Save Money, Time, and Hassle with Amsterdam’s City Card
The I amsterdam City Card: a convenient and unique way to explore Amsterdam. This official city pass gives you access to all major attractions — including more than 70 museums. You also get city-wide public transport, a free canal cruise and free bicycle rental.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
- Save Money, Time, and Hassle with Amsterdam’s City Card
- Why the I amsterdam City Card is a Good Deal
- What is Included in the I amsterdam City Card?
- The City Card Also Covers Tours, Museums, Excursions and More in Metropolitan Amsterdam
- Free App and Detailed Amsterdam Map
- I amsterdam City Card Price vs Value
- Buy the I amsterdam City Card
- Which I amsterdam City Card Should I Get?
- City Card Options: 1 – 5 Days
- Will I save money with the I amsterdam city card?
- The Savings of the I amsterdam City Card Quickly Add Up
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Amsterdam City Card
- Would We Buy The City Card Ourselves?
- What is ‘I amsterdam’? And Where Did the famous Sign Go?
Why the I amsterdam City Card is a Good Deal
The I amsterdam City Card is a must-have official city pass that offers a wide range of sought-after tourist experiences enjoyed by first-time and repeat visitors.
While the card comes in 1 to 5 day versions, the multiple-day cards offer the beste value.
Will you get your money out of it? The vast majority of buyers say they do.
Even if your visit includes just two museums, a canal boat tour, a bicycle rental, and some public transport trips, you already save money with the card.
In this article we provide a detailed review of the I amsterdam City Card.
While we ourselves live in Amsterdam (and thus do not need this card), we have asked friends and family members from abroad about their experiences.
Without fail, they rate the card 5 stars, mentioning great value for the money, the no-hassle convenience of public transport, and they wonderful extras — such as the free canals ride and the free bike rental.
Let’s take a closer look at the card, shall we?
What is Included in the I amsterdam City Card?
The 2023 version of the I amsterdam City Card (yes, with a lower letter ‘a’) is a pass that gets you:
- Free access to over 70 of Amsterdam’s museums and other major highlights
- Unlimited citywide public transport: bus, tram, and metro 1
- Free canal boat cruise [Amsterdam’s most popular tourist attraction]
- Free 24-hour bicycle rental [Amsterdam is the City of Bikes]
- Free visit to the Amsterdam Royal Zoo ARTIS
- Free This is Holland 5D Flight Experience — a simulated helicopter ride that gives you a pilot’s view of the Netherlands’ major sights
- Free visit to Hortus Botanicus, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world
- Many other museums, tours, excursions, activities, and more…
The City Card Also Covers Tours, Museums, Excursions and More in Metropolitan Amsterdam
The many additional benefits of the I amsterdam City Card include tours, museums, excursions, and more in the most popular tourist attractions just outside of Amsterdam. For instance:
- Free visit to the well-preserved, medieval Muiderslot castle (Unesco listed)
- Free visit to the fortress island Pampus, commissioned in 1895 (also a Unesco World Heritage Site)
- Free entrance to the working windmills at Zaanse Schans
- Free ferry cruise between the authentic fishing villages of Volendam and Marken
- Free entrance to the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem
- Free canal cruise in Haarlem
- Free bike rental in and around Volendam. See dikes, green fields, cheese farms, windmills…
Various freebies and discounts on food, snacks, and activities are also included.
Free App and Detailed Amsterdam Map
The I amsterdam City Card comes with a free app (Android and iPhone) that helps you plan your visits. It includes a detailed map of Amsterdam that provides essential information on more than 130 places of interest.
The app highlights nightlife areas, as well as notable clubs, pubs, and coffee shops. Amsterdam’s most popular restaurants are sorted by category.
You can create a list of favorites, and you can even share your Amsterdam experiences with friends via Facebook and Twitter.
I amsterdam City Card Price vs Value
The Amsterdam City Card comes in 5 levels, from 24 – 120 hours (1 – 5 days). It ranges in price from €60 – €135 (± $64 – $144 | ± £53 – £120).
Over 93% of verified buyers say they are satisfied, with many reviews mentioning the card represents good value for the money.
The savings quickly add up, but the best value is a multiple-day card.
Buy the I amsterdam City Card
Which I amsterdam City Card Should I Get?
In general, you’ll want to get a multiple-day I amsterdam city card in order to get the most out of it.
After all, you may want to visit the Rijksmuseum, ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo, the Stedelijk Museum, and the windmills at the Zaanse Schans2 all within one day while taking a canal cruise in between — but you’d have to be crazy to try and do so.
City Card Options: 1 – 5 Days
The City Card is available in 5 versions:
| I amsterdam City Card | Price | Cost per Day |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours (1 day) | € 60 | €60.00 |
| 48 hours (2 days) | € 85 | €42.50 |
| 72 hours (3 days) | €110 | €36.67 |
| 96 hours (4 days) | €125 | €31.25 |
| 120 hours (5 days) | €135 | €27.00 |
The City Card is activated when you first use it, be that in public transport, a museum, or another attraction. For instance, if you board a tram using your 24 hours I amsterdam City Card, the card is activated, and will be valid for the next 24 hours.
Will I save money with the I amsterdam city card?
How much money the card will save you depends on how many of its benefits you will realistically use. But over 93% of people who used the card say they’re satisfied.
Reviewers usually highlight both the savings (“Good value for the money”) and the convenience of the pass (Read the reviews).
The Savings of the I amsterdam City Card Quickly Add Up
Note that without the City Card a canal cruise can easily set you back €19 and up.
A visit to one of the top museums in Amsterdam normally costs about €20.00
A one day bike rental starts around €10.00 for a very basic bicycle, to about €20.00 for an advanced model with gears.
Add the cost of public transport (and, face it, the hassle of figuring out its ticket system) and getting the City Card is a no-brainer.
Outdated guidebooks may talk about the I amsterdam card, or the I Amsterdam Pass instead of the current name: I amsterdam City Card
Frequently Asked Questions About the Amsterdam City Card
Unfortunately, the City Card does not include entrance to the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and A’DAM Lookout.
At some venues you must reserve timed entry access. The app that accompanies the card makes that very easy to do. Note that even without the city card, nowadays most museums require you to pick a timeslot.
Would We Buy The City Card Ourselves?
Given that we live in Amsterdam we do not need such a city pass ourselves.
However, when we host friends and family members from abroad, we always recommend they get the I amsterdam City Card.
That way they can make the most of their city break without also breaking the bank. They give the card a 5-star rating, and all buy the card again each time they visit.
And yes, were we the ones visiting this wonderful city, we’d certainly get our own passes as well.
This article was last updated Monday, June 5, 2023. We updated some of the benefits, more clearly explain why the card is a good deal, and made the page look better.
What is ‘I amsterdam’? And Where Did the famous Sign Go?
Why, I amsterdam is the city’s hugely successful marketing slogan.
Too successful, as it turned out… which is why those famous, giant ‘I amsterdam’ letters were removed from Museumplein.
Overtourism got blamed, but every Amsterdammer knows it was a prime example of gesture politics by by the GroenLinks (GreenLinks) party.
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