I Amsterdam City Card – A cheaper way to enjoy an action-packed short stay in Amsterdam
Are you planning on a
busy short stay in Amsterdam filled with days full of excursions and travelling,
or even only visiting three main attractions? The I Amsterdam City Card is the
ideal way to enjoy all the things you want to do during your leisure or
business stay in Amsterdam but for less and with three validity periods: 24, 48
or 72 hours.
It may be a small city but there is a lot to do
in Amsterdam and before you arrive you may have already planned out your daily
outings. The I Amsterdam City Card is a cheaper way to visit those most popular
attractions, eat out at favourite restaurants or travel around the city on
public transport. Carrying this red card around in your wallet or hand bag will
allow for free admissions, discounts and special offers. If you are on a tight
budget then you could even devise an itinerary based around the freebies and
discounts that the card offers.
The benefits
Included with your card is unlimited use of
Amsterdam’s GVB public transport during the card validity period of 24 hours,
48 hours or 72 hours. The public transport includes the regular and a many
trams, metros and buses. The free detailed city map will help you navigate to
and from 38 of the city’s top museums and attractions that you will have free
entry to. The list includes: Van Gogh Museum, Artis Zoo, De Nieuwe Kerk, De
Oude Kerk, Hermitage Amsterdam, Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam Tulip
Museum, Stedelijk Museum and Hortus Botanicus.
If the entrance is not free then it is usually
discounted and you can enjoy 25% off at 16 locations, including the
Rijksmuseum, Ajax Experience, Amsterdam Dungeon, Heineken Experience, Madam
Tussauds and the XtraCold Icebar. If you enjoy theatre performances or concerts
then the card can get your 25% off at Concertgebouw, Boom Chicago, DeLaMar
Theatre, Her Muziektheatre Amsterdam and Muziekgebouw ann’t IJ.
You can’t visit Amsterdam without cruising its
famous and UNESCO listed canals and with the I Amsterdam City Card you can have
one free canal cruise to admire the city from a different angle. Eating out can
also be cheaper. Your apartment may be self-catering but sometimes you might
prefer someone else to do the preparing of food while you just sit back and
enjoy eating it. The card allows for 25% discount at 29 eateries on specific
meals, some drinks or the whole menu, and freebies and special gifts at 8 eateries.
Amsterdam can be navigated also on bike, on
boat, on a water taxi, a scooter (moped) or even a horse drawn coach. You can enjoy
these different modes of transport for 25% off the ticket price at select
businesses such as MacBike, Canal Bus and Scooter Experience. Amsterdam has
designated bike and scooter lanes so that it makes for a safer and efficient
way of navigating the city.
There are some great areas and activities just
outside of Amsterdam that you may want to explore during your short stay. The I
Amsterdam City Card allows for free entrance to 8 attractions and 5 discounts
at the Zaanse Schans which is an area north of Amsterdam that attracts about a
million visitors per year. Filled with traditional houses, windmills, warehouse
and workshops it offers a glimpse of what it was like to live in this area in
the 18th and 19th centuries. Another popular area just
outside of Amsterdam in Haarlem and the card gives free entrance to 3 museums and
discounts at 4 establishments.
Prices
(2013 rates)
You can purchase your I Amsterdam City Card
online through the I Amsterdam website before you even arrive in Amsterdam.
Otherwise once you are in Amsterdam you can buy it at one of the tourist
offices or at several shops and newsagents across the city.
24 hour card: € 42
48 hour card: € 52
72 hour card: € 62
Using your card
Once you use your card for the first time it is
automatically activated for the validity period you have bought it for. Just
present it at the counter of the participating establishments and you will
receive your freebies and discounts. For travelling on the GVB public transport
just check in with your card by swiping it over the card reader and do the same
on your way out. The travel pass will also be activated from the first time you
use it and then valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
To see all information about the card, the full
list of the 2013 offers and to purchase a card for your leisure or business short
stay in Amsterdam then visit www.iamsterdam.com
which can be displayed in a number of different
languages.
