By public transport
Very easy to reach
Harderwijk is also easily accessible by public transport. Trains run as often as four times an hour: twice from Amersfoort and twice from Zwolle. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the station to the town centre. Of course, you could also opt for a public transport bike or simply hop on the bus.
A station steeped in history
Harderwijk station opened on 20 August 1863 on the railway line between Utrecht and Zwolle, known as the Centraalspoorweg, making it one of the oldest railway stations in the Netherlands still in use today.
Over the years, the station has undergone several transformations: the original wooden building from 1863 was soon replaced by a stone station in 1865, and the current modern building dates from 2016, when the entire station and station area were refurbished.
Paying for public transport
If you travel by public transport, there are several ways to pay. If you travel frequently by public transport, you can purchase a personalised OV-chipkaart. You can top this up with credit or link it to your current account so that the fare is automatically deducted from it. You can also buy a digital ticket at the station or via the NS app. With OV Pay, you can even check in directly using your debit card, and if you’re travelling in the wider Amsterdam region, an Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket might be the solution. Please note that in all cases, a surcharge applies if you’re travelling with a dog or a bicycle.
Contactless payment on public transport
People who occasionally travel by public transport can now pay using their bank card or mobile phone.
If you have set up contactless payment on your bank card, credit card, smartwatch or smartphone, you can use it to check in on public transport. This is certainly a welcome development for tourists. After all, buying and using a public transport card isn’t always that straightforward.
Who is OVpay designed for?
Contactless payment on public transport, known as OVpay, is primarily intended for people who occasionally travel second class on public transport without a discount. This means you can use contactless payment on both trains and buses to and from Harderwijk. You don’t need to buy a single ticket or purchase and top up an OV-chipkaart. If you now check in using your contactless debit card, the amount will be automatically debited from your account. This is an ideal solution, particularly for tourists.
How does OVpay work?
It works in the same way as contactless payment at the supermarket. To check in, simply hold your debit card, credit card, smartwatch or smartphone against the card reader or gate. If you hear a beep, you’ve checked in. Of course, you’ll need to have contactless payment enabled for this to work. To check out, you do exactly the same thing. Do make sure you’ve taken your debit card out of your wallet, so that the amount is only debited once and you’re certain which card it’s been debited from. All travel costs incurred in a single day will be debited from your account the following day.
Is any bank card suitable?
All major banks are participating, and you can also travel using a contactless Mastercard or Visa credit card. You can also make payments using a mobile phone linked to one of the payment cards mentioned above, including Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Furthermore, you can travel using foreign contactless payment cards or credit cards issued by Maestro, Visa, Mastercard or V pay.
Which carriers are taking part?
You can pay with OV Pay on a wide range of transport operators, including NS, Arriva, GVB, Qbuzz and Transdev.
You can find more information about OV Pay at www.ovpay.nl
