Your Own Netherlands.
Group Tours

Dutch people are very pragmatic and don't like throwing money around unnecessarily. Here are a few Dutch-style life hacks that will help to save money without limiting yourself.

Book a hotel in advance. We recommend that you have a look at the hotels outside of Amsterdam too. It might be cheaper and logistically better to stay in old Leiden or Haarlem if you plan to visit not only Amsterdam but also Rotterdam, The Hague, The North Sea, or the Keukenhof park during your journey. Utrecht, with its double double-decker canals, is the perfect place to stay if you plan to visit Amsterdam, Castle De Haar, Eindhoven, and Maastricht.

If you like small towns, nature, national parks with dunes, and sheep farms, but you're not ready to leave Amsterdam - have a look at hotels in Alkmaar, Hoorn, or Edam. You can even stop at an eco-farm, surrounded by fields with lambs and cows. The Dutch transportation system works exceptionally well, so you will never have trouble getting around.

You may also want to travel around the entire country, moving from one town to another, and to Amsterdam for a day or two. Remember that the Netherlands offers a lot of surprises: wherever you turn, you will end up either in Bosch's or Rembrandt's hometown. You might also end up in an antique castle or discovering some fantastic futuristic architecture. We'll be happy to help plan your travel route.

If you plan on using public transport regularly, then we recommend that you buy an OV Chipkaart. The card itself costs 7.50 euros (as of 2020). You can buy it at the ticket office or the blue and yellow machines at the stations and put money on it there. Using an OV-Chipkaart for one short trip around Amsterdam can save you up to 2 euros. When travelling by train, these cards are less advantageous and require a minimum balance of 20 euros.

Travelling by train in the Netherlands can be quite expensive. To reduce the cost of trains, we recommend you take a look at this website, which contains information about all discounts on train tickets and the chain shops that sell them (Hema, Kruidvat, Albert Heijn, Blokker, etc.) where such tickets can be purchased. A daily train ticket with no limit on how much you can travel anywhere in the country without discounts will cost you over 50 euros at its full price. But if you take advantage of a discount, you might get the same ticket for only 15-20 euros. Within one day, you can easily visit a few pleasant cities or even go to the seaside after the tour without hurting without going over your budget.

Another useful website would be Goedkooptreinkaartj. The website is in Dutch, so you might need to use Google Translate for help. On the website, you have an option to choose any discount you like and purchase a voucher. Then you can exchange the voucher for a ticket on the Dutch railroad website NS.nl and download the ticket onto your phone.

And if you feel confident cycling on a bike, then that is definitely the best way to get around Dutch cities and between them.

If you are travelling by car, then it's better to leave it behind :). Petrol is more expensive in the Netherlands than in any neighbouring country, so it makes sense to fill up your car before crossing the border. And the free DirectLease TankService app, which is popular in the Netherlands, will do a great job of finding cheap gas stations near you and help you save around 10 euros on fueling your tank.

Downtown parking in Dutch cities can bankrupt even a millionaire. So it is better to experience Dutch cities with its picturesque narrow streets on foot. You can leave your car in the inexpensive Park & Ride car parks, which also lets you purchase tickets for public transportation at a lower price. You can easily find Park & Ride using Google Maps.

Every day until 10 a.m. you can find a good, cheap, and filling breakfast starting from 2 euros (as of 2020) in the chain of department stores called Hema, located everywhere in the Netherlands. Some Hema shops have a cafeteria offering lunch for 5 euros. By the way, Hema is a great place where you can try some classic Dutch dishes, such as stamppot or American filet, which has nothing to do with America :).

During good weather, the Dutch people enjoy going to the park or the canal embankments for a picnic. You can find a wide variety of salads, diced cheese cubes, and other ready-made food in Albert Heijn supermarkets, which are practically everywhere in the Netherlands. Also, check out some local delis. The food there can be divinely delicious. And don't forget the markets. There, you can buy cheese not only for a lower price but often of a better quality as well. What's more, in markets and delis, you can always taste the food before you buy it.

And of course, don't forget to taste the herring sandwiches. You can have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to benefit your heart and stomach. You can find herring shops by typing Haringhandel or Vishandel in Google Maps.

