A Guide for Expats: Navigating Public Transport in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is known for its excellent public transport system, making it easy to travel between cities and within urban areas. Whether you're commuting to work, exploring the countryside, or heading out for a weekend trip, understanding how to use public transport can make life as an expat much smoother.

Understanding the Transport System

Public transport in the Netherlands is well-integrated, with trains, buses, trams, and metros working together to get you where you need to go. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main options:

• Trains: If you’re travelling between cities, you will probably take the train. Trains between the bigger cities run frequently, mostly 4 train per hour. Most trains are operated by NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), but regional carriers operate trains as well.
• Buses: Ideal for short distance or to reach places without a train station. Different operators run in different regions.
• Metros and trams: You will only find metros in Amsterdam and Rotterdam (and one metro line to the Hague). Trams can be found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. These are the four biggest cities and metros and trams are very useful to get around there.

Buying Tickets and Planning Your Journey

For expats unfamiliar with the system, buying tickets can sometimes be confusing, especially with different providers operating across the country. You can use the OV-chipkaart, which is a card for public transport you can buy and load credit on. Besides that, it is now also possible to check in and out with your contactless debit card.

But if you’re looking at one all in one solution that also helps you plan your trip, using a travel app like glimble can simplify things. With glimble, you can plan your entire journey, whether it involves trains, buses, or a combination of both, and purchase your tickets in one place. You can purchase tickets for all carriers, for example GVB tickets for Amsterdam or RET tickets for Rotterdam. Besides that, it gives you real time travel information. Another advantage: the app is available in more than 40 languages, so you can continue to travel in your native language, if you don’t feel comfortable using an app in Dutch yet.

Download the glimble app

Additional Tips for Expats

• Learn Basic Dutch Transport Terms: While most Dutch people speak English, it's useful to know words like instappen (boarding) and uitstappen (getting off).
• Bike & Train Combo: Many stations offer bike rental services (OV-fiets), and some trains allow bikes on board during off-peak hours with an additional ticket.
• Notice peak hours: Peak hours are between 06:30 and 09:00 in the morning and 16:00 and 18:30 in the afternoon.