I spent my first morning in Amsterdam walking from Centraal Station to the Rijksmuseum. Took about 40 minutes, dodging bikes the whole way, and by the time I arrived my feet were already done. The walk back? I skipped it entirely and hopped on a red double-decker bus that dropped me at my next stop in twelve minutes, with an audio guide filling me in on every canal house and bridge along the way.
That is basically the pitch for Amsterdam’s hop-on hop-off buses. The city is walkable, sure. But it is also spread out enough that a bus pass saves your legs for the things that actually matter — museum queues, market browsing, and wandering the Jordaan without a deadline.
The main operator is City Sightseeing Amsterdam, running those open-top red buses you have seen in every major city. They are not glamorous. But they work, and for a first visit they are genuinely useful for getting your bearings. I will walk you through how the ticketing works, what the routes actually cover, and whether the combo bus-and-boat deals are worth the upgrade.
Best overall: Amsterdam Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Boat — $35. Bus plus canal boat on the same ticket. The boat adds a completely different perspective and the combined price barely costs more than the bus alone.
Best budget: 24h or 48h Hop-On Hop-Off via Viator — $35.52. Same bus network, sometimes slightly cheaper through Viator with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Best for museum lovers: Combo Rijksmuseum + Hop-On Hop-Off — $50. Skip-the-line Rijksmuseum entry bundled with the bus pass. If the Rijksmuseum is on your list anyway, this saves time and a little money.
- How the Amsterdam Hop-On Hop-Off System Works
- Bus Only vs Bus and Boat Combo
- The Best Hop-On Hop-Off Tours to Book
- 1. Amsterdam Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Boat —
- 2. 24h or 48h Hop-On Hop-Off Tickets (Viator) — .52
- 3. Combo Rijksmuseum + Hop-On Hop-Off Bus —
- When to Ride
- How to Get to the Starting Point
- Tips That Will Save You Time
- What You Will Actually See from the Bus
- Is the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Worth It in Amsterdam?
- More Amsterdam Guides
How the Amsterdam Hop-On Hop-Off System Works
City Sightseeing Amsterdam is the only major hop-on hop-off bus operator in the city. They run open-top double-decker buses on a loop that hits most of the major sights. Here is how it breaks down:
Tickets and pricing: You buy either a 24-hour or 48-hour pass. The 24-hour ticket costs around $30-35 and the 48-hour around $40-45, though prices fluctuate a bit depending on where you book. Children under 4 ride free. Kids 5-12 get a reduced fare, usually around $18-20.
The route: The bus loop covers about 14 stops across the city, including Centraal Station, Dam Square, Leidseplein, Museumplein (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum), Vondelpark, Albert Cuyp Market, Waterlooplein, and the Harbour area. A full loop without hopping off takes roughly 75 minutes.
Frequency: Buses come every 20-25 minutes in peak season (April through October) and every 30-45 minutes in winter. The first bus leaves Centraal Station around 9:30 AM and the last loop departs around 5:00-5:30 PM depending on the season.
Audio guide: Every bus has multilingual audio commentary through earphones. It covers around 20 languages. The commentary is decent for a first visit — it explains the canal house architecture, the history of the Red Light District (which you drive past but cannot stop at), and random facts about Dutch life that keep things interesting.
How to book: You can buy tickets on the day at the main stand near Centraal Station, but I would book online in advance. Prices are sometimes lower, you avoid the queue at the ticket booth, and most third-party platforms offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Just show the QR code on your phone to the driver when you board.
One thing worth knowing: the buses do not run particularly late. If you are hoping to use the bus to get to a dinner reservation at 8 PM, you will need to sort your own transport. The bus is a daytime sightseeing tool, not a replacement for the tram network.
Bus Only vs Bus and Boat Combo
Most tickets come with the option to add a hop-on hop-off canal boat to your bus pass. My honest advice? Add the boat. The price difference is usually only $5-8 more, and the canal boat gives you something the bus cannot — a water-level view of the canal ring, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site for a reason.
The canal boats run a separate loop with their own stops, and you can switch between bus and boat throughout your ticket validity period. The boat route covers parts of the city the bus cannot reach because the streets are too narrow — particularly the Jordaan and the inner canal ring around Prinsengracht and Herengracht.
If you have already booked a standalone canal cruise, you do not need the boat add-on. But if you have not, the combo ticket is the better deal.
