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20 days (sans Amsterdam), and I'm still not "getting it" re train pass

Posted by (southern Oregon) on

Hi, we will be in The Netherlands for 20 days next Spring. We have visited Amsterdam on 3 previous occasions and will bypass it this time.

Our plan (so far): 7 days in Leiden with day trips, 5 days in Arnhem with day trips, 4 days in Utrecht with day trips. Any thoughts on another town for 4 days? I've been thinking about Hoorn and/or Enkhuizen. Utrecht will be our final stop for ease of access to the airport.

Since we will travel by train between the various cities AND be taking day trips by train as well, it seems a rail pass should beworth exploring, but even with the expert advice on this forum, the what/where/when's are still fuzzy. Money is a consideration, but ease of use and convenience is as well. I'd love to purchase a pass at Schiphol, use it for 20 days with the final trip being Utrecht - Schiphol. Possible? Opinions?

Thanks!
Dick

Posted by
1306 posts

There is no rail pass that will cover all these trips. What you can do is buy an OVchipkaart. An OVchipkaart is like an electronic wallet. You buy the card, load money on it and use the card to pay for all your public transport. If you use trains, you pay by scanning the card every time you enter and leave a train station. On busses and trams, you tap the card every time you enter and exit the tram or bus. The fare is calculated based on distance travelled, so you must always check in and out with your card.

As far as your available 4 days; have you considered the south of the Netherlands? Maastricht for instance? Or the north? Friesland?

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you, Dutch_traveler. Exactly what I was looking for re train travel! And, I appreciate the suggestions for our "extra" days - we visited Maastricht on a previous trip, but Friesland looks like "the place". We'll add it to the itinerary. Thanks again!

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