{"id":2711,"date":"2021-04-28T15:05:17","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T13:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weblog.wur.eu\/international-students\/?p=2711"},"modified":"2021-07-20T09:44:18","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T07:44:18","slug":"discounted-train-travel-in-the-netherlands-tips-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weblog.wur.eu\/international-students\/2021\/04\/28\/discounted-train-travel-in-the-netherlands-tips-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"Discounted train travel in the Netherlands – tips & tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on: 28 April 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a frank fact. As an international student, you cannot travel in the Netherlands for free. \u00a0Yes, Dutch students do have that privilege, but unfortunately, that doesn\u2019t extend to us internationals. So now you must wonder if you really have to purge out all that money for a train ticket to Amsterdam or elsewhere. Travelling by train in the Netherlands certainly doesn\u2019t seem cheap. But, if you learn your way around, you can travel with huge discounts!<\/p>\n

Getting an OV \u2013 the Dutch public transport card<\/h3>\n

The easiest way to travel around by train, bus, tram etc, is by using the OV chipkaart. When you first arrive in the Netherlands, you can get an anonymous card OV chipkaart. You simply have to upload money on the card and travel around. But once you have a Dutch bank account, you can get a personal OV. With this one, you can sign up for all kinds of discounts.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t rush into buying the personal OV immediately. As you sign up for a travel subscription (abonnement<\/em> in Dutch), you will get the OV for free (otherwise it\u2019s \u20ac7,50). Now, let\u2019s look at the different travel discounts for the train.<\/p>\n

\"OV<\/a>

My personal OV chipkaart<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Choosing between different train discounts<\/h3>\n

Of course, signing up for a discount makes sense if you travel more often (Although, of course, now due to Covid-19 it is not possible). If you travel less than twice a month, check out the next section!<\/p>\n

The NS website<\/a> (the website of the Dutch train system) gives you an overview of discounts available (and you can change the website into English). Then, from the menu, choose \u201cseason tickets\u201d. That\u2019s where you\u2019ll find the following options, and I\u2019ll give you a quick overview of these options. I\u2019m not going into all of the options, just the most relevant ones for you.<\/p>\n