Looking to get one of the Amsterdam city passes for attractions, transport and canal cruises? In this article we will make a direct comparison of the main Amsterdam passes available.
The 2 main Amsterdam passes for sale are:
- I Amsterdam City Card – issued by amsterdam&partners, the non-profit city marketing arm.
- Go City All-Inclusive Amsterdam Pass – from the largest city pass company based in UK/US. Go City also has an attraction-based Explorer Pass which we will mention further below.
If you want a detailed analysis of each card then see our separate I Amsterdam City Card Review or our Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass Review
Amsterdam city passes offer a number of benefits including saving money on museum and attractions, the fun of putting together interesting itineraries and the sheer convenience of an all-in-one pass – meaning you don’t have to buy lots of separate tickets.
I Amsterdam City Card
In a nutshell the I Amsterdam City Card is great for ‘culture vultures’ with truly excellent coverage of museums in Amsterdam and the region.
All the main museums are included except the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum – both of which are unavailable on any pass. You get a canal cruise and bike rental from a selection of operators – and a GVB public transport ticket in Amsterdam.
Although the I Amsterdam City Card does not offer a discounted option for children it includes some great children’s activities such as ARTIS Zoo, NEMO Science Museum and Fun Forest Climbing Park.
On top of the free entrance the I Amsterdam City Card offers a 25% discount into a number of venues and attractions.
This is an excellent product and because it has a 24 hour basis it is possible to run it over 2 calendar days. You can also get free extra hours by entering a museum/attraction just before the expiry time.
Book the I amsterdam City Card online (via Tiqets) here
Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass
The Go City All Inclusive Pass has a stronger coverage of various Amsterdam attractions with exclusive arrangements with the likes of Heineken Brewery, House of Bols, Madame Tussauds and Amsterdam Dungeon.
Whilst some of the activities would perhaps appeal more to a younger crowd there is enough covered on the pass for a broader age group.
Go City has a slightly discounted children’s option though again do note some of the attractions (Heineken Experience/House of Bols/Tour de BonTon) are not suitable for kids.
The Go City pass does have the canal cruise and bike rental (no choice of operators) but NO public transport ticket. This is not a big problem as you could always buy your own GVB multi-day ticket.
What sets the Go City card apart is the option of taking various tours and excursions out of Amsterdam. Making good use of the card should easily save you 30-50% off the standard prices.
Buy the Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass here
I Amsterdam Card vs Go City All Inclusive Pass – Comparison
To get a feel for both cards let’s now make a side-by-side comparison of the card features. In some respects both cards are quite distinct products – if you can’t make a choice between the two you could also consider buying both in succession, if you have enough time on your visit.
Attractions in green are common to both cards.
| Most museums + city transport | Includes attractions + tours |
| I amsterdam City Card | GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass |
  | |
| 1/2/3/4/5 days | 2/3/5 days |
| 24 hours basis | calendar day basis |
| €60/€85/€100/€115/€125 | €104/€124/€169 |
| – | €59/€74/€109 (child 3-12) |
| GVB Amsterdam Transport | – |
| Amsterdam Canal Cruise Amsterdam Boat Cruises Blue Boat Circle Line Lovers Stromma | Amsterdam Canal Cruise Stromma – – – – |