By the way, tap water in the Netherlands is actually of better quality than bottled water. Take a refillable bottle with you and fill it up in your hotel before going out. Drinking fountains and street standpipes are found almost everywhere in major cities.

The price of group tours is a lot more affordable compared to individual tours. And group tours will do just as good a job as private tours when it comes to learning the most important things about the city and the country, as well as getting the opportunity to visit some special places which (luckily) cannot be found in tourist guidebooks.

Residents of the Netherlands use the personal museum card "Museumkaart" which costs 64.90 euros per year (as of 2020). You can buy these cards in most local museums. According to the rules, there is no need to register your personal Museumkaart during the first month.

Does it make sense to buy a Museumkaart? If you are planning to visit the Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum, etc. - then it absolutely makes sense to buy one. This Museumkaart can help you save some time and money, allowing you to skip the line. The website Museumkaart.nl has a huge list of museums that will be either free to visit or significantly discounted. Also, on the same website, you can find information about hundreds of places and events that might be of interest to you.

Some museums organize free events for visitors:

• Photography museum Foam. Every Thursday at 19:30, you can join the English guided tour of the exhibitions.
• Microbe museum Micropia. Every day at 13:00 and 16:00, and on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 18:00, one of the museum's specialists organises a free tour and answers any questions the visitors may have.
  
• Rembrandt House Museum Rembrandthuis. Here you can join the daily interactive demonstrations on the techniques of engraving and paint production of the 17th century.
  

You can find even more similar events on the websites of specific museums.

• Het Concertgebouw is one of the world's best concert halls thanks to its incredible acoustics. Free half-hour concerts take place every Wednesday at 12:30. Concert Schedule.
• Dutch National Opera & Ballet. Free half-hour lunch concerts take place in the foyer on Thursdays at 12:30 from September till May. Concert Schedule.
  
• Muziekgebouw. Free lunch concerts on Thursdays at 12:30. Concert Schedule.
  
• Bimhuis. Free improvisation workshops on Tuesdays at 20:30. Schedule.
  
• During summer, Vondelpark regularly organises free concerts, theatre plays, cabaret, and other events. Billboard.
  

We recommend that you check the schedule in advance on the website to make sure that the concert will take place. Besides, not everyone would like to get to the 4′33″ Cage rehearsal. With all unconditional respect to it :). And of course, it is better if you come earlier.

A dozen bars around Leidseplein provide live music concerts after 21:30-22:00 almost every night. The entrance tickets might be up to 5 euros, but usually, it's free of charge. But you might be kindly asked to at least order a glass of beer. You can check the program and prices on the websites of each bar. Here you can find some of them:

• Jazz bar Alto is a small cosy bar with great jazz music.
• Piano bar Maxim is a disco-bar famous for its white Grand Piano. Here they play live blues, jazz, rock, and pop music.
  
• Waterhole is a spacious rock-and-roll dance-bar..
• Bourbon street is a rock-and-roll bar.
  
• Maloe Melo is a cosy bar with different types of music.

On the northern side of the city (Amsterdam Noord):

• Pllek is an awesome modern ship-container-bar on the north bank of Amsterdam. Live music concerts are often held here - from classical to Latin American music and ending with DJ sessions. Not only that, but Pllek also organizes outdoor film screenings on the beach with beautiful views of the bay. Events can be free of charge or could cost up to 5 euros.
  
• Noorderlicht is another lovely place with live music or theatre plays.
  

In the West:

• Nieuwe Anita is an excellent cultural venue with an old-fashioned and very cosy bar. It hosts exhibitions and concerts. Sometimes they organize arthouse movie screenings and lectures.
  

You can find well-priced standard souvenirs (T-shirts, magnets, Dutch-themed mugs) at the flower market in tents located closer to the centre. Many shopkeepers offer discounts (if you ask about them) to tourists who buy a large number of souvenirs. But it's better not to bargain for too long.

You can also buy more souvenirs at the supermarket chain Albert Heijn and the store chain Hema. They are substantially cheaper and sometimes offer more interesting items :). After all, you can bring not just ordinary souvenirs, but also classic Dutch cheeses, Dutch waffles, fig bread, etc.