By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam—Public transportation in and around Amsterdam can be confusing for outsiders. And now a recent makeover in the city transit system has altered the cost and protocol of inner-city travel. Here’s some useful info to keep trams, buses and metros convenient and affordable for sightseers. Remember, there are low-cost and efficient ways to get around this city. You just have to know how to use them.

The basics: Standard fare

Hopping on a tram or bus will cost €2.60 for a one-hour ticket—meaning the ticket sold to you by the driver or ticket agent is valid for the following hour. Exact change is not required, though breaking large bills is frowned upon. Also new this year, each bus now has gray electronic pads at each doorway which keep track of entry and exit. Look for these circular pads when you enter and exit the tram/bus. And, be sure to press your ticket against them when both getting on and off. Otherwise, your tickets won’t remain valid.

Most common travel option: Strippenkarts

Long thin tickets called “strippenkarts” are available for purchase at Centraal Station, all GVB stations, Albert Heijn supermarkets, post offices and most kiosks. One strippenkart for €7.30 provides 15 boxes. These ‘boxes’ are verified with a stamp from a transport drivers or ticket sellers upon entry onto a bus or tram. One zone, which encompasses the city center, will cost two boxes. A strippenkart can usually provide about seven one-way rides, and once a box is stamped the one-hour-travel rule applies. Also, a strippenkart can be used for more than one person.

Short and sweet: Day tickets

Travelers looking to use public transport for just a day or two might find the most affordable and easiest option day tickets valid for 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours. Prices range from €7 to €18, and they work the same way as basic fare tickets—meaning it is still necessary to use those circular, electronic pads (on trams and buses) to keep a day ticket valid. These tickets are available from drivers and ticket sellers (only the 24-hour ticket), GVB outlets, tourist offices and kiosks as well.

Late line: Night buses

Amsterdam has a reliable and timely night bus system which is easy to use and much more affordable than a taxi, especially if you’re staying outside of the city center. Buses pick up hourly from locations like Rembrandtplein, Centraal Station and other main train stations throughout the night. Night bus tickets are purchased from the driver only, for €3.50 (one-way) and are valid for one and a half hours. Strippenkarts are available for €25 and provide about six trips (12 boxes).

One more option: Try the metro

Amsterdam’s underground metro system is basic and ideal for escaping outside the city or attending an Ajax football match at the Amstel Arena. Most metros leave from below Centraal Station, and valid tickets include strippenkarts, basic fare tickets and day tickets. This website offers online directions, in English, to easily guide travelers on getting from Point A to Point B. For more information and maps of Amsterdam public transportation, visit www.gvb.nl (English is available).

About the author: Audrey Sykes hopped across the pond from the US three years ago for a Masters degree in global journalism. Since then, she’s lived all over Europe, reporting and editing for music sites, snowboard mags, and travel media.

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A few thoughts on great travel deals from the editors of hidden europe magazine.

BERLIN — We are often amazed at how much money North American visitors to Europe pay for rail passes, especially when, with a little advance planning, travelers can often reap great savings through pre-purchase of point-to-point tickets. These are not tickets marketed with hefty surcharges by overseas agents, but rather the promotional fares available directly from the various rail operators in Europe, usually through online sales.

But the question is not simply one of rail pass vs. individual tickets. It is also always worth looking at local rail pass offerings.

For Example, Czech Out This Deal

Eurail offers a pass that affords eight days unlimited first class travel in the Czech Republic for $359. Better to wait till you arrive in the Czech Republic, and for less money you can buy a pass that affords an entire month’s travel.

And for those who think an entire month in the Czech Republic is a bit much, the Czech Railways sell a one-week pass, too. Try $80 for second class travel for a week, and a small premium of about $16 more will secure first-class comfort, if that’s important to you. You can check those prices here (in Czech crowns).

Slow Travel Dividends

Canny Cheapos search around for bargain local passes, and they are to be found in most parts of Europe.

Hats off to five friends who visited us in Berlin yesterday evening, having traveled all the way from Vienna by local trains. Vienna to Passau on Saturday, stopping off overnight in the Danube town, then continuing from Passau up to Berlin on Sunday. Yes, it took a while, about 16 hours traveling in all, compared with 10 hours on the fast train. But fun they said, and a journey full of those happy insights into rural life that makes slow trains so appealing.

What did they pay? Just €63 in all. That’s not per person, but for all of them! Less than €13 a head for a big leap across Europe. This was easily done with a smart combination of the Austrian Einfach-Raus Ticket and the German Schönes-Wochenende Ticket (Happy Weekend Ticket), both one-day rail passes sold in the countries concerned. Totally flexible. No need to pre-book, and you can travel at will on all trains except the fast express services.

British Bargains

Regional passes are available for travel in many parts of Britain and, for visitors focusing on just one region of the country, they are a fine deal, knocking spots off BritRail prices.

For example, if Wales is your focus, and you plan on having a week in the principality, why pay $329 for a four-day BritRail pass, when you can pick up a Freedom of Wales ticket for just $140 – four days travel within Wales and the nearby border areas of England within an eight-day period. What’s more, the locally-purchased pass is valid on almost all bus services in Wales, too. That’s not the case with BritRail.

Similar passes, usually priced between $100 and $150 are available for most other UK regions (eg. SW England, the North), typically offering four days of travel in any eight-day period or sometimes travel on seven consecutive days.

Get on board

Why not research local rail passses by checking out the national websites of the following European rail operators? Do check that that you really are using the “official” national rail websites and not a site developed by a third-party vendor or agency.

Each of the companies mentioned below has good local railpasses that can all offer much better deals that Eurail prices:

www.oebb.at (ÖBB, Austria)

www.cd.cz (CD, Czech Rep)

www.vr.f (VR, Finland)

www.bahn.de (Die Bahn, Germany)

www.nationalrail.co.uk (all rail operators in Great Britain)

www.mav.hu (MAV, Hungary)

www.irishrail.ie (Iarnród Éireann, Ireland)

www.ns.nl (Dutch Railways)

www.pkp.pl (PKP, Poland)

www.sbb.ch (Switzerland)

This is the latest in a summer series of postings by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries. The Berlin-based duo are the editors of hidden europe magazine. Cheapos can preview the contents of the July 2008 issue of hidden europe by clicking here.

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