How to: Park in Amsterdam

Especially in Corona times, a small road trip to Amsterdam with your own or a rented car seems very attractive, doesn’t it?

But where do you leave your beloved vehicle if your accommodation doesn’t have a parking space, or you only want to explore the city for a day?

Let us face it: parking spaces in Amsterdam’s city centre are cramped, built close to the water and, above all, expensive. A parking lot in the beautiful canal district can easily cost you €5 / hour or more. No wonder that the inhabitants prefer to use their bicycles!

But where can you park cheaply or even for free?

That is what we want to explain in this blog.

First of all, free parking? Unfortunately, that is not going to happen in Amsterdam. Also, the closer you are to the city centre, the more expensive it is, just like in many other cities.

A good and cheap way to park your car for a trip to Amsterdam is in one of the many   “Park & Ride” car parks.

At these car parks you can park your car for up to 96 hours (except P&R RAI) for a special reduced price.

The prices vary according to the time of arrival, so from Monday to Friday before 10 am it costs 8€ for the first 24 hours, but after 10:00 am only 1€. At the weekend and for a further 24 hours, you also have to pay 1€.

And best of all, in addition to the low parking prices, there are also discounted local public transport tickets from the GVB, so you can start out into the city as soon as you park your car.

If you are dependent on your car in the city or have booked a hotel in the city centre, it is advisable to reserve a space in a multi-storey car park in advance.

This is considerably more expensive than a parking space in a P&R car park, but you will have a fixed parking space for your beloved car. What’s more, you can often even benefit from early booking discounts!

Tip: Take a look   at this map . There you will find the parking price per hour in all areas of Amsterdam. Maybe your accommodation is right next to a cheaper zone, so it’s worth walking a little bit?

And always remember where you parked the car, or at least set a mark in your mobile phone, because the streets in Amsterdam are very similar, so it can be easy to get confused.

Drive safely and see you soon!