| Amsterdam Museums (41) Allard Pierson Museum Amsterdam Museum (@H’ART) Amsterdam Pipe Museum Amsterdam Tulip Museum ARCAM Architecture Centre ARTIS-Groote Museum ARTIS-Micropia Diamond Museum Embassy of the Free Mind EYE Film Museum Fashion For Good Museum FOAM Photography Museum Museum of the Canals H’ART Museum Houseboat Museum Huis Marseille Jewish Museum Luther Museum MOCO Museum Multatuli Museum Museum De Dageraad Museum Het Schip Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder Museum of the Mind Outsider Art Museum Tot Zover Museum Van Loon National Holocaust Museum National Maritime Museum NEMO Science Museum NEMO The Studio Nieuwe Kerk Oude Kerk Pianola Museum Portuguese Synagogue Rembrandt House Rijksmuseum Stadsarchief Stedelijk Museum Verzetsmuseum Wereldmuseum Amsterdam Willet-Holthuysen House | Amsterdam Museums (14) Amsterdam Pipe Museum Amsterdam Tulip Museum Diamond Museum H’ART Museum Houseboat Museum Jewish Museum MOCO Museum National Maritime Museum National Holocaust Museum Our House Portuguese Synagogue Rembrandt House Rijksmuseum Stedelijk Museum – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – |
| Amsterdam Attractions (5) A’DAM Lookout ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo Fun Forest (climbing park) Hortus Botanicus THIS IS HOLLAND Flight Experience – – – – – – | Amsterdam Attractions (11) A’DAM Lookout AMAZE Amsterdam Amsterdam Dungeon Boom Chicago Heineken Experience House of Bols Madame Tussauds Rembrandts Amsterdam Experience Royal Coster Diamonds Experience THIS IS HOLLAND Flight Experience Tour de BonTon |
| Museums/Attractions outside Amsterdam COBRA Museum (Amstelveen) Zuiderzee Museum (Enkhuizen) Frans Hals Museum (Haarlem) Museum of the Mind (Haarlem) Teylers Museum (Haarlem) Singer Museum and Sculpture Garden (Laren) Batavialand (Lelystad) Amsterdam Muiderslot Castle (Muiden) Pampus Fort Island (Muiden) Dutch Fortress Museum (Naarden) Volendams Museum (Volendam) Czar Peter House (Zaandam) Zaan Time Museum (Zaanse Schans) Zaans Museum (Zaanse Schans) Mill Museum (Zaanse Schans) | Museums/Attractions outside Amsterdam Amsterdam Muiderslot Castle (Muiden) Pampus Fort Island (Muiden) Keukenhof entry + shuttle bus (in season) – – – – – – – – – – – – |
| Tours/Activities Amsterdam Introduction Walking Tour DIY foodie tour (De Pijp) – – – – – – | Tours/Activities Life of Anne Frank Tour Rotterdam, Delft & The Hague Tour Zaanse Schans Excursion Volendam, Edam & Windmills Excursion The Murder by Dam Square Hello Amsterdam intro walking tour Self-guided foodie tour (Jordaan) Dutch Craft Beer Tasting |
| I Amsterdam City Card | Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass |
| Ferries/Cruises Volendam-Marken Express ferry Amsterdam-Zaanse Schans Zaan Ferry Smidtje Canal Cruises (Haarlem) Windmill Cruises (Zaanse Schans) | Ferries/Cruises Volendam-Marken luxury cruise Ferry to Pampus and Muiderslot Castle – – |
| Bike Rental A-Bikes/AmsterBike/MacBike/Yellow Bikes Rent & Event (Volendam) | Bike Rental MacBike |
| 25% discount… Amsterdam Dungeon Body Worlds Fabrique des Lumières Heineken Experience Cat Cabinet House of Bols Johan Cruijff ArenA Stadium Tour Madame Tussauds Nxt Museum Our House Roller Dreams Rembrandts Amsterdam Experience STRAAT Museum The Upside Down Amsterdam Bimhuis Boom Chicago Dutch National Ballet & Opera Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ Canal Motorboats rentals Canal Tours Amsterdam Pedal Boats MokumBoot (boat rental) Stromma Cruises Ferry to Pampus and Muiderslot Castle Hoop op d’Swarte Walvis (Zaandam) Taverne De Visscher (Marken) | – |
| Not Included Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum Airport trip Regional transport | Not Included Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum Airport trip City + regional transport |
| Digital app or Physical Card | Digital app or Print out |
| Book I Amsterdam City Card here | Book GO City Pass here |
Our take: We have used both cards and we really like them both! The I Amsterdam City Card probably just shades it for us, being as you get great flexibility with 1-5 day options, have the 24 hour validity, the public transport ticket included and the great number of museums.
