NS Day Ticket or Regional Pass

The choice between an NS Day Ticket or a regional pass entirely depends on your travel plans. For long distances throughout the Netherlands, the NS Day Ticket is often the best option. A regional pass is more economical if you stay within one province or city region. But how do you determine the break-even point and which pitfalls should you avoid? We’ve listed the facts for you.

The NS Day Ticket: Unlimited Travel Throughout the Netherlands

The NS Day Ticket is a well-known product for those who want to travel by train unlimitedly throughout the Netherlands for an entire day. For a fixed price, which in 2026 will be €66.60 for second class, you can travel from the first to the last train of the day across the entire Dutch rail network of NS and other train operators. This ticket is ideal for travellers who want to visit several cities far apart in one day. Think of a route like Groningen – Maastricht – The Hague. The cost of individual tickets for such a journey would far exceed the price of a day ticket.

When is the NS Day Ticket truly more economical? A good rule of thumb is to add up the costs of your planned individual journeys. A single ticket between major cities quickly costs more than €25. So, if you make more than two such long journeys in one day, the day ticket is almost certainly the cheapest option. For example, if you plan a trip from Amsterdam to Valkenburg and back, individual tickets would be more expensive. The day ticket then gives you a financial advantage and the option to make an extra stop along the way, for instance in Utrecht or Den Bosch.

Regional Passes: The Key to Local Transport

While the NS Day Ticket focuses on national train journeys, regional passes are designed for local and regional transport. Virtually every province or city region has its own day tickets, which are often valid on buses, trams, metros, and sometimes even on trains operated by regional carriers such as Arriva or Blauwnet. These passes are significantly cheaper than an NS Day Ticket. Prices vary but are often between €8 and €20.

A regional pass is the best choice if you plan to intensively explore a specific area or city. For example, exploring the Veluwe for a day with the buses in Gelderland, or island hopping with public transport in Zeeland. For these types of journeys, a national train ticket is useless. Your travel destination is within a limited area, where you benefit most from access to the extensive network of buses and trams.

NS Day Ticket versus Amsterdam Region Travel Ticket

A common question from travellers wanting to visit the capital and its surroundings is the difference between an NS Day Ticket and a specific regional ticket like the Amsterdam Region Travel Ticket. The choice here is fundamentally different and heavily depends on where your journey begins and what you want to see.

• The NS Day Ticket is useful if you are travelling to Amsterdam from far outside the Randstad and visiting another distant destination on the same day. Once in Amsterdam, this ticket does not cover local transport such as the metro, trams, and GVB (Municipal Transport Company) buses. You would need to buy separate tickets for those.
• The Amsterdam Region Travel Ticket (from €23 for one day) is specifically designed for exploring the metropolitan region. It is valid on all trains, buses, trams, and metros within its validity area. With this, you can travel not only within the city itself but also to attractions such as the Zaanse Schans, the beaches of Zandvoort, or the flower auction in Aalsmeer.

Therefore, for a stay in and around Amsterdam, the regional ticket is almost always the better and cheaper option. The NS Day Ticket is only relevant if Amsterdam is merely a short stopover on a much longer, national train journey.

What is the best day ticket for the Randstad?

Travelling within the Randstad is a unique case. The distances between cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht are relatively short, yet you can easily visit several cities in one day. Which ticket is most convenient then?

If you limit yourself to train travel between these cities, an NS Day Ticket can be advantageous if you plan to cover more than three or four individual routes. The cost of separate tickets quickly adds up. However, as soon as your journey also includes local transport, such as a tram ride in The Hague to the beach or a bus ride in the Utrecht region, another option becomes interesting: the Holland Travel Ticket.

This ticket costs €54 during off-peak hours and gives you unlimited access to all public transport in the Netherlands for an entire day: train, bus, tram, and metro. It is slightly more expensive than the NS Day Ticket, but the extra coverage for all other public transport makes it a particularly practical choice for a complex travel day in a densely populated area like the Randstad.

Combining an NS Day Ticket with Regional Passes

Is it possible to combine an NS Day Ticket with a regional bus pass? Absolutely. In fact, it’s often a practical necessity. After all, the NS Day Ticket only covers train travel. For transport from the station to your final destination, such as a hotel, a museum, or a nature reserve, you often depend on the bus, tram, or metro.

You can easily solve this by buying a single ticket on the spot from the driver or a machine, or by checking in with your OV-chipkaart (public transport smart card) or debit card. If you plan to make extensive use of local transport in your arrival city, it might be advantageous to purchase a separate day ticket for urban transport for that city. So, you use the NS Day Ticket for the long distance and a local pass for the ‘last mile’.

Planning the perfect itinerary requires the right choices. On the Traveler Tips website, you’ll find many more practical articles on smart travel, from the best train routes through Europe to detailed preparation tips for your next road trip. Discover more and make every journey an unforgettable experience.

Frequently Asked Questions