Travelling to Amsterdam - money saving tip
TRAVELLING TO AMSTERDAM ON A BUDGET
A simple tip to save tens of euro's which you can spend on something else.
THE AMOUNT OF VISITORS TO AMSTERDAM IS GROWING RAPIDLY
Amsterdam is a popular city among tourists. Over the past 5 years tourism grew over 17 million visitors per year. This is about the total amount of people living in the entire Netherlands. Most of the tourists come to Amsterdam and are having there stay in one of the many hotels Amsterdam has to offer.
During the past couple of years there has been a huge growth of tourists travelling by own car to Amsterdam from surrounding countries Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark and the UK. While parking in the city centre of Amsterdam is scarce and prices are sky high, parking in the city centre is not te best way to go.
PARKING COSTS AMSTERDAM PER HOUR
PARK + RIDE CAN SAVE UP TO 49 EURO PER DAY
Around the city of Amsterdam there of 7 P+R areas. You can see them on the above map. All these areas are in close range of public transportation which take you directly to the city centre. Parking on one of these P+R areas can save up to 49 euro a day.
HOW DOES THIS WORK
Parking in a Park + Ride (P+R) car park costs only €1 or €8 per 24 hours – with a maximum parking time of up to 96 hours (subject to exceptions).
The rates are calculated like this:
Enter on weekdays before 10:00: €8 for the first 24 hours, then €1 for subsequent 24 hour periods
Enter on weekdays after 10:00: €1 per 24 hours
Enter in the weekend: €1 per 24 hours
To get the P+R rate it is important that you travel to the city centre by public transportation using your OV-chipkaart or P+R GVB card which must be purchased within one hour of parking. It is also important that when returning to the P+R that you travel from within the city centre.
When you return at the parking area you have to submit your parkingticket in the machine and hold your OV-chipkaart or GVB card against a scanner. If your last checkin was from a city centre stop then your total parkingcosts will be reduced.
Note; if your last checkin was not in the city centre then you will have to pay the full amount, which ranges from €1.40 to €3.50 per hour depending of the P+R area.
EXTRA TIP
When visiting Amsterdam make sure to check out the website Iamsterdam.com. This site offers a lot of great information on all sorts of things.
If you like some more personal information from an insider feel free to ask for any tips. We'll be happy to help you.
Have a great day and remember.. Always GoCoconuts 😉
Sources for this post
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/07/07/drukte-in-amsterdam-in-vijf-jaar-verdubbeld
www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/plan-your-trip/getting-around/parking/park-and-ride
I lived in Amsterdam for a while, there is an awesome campsite called Zeeburg which is a ten minute tram ride from central station. You can camp in tents, trailers, and caravans. They have wagons and eco cabins you can hire too.
If you are going in summer, it's perfect. Really chilled out, has a shop for food, a cafe and bar, Wifi, and overlooks a fjord where you can can go canoeing in boats hired from the campsite. There is even a secret beach in Amsterdam, which you can get to by canoe. Remember to wrap pack your beach essentials in a watertight bag so you can roll one when you get there :)
This is a great addition on saving money on your trip to amsterdam! Thanks @nickdavison
Have a great weekend :)
Thanks @gococonuts :)
Some herbs could spice up the museum visit 😉
Honestly, my biggest tip for anyone travelling around European cities, is not to bother renting a car. Europe tends to have excellent public transport, and the cities are usually cycle friendly. Renting a bicycle is far less expensive, and you get to enjoy the city (and countryside, if that is your plan) far more by using rail/bus and bicycle than if you drive. You go at a slower pace, take more in, and get some healthy exercise :)
Totally agree! Biking is the way to go :) but if you do get here by car you'll have to park it somewhere and P+R is the way to go. After that you can bike your way through amsterdam 😀
Ah, I didn't even think about the idea that people would drive there! I usually just take the trains and cycle or walk, so the idea of driving never crossed my mind :)
Yes, Amsterdam is definitely expensive when it come to parking. Most expensive in The Netherlands and driving there in the weekend can be a pain if you don't know the way.
True!
A good tip, but if I drive you miss out on all the Heineken and Flugel... Always Eurostar for a lush like me :)
Haha thats also a good way to go.
:) The only thing i hear about Amsterdam is its magic cookies and magic muffins. Seems to be a very magical place .... if ya know what i meant.
I hear that when you eat these cookies and muffins you think you are seeing unicorns behind red lighted windows.
Oh I was there back in 2015, and I traveled by train from Den Haag (the Hague). My bestie was there to receive me (and my other friends) and we were there for a short while, mainly to catch up than to really do sight seeing as it was raining on and off. We ended up enjoying food, coffee and a long chat together catching up each other's life.
I will soon post up my experience in Steemit.
upvoted
Looking forward reading your amsterdam experience 😀
It was a little frustrating though, and scary (on the financial side). haha.
Great tips! Tourism sure has exploded over the last couple of years. It's hard to find tourist-free zones ;)
It's bizar. Amsterdam is getting so crowded! But still I ❤ amsterdam!
Me too, wish I could afford to live there :P