Netherlands travel
 

My husband and I will be traveling around the Netherlands for a month, mostly non-peak hours. As non-EU citizens, are we eligible to purchase a Da Voordeel pass? If so, can we purchase it at the airport? Are we required to have an ov-chipcaart to use it?

Also, if we purchase the Museum Cards at a museum, are we able to have the permanent card mailed to a hotel or are we limited to 5 visits uding the temporary card?

Thanks for any advice you have to offer.

Hi Floridacouple, I had a play with the NS Flex Dal Voordeel order form and there comes a point where you need to have an address in the Netherlands. You might get around this by using the address of where you are staying. I didn't go beyond that point. However I did look at the difference between the Flex and the one on balance (op saldo). The Flex one you get a bill at the end of every month, while the balance one requires you to have a EUR60 subscription and it is a contract that just ticks over for the next year. You have to keep topping up the credit. Neither of these tickets sound like they are designed for travellers. However there are others like the Holland Travel Ticket which has an off-peak option for EUR42 which can be used by travellers: https://www.amsterdamtips.com/rail-passes-netherlands . It comes with a disposable OV-chipkaart.

Lavandula

Hello, there is a route around this, but it is pretty involved. Here goes

Apply for an Utrecht Regio Pass here: https://www.ontdek-utrecht.nl/utrecht-region-pass

HOWEVER, you won't be able to load reduced fare products on your pass, but for ease of use, and the option of using OV fiets, I'd say it's worth the detour.

The involved bit is that you'll to need to travel to Utrecht to pick it up at one of the pick up points.
You can link the pass to your credit card ( I didn't test this with non-Dutch cards, but I read reports that it works nevertheless and then you have a personal travel card that you can also use for NS trains, and to rent OV fiets.) All travel will be booked to your credit card and you'll get invoices for each travel day. The beauty is, that the pass is valid outside the Utrecht region too.

Here's the Utrecht Region Pass portal: https://my.utrechtregionpass.com/
Here are the pick up and drop off locations: https://www.ontdek-utrecht.nl/collec...ht-region-pass. The idea is that you drop off your card again at the end of your stay, but I wouldn't know how necessary that is if you leave the country.

So, it does involve going to Utrecht (no hardship, it's about 20 minutes by very frequent train from Amsterdam CS), but you get the same OV kaart advantages that Dutch travellers have (you can use it on all public transport, throughout NL), and you can rent OV fiets! https://www.ns.nl/en/door-to-door/ov-fiets

Thanks to both of you. The options you present are definitely worth further research. The EUR42 is cost effective for day trips more than 42E round trip. I'll have a few of these, so it will be something to pick up for them as I go along. Also, my plans include Utrecht as a base for some of my travel and will explore when I get there.

Thanks again. I am so looking forward to our travel in the Netherlands. We are fully vaccinated and promise to follow all safety protocols while there.

We have almost none, and our government plans to do away with those as well during september, and let the virus rip. Even now our prevalence is very high, and towards October it will likely be higher still. We're a high risk area in the EU. Protect yourself well, because no one will look out for you, e'g' by wearing masks. Often I'm the only one wearing one in shops etc.