Bus-only makes sense if: You only have a few hours, or you are already doing a separate canal cruise, or you just want transport between museums without the sightseeing angle.
Bus + boat makes sense if: This is your first time in Amsterdam and you want a complete overview of the city from two different angles. The boat especially shines on warm days when you can sit on the open deck.
The Best Hop-On Hop-Off Tours to Book
I have gone through the main options available on GetYourGuide and Viator. Here are the three worth considering, ranked by overall value.
1. Amsterdam Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Boat — $35
This is the one I would go with for most visitors. You get both the open-top bus and the canal hop-on hop-off boat on a single pass, which means you can switch between the two all day. The bus covers the main sights loop — Centraal, Dam Square, Museumplein, Leidseplein — while the boat fills in the canals the bus cannot reach.
At $35 per person for the combined ticket, it is barely more than what some operators charge for just the bus. The flexibility of having both is what makes this the standout option. Use the bus in the morning to hit the museums, then switch to the boat in the afternoon when you want something more relaxed. The full breakdown is in our review, but the short version is: best overall value for first-time visitors.
2. 24h or 48h Hop-On Hop-Off Tickets (Viator) — $35.52
This is essentially the same City Sightseeing bus, sold through Viator instead of directly through GetYourGuide. The main advantage here is Viator’s cancellation policy — you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before, which is useful if your Amsterdam plans are still taking shape.
The $35.52 price is for the 24-hour bus-and-boat combo. The 48-hour version runs closer to $45 and is worth considering if you plan to spread your sightseeing over two days instead of cramming everything into one. One practical note from our review: double-check whether the canal boat portion operates during winter months. Some visitors have reported the boat service being suspended from December through February without clear notice at the time of booking.
3. Combo Rijksmuseum + Hop-On Hop-Off Bus — $50
If the Rijksmuseum is already on your Amsterdam list — and it should be — this combo saves you a bit of money and, more importantly, the hassle of booking two separate things. You get a skip-the-line Rijksmuseum entry plus the 24-hour bus pass on a single ticket for $50.
The skip-the-line part is the real draw. The Rijksmuseum queue can stretch past 45 minutes on busy days, especially in spring and summer. With this ticket you walk past that line and head straight in. The bus pass then covers the rest of your day — hop off at Leidseplein for lunch, take it to Dam Square, ride the full loop back to Centraal when you are done. Check our full review for details, but one caveat: confirm that the bus runs on the day you are visiting, because some visitors have found the bus does not operate on Sundays during the low season.
When to Ride
Best months: April through October. The weather cooperates more often than not, the top deck of the bus is actually enjoyable, and the buses run more frequently (every 20 minutes vs 30-45 in winter).
Best time of day: Early morning or late afternoon. Mid-day the buses fill up with day-trippers and cruise ship passengers, and traffic around Dam Square slows everything down. I liked the last loop of the afternoon best — fewer people on the bus and better light for photos.
Worst time: King’s Day (April 27). The city centre is closed to traffic and the buses do not run. Same goes for some major events and holidays. Check the City Sightseeing website before booking if you are visiting around a Dutch holiday.
Rainy days: The top deck is open-air with no cover. If rain is in the forecast, you can sit downstairs where it is covered, but you lose the views. Honestly, on a rainy day you are better off using Amsterdam’s excellent tram network instead and saving the bus ticket for a clear day.
How to Get to the Starting Point
The main departure point is right outside Amsterdam Centraal Station, on the north side near the bus platforms. If you are arriving by train from Schiphol Airport, you will walk out of the station and see the red buses within a minute.
But you do not have to start at Centraal. You can board at any of the 14 stops along the route. If your hotel is near Leidseplein or Museumplein, just walk to the nearest stop and jump on there. The bus is a loop, so it will eventually pass every stop regardless of where you start.
From Schiphol Airport: Take the direct train to Amsterdam Centraal (17 minutes, runs every 10-15 minutes). The HOHO bus stop is a 2-minute walk from the station exit.
From a cruise terminal: If your ship docks at the PTA cruise terminal, it is about a 15-minute walk to Centraal Station. Some cruise packages include shuttle buses to the city centre that drop off near the main HOHO stand.
Tips That Will Save You Time
Book online, not at the booth. The ticket stand at Centraal Station always has a queue, and the price is the same or higher than buying online. Plus, online booking usually gives you free cancellation.
