Amsterdam Sightseeing Pass comparison
Would you like to compare the various attraction passes in Amsterdam and find out which Amsterdam Card is the best for you? Then you’ve come to the right place in my detailed Amsterdam Card comparison!
In my comparison of the I amsterdam City Card, the Explorer and All-Inclusive Pass by GoCity, and the Amsterdam Pass from Tiqets, you can see at a glance which sights and tours are included and how much they cost.
In addition, you will find my personal recommendation and I will answer the most frequently asked questions about the Amsterdam City Cards.
Which Amsterdam Card to buy?
Rarely has there been such a clear winner: the I amsterdam City Card (also known as the “I amsterdam Card”) is by far the best sightseeing pass. Why?
All the main sights, canal cruises, bike hire, and tours of all kinds are included – and you can also use public transport.
Last but not least: while the other passes always charge for whole days and there are no “partial” days, you can also use it over several days thanks to its 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120-hour validity.
Compare Amsterdam Cards
In my Amsterdam Cards comparison table you can see all attraction passes at a glance and compare which of the many Amsterdam City Cards is the best for you ?
My recommendation | Alternative | |||
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Attractions to choose from |
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Attractions to choose from | 70+ | 40+ | 40+ | 6 |
Of which you can visit these |
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Of which you can visit these | all | 3 to 7 | all | all |
Valid for |
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Valid for | 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days | 60 days | 2, 3 or 5 days | 365 days |
Cancellable?
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Cancellable? | ||||
Public Transportation? |
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Public Transportation? | ||||
HIGHLIGHTS |
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HIGHLIGHTS | HIGHLIGHTS | HIGHLIGHTS | HIGHLIGHTS | HIGHLIGHTS |
A'DAM LOOKOUT |
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A'DAM LOOKOUT | ||||
City Canal Cruise |
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City Canal Cruise | ||||
Rijksmuseum |
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Rijksmuseum | ||||
Van Gogh Museum |
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Van Gogh Museum | ||||
Anne Frank House |
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Anne Frank House | ||||
Rembrandt House Museum |
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Rembrandt House Museum | ||||
Heineken Experience |
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Heineken Experience | ||||
ATTRACTIONS |
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ATTRACTIONS | ||||
Amsterdam Castle |
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Amsterdam Castle | ||||
Keukenhof (saisonal) |
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Keukenhof (saisonal) | ||||
Madame Tussauds |
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Madame Tussauds | ||||
Moco Museum |
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Moco Museum | ||||
Royal Experience |
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Royal Experience | ||||
Stedelijk Museum |
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Stedelijk Museum | ||||
Anne Frank-Tour |
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Anne Frank-Tour | ||||
WALKING TOURS |
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WALKING TOURS | ||||
BIKE RENTAL |
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BIKE RENTAL | ||||
All Attractions |
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All Attractions | ||||
PRICE
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PRICE | from 65 EUR | from 69 EUR | from 114 EUR | from 70 EUR |
Important tips about the Amsterdam Cards
- The Anne Frank House is not included in any of the passes. These are only available on the official website of the Anne Frank House. However, there is a guided tour that focuses on the life of Anne Frank in Amsterdam. You can find this tour in my table above!
- Reservations for attractions: For some attractions, you need a separate reservation in addition to the correct City Card. You can find out what these are on a daily basis on the websites I have linked here!
How do the attraction passes for Amsterdam work?
Regardless of whether you opt for the I Amsterdam City Card, the Amsterdam Pass or the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass – the functionality is the same for all sightseeing passes for Amsterdam.
#1 Buy in advance, activate and use in Amsterdam
Sightseeing passes are a great way to save on your travel budget. If you have decided in favour of an Amsterdam Pass, these are the next steps:
- Step 1: You will receive the booking confirmation by email
- Step 2: Print it out (it is already your pass) or download it directly as an electronic version in the free app of the respective Amsterdam Pass provider
- Step 3: When you arrive in Amsterdam, show it at the ticket counter of the attraction (ATTENTION: some will ask for your ID card or passport for verification the very first time you use it)
- Step 4: You will receive your admission ticket or your Amsterdam Pass will be scanned and you’re ready to go!
#2 You save on the important sights and tours in Amsterdam
All Amsterdam City Cards work like a collective ticket, like 1 ticket for many attractions at the same time. The fact that you don’t just buy a single ticket, but several in the form of City Cards, makes it cheaper for you to visit the sights of Amsterdam.
Savings of over 20% are always possible, but savings of 35-50% are more likely!
#3 Easy to use
They are comparable to prepaid phone cards: once purchased, you can use them for as many attractions or days as you have “topped them up”. For example, if you have bought the I Amsterdam Card for 48 hours, you can use it as an admission ticket for exactly 48 hours; with the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass for 3 days, you can visit as many attractions as you want or can manage – but only for 3 days.
Which Amsterdam City Card is the best?
There are several worthwhile combination tickets and City Cards for Amsterdam that might be of interest to you.
But how do you find the best pass for you quickly and easily? My free savings calculator can find out for you in just a few seconds!
Travel plan for Amsterdam
Not sure which attractions to include in your Amsterdam itinerary? Here are some ideas on how I would plan my trip to Amsterdam with the attraction passes:
My Amsterdam itinerary in 2 days
For many, Amsterdam is a destination for an (extended) weekend – you can see these attractions and still have enough time to sit in one of the many cafés along the canals and enjoy the city. And you’ll easily save 30%:
Attractions | Costs without I amsterdam Card |
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Ticket for public transport for 2 days | 15 EUR |
DAY 1 | DAY 1 |
Rijksmuseum | 23 EUR |
Moco Museum | 23 EUR |
A'DAM LOOKOUT | 19 EUR |
DAY 2 | DAY 2 |
City Canal Cruise | 23 EUR |
Stedelijk Museum | 23 EUR |
Heineken Experience (25% discount) | 5 EUR |
Cost of individual tickets | 131 EUR |
COSTS I AMSTERDAM CARD 48h | 85 EUR |
SAVINGS | 46 EUR, corresponds to 35% |
My travel plan for Amsterdam in 1 day
The clever thing about the I Amsterdam City Card is that it is hour-based. This means that if you use it for the first time at 16:00 on day 1, it is also valid until 15:59 on day 2.
