The Netherlands has an excellent public transport infrastructure. The fact that the country is small and the transportation is quick, allows you to reside in one city and work in another. Because of the density in traffic, it is often quicker to use public transport than a car in urban areas.

In order to use the public transport you need an OV chip card. This card was introduced in 2011 to replace the previous strippenkaart system for trains, buses, trams and metro. The smart card is the size of a bank card and contains an invisible chip. You can charge your OV Chip Card with credit, with which you can travel anywhere within The Netherlands. You can purchase your OV Chip Card online or at the service points.

You can use 9292 OV to plan your journey from door – to –door. It covers all public transport companies. 

Trains
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is the national train company. Trains can bring you to most cities in the Netherlands. Some of the bigger cities have more than one station. All trains have 1st and 2nd class coupés, and some have stiltecoupés (silence wagons) where you can read or work quietly.

On the NS homepage you can plan your journey in advance and see the duration and prices, and even buy your ticket online. Generally, people buy tickets at the yellow self-service machines in the railway stations. You can pay with coins or with your Mastercard. One return is cheaper than two single tickets. For children up to 11 you can purchase a Railrunner ticket of 2,50.

If you travel to work every day, it might be beneficial to buy a Dal Voordeelabonnement  or a Trajectkaart. In general, your employer will pay your travel expenses. Ask your employer.

Buses, trams and metro
Rotterdam and Amsterdam are the only cities with a metro network. The metro stations have electronic gates that will only open when you check in with an OV chip card.