Last updated on November 15th, 2025
Travel Advisory for Travel to the US
The Netherlands has issued a travel advisory for travel to the US. The following countries have also issued an advisory for travel to the United States: Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Venezuela and China.
Visit the Netherlands – Plan Your Trip
Best Time of Year to Visit the Netherlands
The climate of the Netherlands is greatly influenced by constant breezes from the North Sea. This results in cool summers, but also means that temperatures infrequently drop below freezing in winter. Rainfall is evenly spread throughout the year. May – August are probably the best months for good weather during a visit. If you want to see the tulips, you need to time your visit to the last week in April or the first week in May.
Netherlands – Visa Requirements
The Netherlands participates in the Schengen Zone and Schengen Visa requirements. There are no border inspections by rail or vehicle when traveling from Netherlands to Belgium or Germany. Some countries that are not members of the Schengen Zone require a Schengen Visa to enter Europe. Exemptions include citizens of Australia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Check your specific country of the Goverment of the Netherlands site or at VisaHQ. For a list of exempt countries, visit Project Visa.
Netherland – Currency
The Netherlands uses the Euro as its currency and so do its two neighboring countries – Belgium and Germany.
Visit the Netherlands – Electrical Adapters
The Europlug Type C electrical adapter is what you will need to keep your phones and cameras charged when you Visit the Netherlands. Your electrical adapter for the Netherlands will work in most European countries.
Getting Around the Netherlands – OVpay
The easiest way for tourists to travel in the Netherlands is OVpay which simply allows you to use a contactless credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Wallet. You can tap on all public transport in the Netherlands, including trains (2nd class only), Sprinter trains, buses, trams, and metros. Tap in and out on every ride and use the same payment method each time. If you travel on an Inter City Direct or on an Inter City Express (ICE) you must also find a supplement pole “Toeslagzuil” at the station platform to add the small supplement to your rapid transit fare. The most common situation requiring a supplement is for high speed sections on the train between Schiphol and Rotterdam.
For OVpay tap, each traveller in your group needs their own payment card. If you take a lot of rides, there is no provision to convert to a day pass, as fares in the Netherlands are already always based on distance travelled. However, some regional transit authorities like GVB in Amsterdam will track your total taps for the day and automatically stop charging you before you exceed their local day pass amount – how cool is that!
You can also install the OVpay app if you want to track your transactions, but there is no need to do so. In the app, you link to your credit card and you will then get a history of all your tap transactions uploaded directly into the app on a regular basis.
Getting Around the Netherlands – NS app
You can buy all your train fares in the Netherlands on the NS app and you can buy tickets at kioks too, but they will charge you an additional 1.5 Euros for printing your paper ticket. If you are travelling with luggage, it might be more convenient to use a credit card than to find the ticket on your phone at each ride. The price is the same either way, but sometimes the NS app offers discounts when certain routes are being under utilized. You can purchase a ticket for more than one person on the NS app, which is great for family or group train travel. Make sure your ticket purchase is loaded into the app for presentation at any gates or when requested by a conductor. You can also buy return tickets on the app.
The ICE or IC Direct required supplement can be paid by finding it under More/Ticket Shop/ Supplements in the NS app instead of tapping a supplement pole. The NS App will warn you when the supplement is required on your journey. Just like OVpay, the NS app doesn’t provide for regional or local day passes.
The NS app is great for viewing schedules, but it’s a bit confusing with respect to buying tickets. The NS app indicates the train ticket price and also, in smaller print, the total fare including other forms of transit on your route, but the app will only sell you the train portion of your journey.
Getting Around the Netherlands – Regional Passes
Regional passes like the Amsterdam Travel Ticket, Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket, I amsterdam City Card (with museum entrances) or the South Holland Tourist Travel Ticket can save you money. For example, the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket gives you one, two, or three days of unlimited use of all tram, bus, and metro lines of GVB, Connexxion, AllGo, R-net, EBS (including night lines), and NS in Amsterdam and the region.
Regional passes are available at major stations and some can be purchased by mail, which is not a great option for tourists. These passes are paper tickets or email bar codes that are valid on all forms of transportation in the designated area.
Trams and buses typically have a bar code reader below the tap reader and you scan your regional paper ticket or an E-ticket on your phone. Slide your phone face up underneath the bar code reader and make sure you keep your credit cards away from the tap reader above this. Don’t forget to check in and out on each ride with your regional tickets just like you would when tapping your credit card for OVpay.
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