It depends, and for many visitors the answer is no: 5 out of 10.
Five checks, the same in every city. The total decides the verdict.
| Check | What we found | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Price vs public transport | €27.50 for the bus, €10 for a day of transport: 2.8 times as much | 2/3 |
| Stops near the sights | 6 of the 10 main sights are within 7 minutes' walk of a stop | 1/2 |
| Waiting time | A bus every 25 minutes at worst | 1/2 |
| Shape of the city | 2.7 km between the farthest main sights, mostly flat | 0/2 |
| Loop time | The shortest full loop takes 65 minutes | 1/1 |
| Total | Depends on your trip | 5/10 |
| Route | Stops | Frequency | Full loop | First / last bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus Route | 9 | 25 min | 65 min | 10:00 / 17:00 |
Audio guide in 18 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
| Ticket | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hoursHop On - Hop Off Bus Amsterdam, 24 hours | €27.50 | €14.75 |
| 48 hoursHop On - Hop Off Bus Amsterdam, 48 hours | €37 | €18.50 |
| 72 hours | not sold | |
Child fare: ages 4 to 12.
| GVB | Adult |
|---|---|
| Single ride | €1.81 |
| One day, unlimited rides | €10 |
Change the numbers to match your group. Fares are adult fares from the tables above.
Public transport is charged per ride up to the daily maximum. Multi-day passes can be cheaper still.
Buy the 24 hour ticket if you buy one at all. It costs €27.50 for adults and €14.75 for children aged 4 to 12, and it runs for 24 hours from the first boarding.
The 48 hour ticket is €37 for adults and €18.50 for children. A full loop takes 65 minutes, so one day is enough to ride it once and get off three or four times.
The second day only makes sense with the bus and boat ticket, because the boat loop alone takes 2 hours. City Sightseeing does not sell a 72 hour ticket in Amsterdam.
The bus costs €17.50 more per adult
Public transport is cheaper and gets closer to the sights. A GVB Day ticket costs €10 for 24 hours on all GVB trams, buses and metros, and bank card taps stop at €10.50 a day.
Tram 2 runs from Centraal Station through the centre to Leidseplein and the Rijksmuseum. Trams 13 and 17 go from Centraal Station to Westermarkt, next to the Anne Frank House.
Metro line 52 takes two stops from Centraal Station to Vijzelgracht, 3 minutes from the Heineken Experience. Two adults pay €20 for the day on GVB against €55 for two 24 hour bus tickets.
The bus is the easier ride with small children, and public transport is far cheaper. A child ticket for ages 4 to 12 is €14.75 for 24 hours, so two adults and two children pay €84.50.
Children up to 3 ride free, with a limit of two per paying adult. On GVB the same family pays €30, because a child day ticket for ages 4 to 11 is €5.
Pushchairs are allowed on the bus only when folded. The 65 minute loop is short enough to ride in one go with a 6 year old.
Compare all citiesRain is the one case where the Amsterdam bus beats its rivals in other cities. City Sightseeing says its buses here have closed roofs, because open tops are not allowed under the tram wires.
You stay dry for the whole 65 minute loop. The wait is the weak point: buses come about every 25 minutes and the operator says it may not put signs at its stops, so the stops are unmarked.
Use the City Sightseeing Amsterdam app to see where the next bus is before you leave a museum.
Compare all citiesGo early in summer. Seats are first come, first served, and City Sightseeing warns that groups of 10 or more may not fit on one bus.
If a bus is full you wait for the next one, about 25 minutes later. The roof is closed, so you are in the shade but you do not get an open-air ride.
The first bus leaves stop 1 at 10:00 and the last at 17:00, which leaves the long summer evenings to trams and walking.
The bus is wheelchair accessible, with one condition. City Sightseeing says wheelchair users must be able to get on and off the bus without help, for safety reasons.
It adds that most buses have easy access but that boarding is harder when the bus is crowded. The sightseeing boat is not wheelchair accessible and has two steps.
For people who walk but tire fast, six of the ten main sights are within 7 minutes of a stop. Dam Square is a 13 minute walk from the nearest stop, the Begijnhof 16 and the Anne Frank House 12, and trams get closer to all three.
Compare all citiesBuy a GVB Day ticket for €10 and walk the canal ring. Centraal Station to Dam Square is about 800 metres down Damrak, and Dam Square to the Anne Frank House is another 700 metres.
Take tram 2 or 12 from Leidseplein or Centraal Station to the Rijksmuseum, with the Van Gogh Museum 5 minutes further on Museumplein. The free ferry behind Centraal Station crosses the IJ to Noord in a few minutes.
If you want commentary from a seat, a canal cruise shows more of the old centre than the bus can, because boats are allowed where tour buses are not.
| Sight | Nearest stop | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Rijksmuseum | Museum District | 3 min |
| Van Gogh Museum | Leidseplein / Vondelpark | 7 min |
| Anne Frank House | Jordaan / Westerpark | 12 min |
| Royal Palace and Dam Square | Central Station East | 13 min |
| Oude Kerk and the Red Light District | Central Station East | 7 min |
| Vondelpark | Leidseplein / Vondelpark | 3 min |
| Heineken Experience | Heineken Experience | 1 min |
| Rembrandt House Museum | World of Gassan - Diamond Museum | 3 min |
| Begijnhof | World of Gassan - Diamond Museum | 16 min |
| NEMO Science Museum | Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) | 12 min |
About City Sightseeing: who they are and how travellers rate them
City Sightseeing Amsterdam charges €27.50 for an adult 24 hour ticket and €14.75 for a child aged 4 to 12 when booked online (checked 5 October 2026). The 48 hour ticket is €37 and €18.50.
60 to 70 minutes without getting off, according to City Sightseeing. The route has 9 stops.
About every 25 minutes. The first bus leaves stop 1 at Centraal Station at 10:00 and the last at 17:00.
No. City Sightseeing says its Amsterdam buses are not allowed open roofs because of the tram lines. The boats may open their roofs in good weather.
Not close. Sightseeing buses may not drive or stop in the centre, so Dam Square is 13 minutes' walk from stop 1 and the Anne Frank House 12 minutes from stop 9.
No. A GVB Day ticket is €10 for 24 hours of trams, buses and metros, and the 24 hour bus ticket is €27.50, which is 2.75 times as much.
Read on 5 October 2026. Timetables and prices change with the season, so check the operator's page before you travel.