Therefore, this travel plan (which was my last travel plan in Amsterdam) is really relaxing and you save almost 40%:
Attractions | Costs without I amsterdam Card |
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Ticket for public transport for 1 day | 9 EUR |
DAY 1 | DAY 1 |
City Canal Cruise | 23 EUR |
A'DAM LOOKOUT | 19 EUR |
Rijksmuseum | 23 EUR |
Stedelijk Museum | 23 EUR |
Costs of individual tickets | 97 EUR |
Costs I amsterdam Card 24h | 60 EUR |
SAVINGS | 37 EUR, corresponds to 38% |
Which Amsterdam Card is the best?
Usually this is a difficult question because the answer depends on what you want to see in how many days and who you are in Amsterdam with. But for Amsterdam, the answer is quite clear – the I Amsterdam City Card is by far the best sightseeing pass because it includes everything, even public transport tickets.
#1 The best Amsterdam Card for first-time visitors
If you want to see the full package of attractions, the day-based attraction passes are the best choice for you. Why? For a fixed price, you can visit as many attractions as you want or can manage. With the I Amsterdam City Card for 72 hours or the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass for 3 days, you can choose freely from the sights, walking tours, boat tours and hop-on hop-off bus tours included in the respective programme for 3 days. The price doesn’t change – regardless of whether you visit 10 or 20 of them! Great, isn’t it?
My top tip for first-time visitors is the aforementioned I Amsterdam City Card. Here you can buy the I Amsterdam Card.
#2 The best Amsterdam City Card for families
Do the kids want to do something else during the day than you originally planned? With the I Amsterdam Card you have a huge choice. The only disadvantage? There are no discounts for children – everyone pays the same price. That’s why the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass can be an option – you can compare them in the table above (but there are significantly fewer sights to choose from).
Here you can buy the I Amsterdam Card.
#3 The best Amsterdam Card if you’ve been to Amsterdam before
Are you an Amsterdam repeat offender? That’s great! Then you’ll have a much more relaxed experience of the city because you’ll certainly have already visited a lot of the well-known sights on your first holiday.
The I Amsterdam Card is the best way to cover the attractions you’re still missing, as it offers over 70 of them.
Here you can buy the I Amsterdam Card.
Which Amsterdam City Card is the best?
There are several worthwhile combination tickets and City Cards for Amsterdam that might be of interest to you.
But how do you find the best pass for you quickly and easily? My free savings calculator can find out for you in just a few seconds!
The Amsterdam Cards in detail
Short and sweet – you can choose from these attraction passes for Amsterdam:
#1 I Amsterdam City Card – My recommendation
- Includes over 70 TOP attractions including canal cruises, the A’DAM LOOKOUT, the Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Experience
- Tickets for public transport included
- 5 variants: bookable for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours
- You save up to 60%
- best price-performance ratio
- perfect for first-time visitors
- you can visit as many attractions as you want or can manage for a fixed price
- simply collect on site or download to your mobile phone
Here you can find more details about the I Amsterdam City Card.
#2 Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass from Go City
- Includes over 40 attractions including canal cruises, the A’DAM LOOKOUT, Rijksmuseum, the Heineken Experience or a visit to the Keukenhof (seasonal)
- 3 variants: bookable for 2, 3 or 5 days
- You save up to 40%
- good value for money if you want to see 2 to 3 attractions per day
- perfect for first-time visitors
- you can visit as many attractions as you want or can manage for a fixed price
- simply download to your mobile phone
» Buy Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass
Here you can find more details about the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass.
#3 Amsterdam Explorer Pass
- includes over 40 attractions including the canal cruises, the A’DAM LOOKOUT, Rijksmuseum and Heineken Experience
- bookable for 2 to 7 days
- you save up to 40%
- good value for money if you want to see 2 to 3 attractions per day
- perfect for first-time visitors
- you can visit as many attractions as you want or can manage for a fixed price
- simply download to your mobile phone
Here you can find more details about the Amsterdam Explorer Pass.
#4 Amsterdam Pass from Tiqets
- Officially includes 6 attractions, but only the canal cruise, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are among the top sights
- incl. train ticket from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam
- 1 variant
- simply print out or download to your mobile
- BUT: no savings possible because the other spots are only audio guides
My tip: Definitely better than the Amsterdam Pass from Tiqets is the I Amsterdam City Card. In my table you can compare them and see why. And here you can find my article on the Tiqets Amsterdam Pass.
FAQ
Can I use public transport with the Amsterdam Attractions Pass?
It all depends on the pass: The Amsterdam Pass and the Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass only include tourist attractions, but not tickets for local public transport.
Only the I amsterdam City Card includes the tram, metro, ferry and buses.
What Amsterdam City Pass discounts are available?
Do the Amsterdam Passes activate on purchase?
No, it is only activated when you use it at your first attraction on site.
Can I visit attractions more than once with the Attractions Passes for Amsterdam?
No – you can visit each attraction exactly once.
Steffen
I'm Steffen and over the years I've been able to help over 100,000 travelers easily save money on vacation. You can find the best tips for the most beautiful cities and regions worldwide here on this page. Whenever you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!