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I have been in the Netherlands for 6 years this month, and in that time I have made it a goal to visit new places throughout the Netherlands and further afar and get to know the country I plan to call home (at least for now).
I moved to Groningen in 2009, living in a flat about 20 minute walking distance away from the city center. Living so close to the city center, a car was more of a hassle than a blessing so I invested in a bike and have loved this form of transport since. But having just a bike to get around on does have its downsides, and one of them is the limits on where you can go outside of the city. Over the years I therefore have gotten to know the public transport in the Netherlands pretty well, using it to explore and enjoy day trips out to other explore and enjoy day trips out to other cities in the Netherlands.
Train
The Dutch train network is much better than the train network in the UK (or at least I find it to be). I love that I can plan my trip last minute without being penalized over the train fare. I also love that NS run a ‘Spoordeel Winkel’ (http://www.spoordeelwinkel.nl/) which is an online webshop where they have special promotions and tickets for sale. At the moment they are running a tempting offer of an all day train ticket plus lunch at La Place (V&D) for only 18 euros. They have lots of other offers in combination with train tickets, including entry tickets for theme parks and museums, days out to cities throughout the Netherlands and discounted hotel stays. Each month they add some new deals to their website, so it is worth checking back frequently. When you purchase a deal it will be valid usually within a 2-3 month period and you can later decide on what date exactly you will use it, which can be very handy for planning ahead and waiting for a nice day to use the deal. Also when you use the Spoordeel Winkel to purchase your train ticket you do not need to have an OV-chipcard as you will receive your train ticket via email to print.
You can also travel internationally by train; for travel options and prices visit https://www.nsinternational.nl/en.
Bus
Bus travel around the Netherlands is more suited for shorter journeys, or in combination with the train to visit smaller cities and out of the way attractions. If you will be doing a lot of traveling by bus on one day consider buying a ‘(Dal-)Dagkaart’ (day card), these cost 10 euro and are valid from 9a.m. all day for unlimited travel around Groningen, Drenthe and Southeast Friesland. To get the best advice on bus travel and ticket prices visit http://9292.nl/en.
Ferry
If you want to visit some of the islands along the north coast of the Netherlands then you will need to go there by ferry.
For Texel, take the car ferry out of Den Helder. For Vlieland, take the ferry from Harlingen (you cannot take your car to Vlieland). For Terschelling, take the ferry from Harlingen. For Ameland, take the ferry from Holwerd. For Schiermonnikoog, take the ferry from Lauwersoog (you cannot take your car to Schiermonnikoog).
You can use public transport to get to the ferry port, and you can either hire a bike on the other end or take your own bike with you. Also, depending on the island, there are bus services and some are small enough that it is comfortable to walk everywhere.