What's the smartest way to use public transit in Amsterdam?
Buy an OV-chipkaart at any train station, GVB ticket machine, or Albert Heijn supermarket — the anonymous version costs €7.50 and requires a €20 minimum top-up to start. Tap in and tap out on every tram, metro, and bus; forget this once and you'll be charged the maximum fare. For the city center, trams 2, 11, 12, and 19 cover the main corridors efficiently, and the Noord/Zuidlijn metro cuts straight from Amsterdam Centraal to De Pijp and beyond in under ten minutes. If you're staying more than a couple of days, a 72-hour GVB day pass (around €21) beats pay-per-ride. Avoid the tourist-targeted tickets sold near Centraal Station; they're overpriced for what you get. Night buses run after trams stop around midnight on weekdays, slightly later on weekends. The GVB app tracks live departures accurately and is worth downloading immediately on arrival.
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