The Go City Amsterdam All Inclusive Pass is excellent if you are looking at some of the attractions and tours on offer which are generally priced on the higher side if done individually.
Let’s now look make a brief overview of a number of other Amsterdam passes available:
Go City Explorer Pass
The Go City: Amsterdam Explorer Pass allows you 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 attractions to visit over a period of 60 days.
Prices are €64 (3), €79 (4), €94 (5), €104 (6) and €134 (7). The best value is the 6 attraction version at €17.33 per attraction.
The attraction list is exactly the same as that of the All Inclusive Pass, except that Amsterdam Tulip Museum/Amsterdam Pipe Museum/Murder by Dam Square are not available on the Explorer Pass.
Only choose this pass if you plan to visit attractions with higher prices or take tours. Do not use them for lower priced attractions like the Houseboat Museum.
You can book a Go City: Amsterdam Explorer Pass here
Museumkaart (Dutch Museum Card) – mainly for locals
The Museumkaart (Netherlands Museum Card) is an annual membership card which gives unlimited free entry into around 500 museums in the Netherlands. This includes 40 museums in Amsterdam with all the main ones covered – Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum.
It costs €75 for adults and €39 for youths (13-18) and children (0-12).
Whilst this card offers outstanding value, it is not aimed at international visitors and it is a bit difficult to buy the full card. You require a Dutch bank account and Dutch address! It is a no-brainer for locals and expats.
It is possible to buy a temporary Museumkaart (€75) over-the-counter at selected museums. However the temporary card is only valid for 31 days and 5 museum visits. The museum you purchase it from counts as 1 visit.
The temporary card still offers €15 per visit, so some may still find value – especially if you are heading to other Dutch cities.
However we would probably say get a 2 day I Amsterdam City Card (€85) instead which offer the same museums in Amsterdam as well as all the extras.
It is possible to upgrade the temporary card to the full card on this page here (in English) with any EU or UK address. You need to upload a passport-style profile photo and give a bank account (IBAN/BIC) number to pay a one-off €3.25 admin fee. The full annual card will then be sent out by standard mail to your address.
See our full Dutch Museumkaart Review
Tiqets Amsterdam Digital Pass
The Tiqets Amsterdam Digital Pass is not really an Amsterdam city pass per se – it is a bundled package deal put together by Tiqets which costs €66. It probably offers a very slight discount only to buying the separate tickets – depending on how you value the included audio tour. It includes the following:
- Van Gogh Museum entry
- Rembrandt House entry
- Stromma Canal Cruise
- Amsterdam city audio guide and 10% discount on your next Tiqets booking
We would highly recommend sticking to the I Amsterdam City Card or Go City passes. However if interested you can purchase the Tiqets Amsterdam Digital Pass here
Rembrandtkaart (Rembrandt Card) – for locals
The Rembrandtkaart (Rembrandt Card) is a specialist product aimed at the local Dutch market. Like the Museumkaart, it can only be purchased if you have access to a Dutch bank account.
An annual card costs €75 for adults or €110 for 2 adults. The youth (under 25) rate is €37.50.
It gives free access to 125 museums in the Netherlands including the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and 13 others in Amsterdam. Supplements for special exhibitions are often exempted for Rembrandt Card holders.
There are also special invitational previews and activities for members as well as a magazine Bulletin (Dutch) which is sent 3 times a year.
The Museumkaart has significantly greater coverage but if the Rembrandt Card museum blue-chip portfolio appeals, then the 2 adult membership is a particularly great value alternative.
We have taken an overview of 6 Amsterdam city passes. For short-term visitors we would always recommend sticking to the I amsterdam City Card (for the museums and other add-ons) or the GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass (if the attractions and tours appeal).
First published 27 March 2024.
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