Sit on the top deck, left side. Most of the canal views and major landmarks are on the left when the bus heads south from Centraal Station. The right side has good views too, but left is slightly better for photography.
Do not try to do every stop in one day. With 14 stops and buses every 20-25 minutes, hopping off at every single stop would take you all day and you would not actually see much at each one. Pick 4-5 stops that matter most to you, spend real time there, and ride through the rest.
Combine with the GVB day pass. Amsterdam’s public transport (trams, buses, metro) runs on the GVB network. A day pass costs about EUR 9 and fills in the gaps the HOHO bus does not cover — the Jordaan, De Pijp, Amsterdam Noord. The HOHO bus is for sightseeing, the GVB is for actually getting around.
Download the app. City Sightseeing has an app that shows real-time bus locations and estimated arrival times at each stop. It is not perfect, but it beats standing at a stop wondering when the next bus is coming.
Check your route carefully in winter. Some stops are skipped during the low season, and the canal boat portion of combo tickets may not operate from December through February. The website does not always make this obvious.
What You Will Actually See from the Bus
The loop takes you past most of Amsterdam’s greatest hits without needing to figure out the tram system or navigate the confusing canal ring on foot. Here is a rough order of what you will pass:
Centraal Station — The starting point. The building itself is worth looking at, a massive neo-Renaissance structure from 1889 that sits on three artificial islands.
Dam Square and the Royal Palace — The heart of the city. Get off here if you want to visit the Royal Palace (open most days, EUR 12.50) or explore the Nieuwe Kerk.
Leidseplein — The nightlife and entertainment hub. Good stop for lunch, with dozens of cafes and restaurants around the square. Also the gateway to the Vondelpark.
Museumplein — This is probably where you will spend the most time off the bus. The Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art are all within a two-minute walk. The square itself is nice for sitting on the grass if the weather cooperates.
Albert Cuyp Market — Amsterdam’s biggest street market. Open Monday to Saturday, it stretches for several blocks and sells everything from stroopwafels to vintage clothes. Worth 30 minutes of browsing.
Waterlooplein and the Jewish Quarter — Smaller flea market, plus the Jewish Historical Museum and Portuguese Synagogue. Less touristy, more local.
The Harbour area — NEMO Science Museum (the green copper building shaped like a ship), the Maritime Museum, and views across the IJ waterway.
The bus does not go through the Jordaan, the Nine Streets, or the Red Light District — all of those areas have streets too narrow for a double-decker. You will need to explore those on foot, which is honestly the better way to see them anyway. The bus drops you close enough to walk into any of those neighborhoods from the nearest stop.
Is the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Worth It in Amsterdam?
Honestly? It depends on what kind of traveller you are.
Worth it if: This is your first visit, you want an overview of the city before diving deeper, you have limited time (1-2 days), you are travelling with kids or elderly family members who cannot walk long distances, or you just want easy transport between the major museums.
Not worth it if: You already know Amsterdam well, you prefer exploring on foot, you are on a tight budget (the GVB day pass does the same job for a third of the price), or you are visiting in deep winter when the top deck is unusable and the frequency drops.
For most first-time visitors spending 2-3 days in Amsterdam, I think the bus-and-boat combo is a solid use of $35. It is not the most exciting thing you will do in the city, but it handles the practical side of getting around while giving you orientation and context that makes the rest of your trip better.
More Amsterdam Guides
If you are spending a few days in Amsterdam, the hop-on hop-off bus pairs well with a canal cruise — do the bus during the day for the overview and save the cruise for the evening when the light on the canal houses is at its best. For something completely different, the Zaanse Schans day trip gets you out of the city to see working windmills, and a walking tour covers the neighborhoods the bus cannot reach — the Jordaan, the Red Light District, and the hidden courtyards you would never find on your own. For eating your way through the city, our Amsterdam food tour guide covers the best options from stroopwafel tastings to Indonesian rijsttafel experiences. And if the tulip season lines up with your trip, do not miss Keukenhof — it is one of those places that genuinely lives up to the photos.
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The hop-on hop-off bus covers a wider circuit than most visitors realize, and several stops line up with Amsterdam’s best standalone experiences. The Museumplein stop puts you at the doorstep of the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, while the NDSM Wharf route crosses to Amsterdam-Noord, where the A’DAM Lookout offers panoramic views from a hundred meters up. A canal cruise complements the bus nicely — one covers the city by road, the other by water, and together they give you a complete overview without exhausting your legs.