of unlimited GVB travel and can sit in a phone wallet
How much does tapping cost? You pay a start rate plus a charge per kilometre, so a short city hop costs a couple of euros. Prices are not shown at the gate. Charges are bundled and taken from your account after a day.
Behind Centraal, the ferries to Amsterdam Noord are free. No check-in, no ticket.
💳 Which pass is worth it
The GVB cap does the work of a day pass. In 2026 the daily maximum for pay-as-you-go GVB trips equals the price of a 1-day ticket, €10.50. You tap, and the system stops charging once you hit that. (One older I amsterdam page still says €10.00.)
- 💶 GVB day ticket, €10.50 for 1 day: the same price as the cap, so buy it only if you prefer no bank card. Day tickets rose by €0.50 for 2026
- 💶 Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket, €23 for 1 day, €34 for 2, €44 for 3: valid on GVB, Connexxion, AllGo and EBS plus NS trains in the region, night buses included, and sold at the Connexxion desk at Schiphol
The maths: a Schiphol train each way is about €11, plus the €10.50 cap if you ride all day, so roughly €21.50 against €23. Over two days about €32.50 against €34, over three about €43 against €44. Tapping stays a little cheaper, and much cheaper on a light day. The travel ticket suits regional trips, for example to Haarlem. For the wider trip budget, see Amsterdam on a budget.
🚲 Why renting a bike is usually a mistake
Every guide tells you to rent a bike. Look at the numbers first. MacBike lists a city bike at €17.95 for 24 hours, and €11.25 for a single hour. Insurance is extra: €4.95 for the day, so €22.90 in total. An electric bike is €41.50 plus mandatory insurance of €8.95. That is more than double the €10.50 a day that gets you on every GVB tram, metro and bus.
- Deposit: a credit card, or your passport plus €50 cash per bike. E-bikes need a credit card
- Theft: MacBike requires you to lock the bike with both locks and return both keys for any theft claim. Deductibles run from €50 to €950, depending on the bike
- Where you ride: tram rails and busy shared lanes are a poor mix on a first day on a bike. Cross rails at a sharp angle
- Hours: MacBike's five shops, including Central Station and Dam Square, open daily 09:00 to 18:00
If you still want one, hire it for a half day, not for a first day of sightseeing.
🚇 Validation, fines and traps
- Check out, every time. A forgotten check-out on NS costs a €33.30 correction charge. Tap out with the same card or phone you tapped in with
- The cap is GVB only. NS trains and Connexxion and EBS buses are charged at normal rates and do not count towards the €10.50
- The tram network changed on 29 March 2026. GVB changed trams 1, 3, 6, 7, 12, 24 and 25, plus a long list of bus and night bus lines. Some run more often, some follow a different route, and new lines were added. An older article's route list may be wrong, so check your line in the 9292 planner
- No check-in, no valid ticket. Inspectors can fine you on top of the fare, so always tap in
🚶 What you will actually walk
The centre is compact enough that most visitors rarely need a tram for sightseeing. The Amsterdam Essentials walk links seven stops over 4 km in about 2.5 hours, from Dam Square to the Oude Kerk. Use a tram to cross to Museumplein, the ferry for Noord, and your feet for everything in between.
🧳 Luggage storage in Amsterdam
NS lockers come first. At Amsterdam Centraal, the first day (24 hours) costs:
- 💶 Small locker: €10 (35 cm wide, 45 high, 85 deep)
- 💶 Large locker: €16 (60 cm high)
- 💶 XL locker: €25 (95 cm high)
Days 2 and 3 cost €15 for a small locker. NS lets you rent for up to three days, after which the locker may be emptied. You pay at the screen beside the lockers and keep the receipt. NS does not publish access hours on that page, so check at the station.
Schiphol:
- 🕐 Baggage storage on level -1, between Arrivals 1 and 2: open 24 hours. Hand baggage is €7 a day, hold baggage €9.50, odd-size items €12. Debit and credit cards accepted
- 🔒 Lockers: €8.50 for up to 7 days, but after security, so no use on arrival
Where Radical Storage wins: Radical Storage lists 63 verified spots in Amsterdam from €1.90 a bag a day. The Centraal partner charges €3.90 a bag a day, against €10 for the cheapest NS locker, with a €10,000 guarantee per bag. Check the partner's size rules at booking. Its hours there are 10:30 to 19:30, so a station locker still wins for an early arrival or late pickup.
🚕 Taxis and ride apps
Schiphol's official taxi stand is in front of Schiphol Plaza. Check the meter and pay what it shows. Drivers cannot refuse a ride, must accept cards and must give a receipt. A ride to the centre costs €35 to €55 according to I amsterdam, and can reach €75 depending on distance and time of day.
Uber and Bolt both operate at Schiphol, with their own pick-up point and free wifi. Prices are quoted in the app and move with demand, so compare the quote with the €35 to €55 taxi range.
🕐 Your first hour in Amsterdam
- Tap in at the yellow readers in Schiphol Plaza with the card or phone you will use all trip.
- Take the train to Centraal, about 17 minutes, and tap out at the gates.
- Bag: before 10:30, use a Centraal locker. After that, compare it with the €3.90 Radical Storage spot.
- Skip the bike. Tap on a tram, or walk.
❓ FAQ
How much is public transport in Amsterdam in 2026?
Tap a contactless card or phone. GVB trips are capped at €10.50 a day in 2026, and the airport train is about €5 to €5.50.
Do I need an OV-chipkaart or a ticket?
No. OVpay lets you check in and out with a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or V PAY card, or a phone wallet.
Where can I leave my luggage in Amsterdam?
NS lockers at Amsterdam Centraal cost €10, €16 or €25 for the first day by size. Schiphol has baggage storage on level -1 from €7 a day, open 24 hours. Radical Storage has 63 spots from €1.90 a day, and €3.90 at Centraal.
✅ Before you go
Use one bank card for every tap, and tap out each time. For the bigger picture, start with Amsterdam Explained, and for a first look at the centre on foot, try the Amsterdam Essentials walk from Dam Square.
