Visitors and Dutch residents can save on sightseeing and museum tickets in the Netherlands by using the Holland Pass. This discount tourist and visitor’s savings pass is a great bargain and easily pays for itself. The Holland Pass gives admission and discounts to many top sights in Amsterdam, the rest of Holland, and indeed throughout the Netherlands.
Save on Sightseeing with the Holland Pass in Amsterdam and the Netherlands
The Holland Pass is a special visitor’s discount pass that gives free admission to a specific number of top sightseeing sites and attractions in the Netherlands and discounts to many more. The Holland Pass is available with free admission tickets to two, five, or seven sights. Included with each pass is the Holland Pass Discount Card, which gives discounts at many further sights and attractions.
The Holland Pass and attached Holland Pass Discount Card is valid for the season, which is generally from February to mid-March the following year. Dutch residents and frequent visitors can thus find special value from the Discount Card if bought early in the season.
Buying the Discount Holland Pass
The Holland Pass is easiest bought from GWK Travelex Offices in major Dutch cities as well as at Schiphol Airport. The Holland Pass is also available from many hotels and participating attractions. It is available online but note applicable delivery fees.
The Holland Pass is priced as follows: 2 sights €24.50, 5 sights €39.50, 7 sights €49.50, and Holland Pass Kids (5 sights) €29.50 for children aged 4 to 13. All passes include a free 260-page guidebook and the Holland Pass Discount Card that gives discounts of 10 to 50% on admission fees to many attractions, amusement parks, as well as special offers in several restaurants and shops.
Each Dutch attraction that can be seen for free with the Holland Pass is labeled as either a tulip, wooden shoe, or windmill sight. The two free tickets Holland Pass has one windmill and one tulip ticket, the five free tickets Holland Pass has two windmill, two tulip, and one wooden shoe ticket, and the seven free tickets Holland Pass has three windmill, three tulip, and two wooden shoe tickets.
Ignoring the Discount Card, visitors should be able to save around €12, €8 or €7 per sights to save with the Holland Pass. This is fairly easy to achieve but bear in mind the tulip, wooden shoe, and windmill classification: for example the two-ticket pass can give free admission to either the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum but not both as each require a tulip ticket. It is harder, but not impossible, to find a “wooden shoe” attraction giving more than €5 in savings. Also bear in mind that some sights, such as Keukenhof, are not open all year.
The Holland Pass Kids require a bit more calculation work to determine if it is worth the price. Dutch children generally have to pay admission from as young as five years – sometimes even younger – but many major museums including the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Mauritshuis are free for under 18 year olds. However, visits to Madam Tussauds and the Artis Royal Zoo will already cover the pass price.
Free Ticket Sights in the Netherland for Visitors with the Holland Pass
Visitors freely select which sights they want to see – there is no need to choose the specific attractions in advance. Some of the sights and attractions that can be selected for free tickets with the Holland Pass (adult admission fee) include:
- Top museums in Amsterdam: Amsterdam Museum (€10), Hermitage Amsterdam (€15), De Nieuwe Kerk (€15), Our Lord in the Attic (€8), Rembrandt House Museum (€10), Rijksmuseum (€12.50), Van Gogh Museum (€14), and Frans Hals (€10). Bearers of the Holland Pass can generally skip ticket window queues and go straight to the museum entrance.
- Other popular attractions in Amsterdam: Canal cruises (€13), Amsterdam Dungeon (€21), Heineken Experience (€15), Madam Tussauds (€21), and Xtra-Cold Ice Bar (€19.50).
- Sights elsewhere in the Netherlands include Keukenhof (€14.50) near Lisse; the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery (€10.50), Royal Delft (€8) and Madurodam (€14.50) in The Hague (Den Haag); Wêreldmuseum (€12), boat trip to Kinderdijk (€14.50), and Spido Harbor Tour (€10) in Rotterdam; and Dick Bruna House (€9) and Museum Catherijneconvent (€9) in Utrecht; Dierenrijk by Eindhoven (€15.50), and Safaripark Beekse Bergen (€20),
Some of the biggest savings offered by the Holland Pass Discount Card are available from amusement parks. Adventure and amusement parks in the Netherlands where the Holland Pass Discount Card gives savings of around 20% include Avonturenpark Hellendoorn (€20.50), Amusement Park Duinrell (€18.50), Dierenrijk by Eindhoven (€15.50), Dolfinarium in Harderwijk (€25), Safaripark Beekse Bergen (€20), and Walibi (€30).
The Holland Pass is not a transportation pass but it is possible to exchange some of the free tickets for an Amsterdam or Rotterdam day travel card. However, savings obtainable at attractions are often better value. For public transportation in the Netherland, an OV Chip card is needed – a system that is often confusing at first to non-residents.
Henk Bekker - Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer currently living on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Join the Conversation