Public toilets in Amsterdam: where to find them and what they cost

What to know before you set off

Amsterdam has no network of free automatic toilets like the Paris sanisettes. The City's official map of public toilets lists just over a hundred locations, including some forty "krul" urinals and around ten pop-up urinals that only rise out of the ground at night: a large share of what is on offer is therefore for men only. Enclosed toilets that everyone can use are mostly inside buildings: stations, libraries, museums, shopping centres, municipal offices and cafés.

• Bring a contactless bank card: most paid toilets accept it, and some also take coins.
• Budget €0.50 to €1.10 per visit to a paid toilet.
• Make the most of breaks: a museum visit, a meal or a coffee is the best time to use the toilet, as street options are scarce, especially for women.

Central Station and trains: pay at the station, free on board

At Amsterdam Centraal, the toilets are run by SANIFAIR on behalf of the Dutch railways (NS), notably in the IJ-side hall, where the ferries leave for Amsterdam-Noord. A visit costs €1.10, payable by contactless card or coins, and the turnstile issues a €0.50 voucher to spend in the station's partner shops. In medium-sized NS stations, unstaffed toilets cost €0.50, paid contactless.

On board, by contrast, it is free: every NS train, Intercity and Sprinter alike, has at least one toilet, and the longest trains have several. Since the end of 2022, all Sprinters have wheelchair-accessible toilets. If you are heading off on a day trip, use the toilet on the train rather than at the station.

GVB trams, buses and metros have no toilets on board: bear this in mind before a long journey, for instance to the airport by bus. Full details of the network are in our guide to getting around Amsterdam.

"Krul" urinals and night urinals

The symbol of Amsterdam's toilets is the krul (or plaskrul), a snail-shaped green sheet-metal urinal installed along the canals since the 19th century. The City counts some forty of them, mostly in the centre: along the Singel, on the Westermarkt near the Westerkerk, around the Oudekerksplein in the Red Light District, on the Brouwersgracht. They are free and open day and night, but for men only and with no privacy at all.

In the nightlife districts, pop-up urinals called urilifts rise out of the ground on weekend evenings: Thursday to Sunday, from 6pm to 7am, around Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein and Reguliersdwarsstraat. They are free, but also for men only. Near Rembrandtplein, the municipal map also shows a self-cleaning wheelchair-accessible toilet, open during the same night hours, for €0.50. For a night out in these areas, see our guide to Amsterdam at night.

This imbalance has been debated for years. In 2017, an Amsterdam woman fined for urinating in the street after a night out on Leidseplein challenged her fine, explaining that she had found no toilet for women; the court ruled against her, and the case sparked a campaign for more toilets open to everyone. In 2024, the City set aside a €4 million budget for new public toilets. The first model, two self-cleaning cubicles including one wheelchair-accessible, at €0.10 per visit, opened in the Oosterpark on 1 June 2025; nine more were announced, notably in the Vondelpark and on Museumplein.

Where to find toilets in the centre

OBA Oosterdok library

A five-minute walk east of Central Station, the OBA Oosterdok library (Oosterdokskade 143) is the best option in the centre: its toilets are free, entry to the library is free, lifts serve every floor and there are wheelchair-accessible toilets. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 8pm. On the top floor, the restaurant and its terrace look out over the city.

Around Dam Square and Kalverstraat

Near Dam Square, the City lists a paid toilet (€0.50) open 24 hours a day in the Beursplein bicycle parking, next to the Beurs van Berlage. Further south, a wheelchair-accessible public toilet, also €0.50 and open 24 hours a day, stands on Koningsplein, at the end of the flower market.

The Kalverpassage shopping centre, with entrances on Kalverstraat (nos. 212-220), Heiligeweg and the Singel, has toilets for €1, payable by card or coins, during shop opening hours: 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday (until 9pm on Thursdays) and 11am to 6:30pm on Sundays. The department stores and shopping centres in the centre also have toilets for their customers, usually near the restaurants or cafés on the upper floors.

Municipal offices

The City's service desks (Stadsloket), including the one in the city hall at Amstel 1, near Waterlooplein, appear on the official map with free wheelchair-accessible toilets during opening hours: weekdays from 8am to 6pm, until 8pm on Thursdays.

Museums, food halls and cafés

All museums have toilets, free but generally reserved for ticket holders. At the Rijksmuseum, the public toilets are in the atrium, along with the ticket desk, cloakroom, shop and café; the atrium is open daily from 9am to 6pm.

In the west of the centre, De Hallen, a former tram depot turned into a lively hub (food hall, cinema, shops), is open daily from 7am to 1am; the toilets are on the Foodhallen side and in the OBA library inside the building. All public areas are wheelchair accessible.

In cafés and restaurants, toilets are for customers: the custom is to order a coffee or a drink before using them. Some places will let you in for a small fee, others refuse, especially at busy times; always ask at the counter. A small saucer for a coin for the toilet attendant is still common in some bars. To find out how to pay and whether to tip, read our guide to money, payments and tipping.

Parks: mostly in summer

Parks are where provision is most seasonal. In the Vondelpark, the City's map shows a wheelchair-accessible toilet near the paddling pool (pierenbadje), open when the pool is, from May to September, 10am to 6pm, in dry weather above 20 °C, and another near the open-air theatre, open only during performances in the warm season. In summer, the City adds temporary mobile toilets in the large parks. The rest of the year, the park's cafés and pavilions, for customers only, remain the best solution.

On Museumplein, a few steps from the Rijksmuseum, the municipal map shows a wheelchair-accessible toilet, with two outdoor urinals alongside, open from 8am to 10pm from April to September and from 8am to 8pm from October to March. With children, use the toilet before heading to the park: our tips are in the guide Amsterdam with kids.

King's Day, Pride and big events

During King's Day on 27 April, the City installs extra temporary toilets and publishes an event map showing public toilets, first-aid posts and return points for deposit cups. The same goes for Amsterdam Pride: for the Canal Parade on 1 August 2026, extra toilets were placed along the route, and the City tested urinals for women at the Stopera, on Elandsstraat and on Elandsgracht. At the 2025 parade, men had nearly three times as many places to urinate as women: expect queues at the women's toilets, and locate them in advance on the event map.

Accessibility, apps and the fine

For people with reduced mobility, the most reliable toilets are those at Central Station, the OBA library, museums, municipal offices and the public toilet on Koningsplein. The Netherlands has no universal key scheme like the British Radar key: accessible toilets are used like the others, free or paid.

Two tools help you find the nearest toilet:

• The City of Amsterdam's "Openbare toiletten" map, online, shows krul urinals, urilifts, public toilets, seasonal toilets and car park toilets, with their opening hours and prices.
• The free HogeNood app, launched by the Dutch digestive diseases foundation (MLDS), lists more than 9,000 toilets in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, including in restaurants, libraries and public buildings, with a filter for accessible toilets and payment method.

Urinating in the street (wildplassen) is banned by municipal by-law. The Dutch police set the fine at €140, and municipal enforcement officers issue fines mainly at night in the centre. Peeing into a canal is also dangerous: the quays often have no railings, and fatal falls happen every year.

Summary table

Prices checked in October 2026; hours of municipal toilets taken from the City of Amsterdam's official map.

Further reading

For getting around by tram, metro or train, see our guide to getting around Amsterdam. To pay without cash, including at toilet turnstiles, read our guide to money, payments and tipping in Amsterdam. And if you are travelling as a family, our guide Amsterdam with kids gathers practical addresses for younger travellers.