Getting Around Amsterdam: Tram

Bikes are easy to rent in Amsterdam, but since riding bikes isn't a special thing for us, we opted for tram cards instead.  We loved riding the trams.

They were very easy to use. You hop on, scan your card, and you're good to go. Each one has a driver up front and and an attendant in the back, and both were happy to give directions and verify stops for us. Plus, the stops were announced and upcoming stops were displayed on a screen.

Sometimes we got to sit and other times, especially during the typical "rush hour" times, we had to stand. When you get off the tram, you scan your card again and it deducts the appropriate fare from your card. A full ride from one end of a line to the other costs €4.00. Each of us spent about €30.00 in all - not bad for two weeks of riding. (You can also purchase an hour long pass, a day pass etc. All right onboard the tram using your credit card.)

During one ride we got a visit from the "Tram Police." The tram stopped, two officers got aboard and each person's ticket was checked to make sure he or she had scanned as they boarded. Sorry for the blurry picture, but it was the best one I got.

I asked the Dutch woman next to me if this happened often and she said it was the first time she'd been checked in all the time she'd lived in Amsterdam. She thought the driver had radioed ahead and requested them because shed noticed a man get on and not pay. As soon as the officers entered through the front door, he scooted out the back. We asked the officers what happened to people who tried to get free rides. He told me it was a €53.00 fine if you got caught. Ouch.