Driving to Amsterdam: P+R, parking and the low emission zone

Getting to Amsterdam by road

From Paris, allow about 500 km via the A1, then the Belgian and Dutch motorways via Brussels and Antwerp. In France the A1 is a toll motorway; in Belgium and the Netherlands motorways are free for cars, with no vignette. In the Netherlands the motorway limit is generally 100 km/h from 6am to 7pm and 130 km/h at night, unless signs say otherwise: keep an eye on them, as limits often change from one stretch to the next.

If you are torn between road and rail, our guide getting to Amsterdam by train compares the connections from Paris, Brussels and London. Once you are in the city, a car is almost useless for sightseeing.

The A10 ring road and the S routes

Every motorway into Amsterdam ends on the A10 ring road, a loop of about 32 km around the city. From the ring, the S routes (S100 to S118) lead into the neighbourhoods: their numbers appear on the blue signs and are the easiest way to find the P+R exits. Inside the ring, all street parking is paid.

P+R park and ride: the cheapest option

The city's P+R (Parkeren + Reizen) scheme lets you park on the edge of the centre at a reduced rate, provided you continue to the city centre by public transport.

• Arrival Monday to Friday after 10am, at weekends or on a public holiday: €6 per 24 hours.
• Arrival Monday to Friday before 10am: €13 for the first 24 hours, then €6 per 24 hours.
• Maximum stay at the P+R rate: 4 days (96 hours); at P+R RAI, only 24 hours. After that, the car park's normal rate applies.

To qualify for the reduced rate, you must travel to the city centre zone by public transport and come back the same way: when you leave, the pay machine checks that your last check-in took place in the centre zone. Walking, cycling or taking a taxi does not count.

Which ticket to use

This is the point that catches out the most visitors in 2026. P+R pay machines cannot yet read contactless bank card payments (OVpay): if you travel paying with your bank card or phone, you pay the normal parking rate. The city expects to accept OVpay at all its P+R sites from early 2027; a trial is under way at P+R Sloterdijk.

In the meantime, use one of these:

• the P+R GVB ticket, a reduced-fare return sold at the blue machines at P+R ArenA, RAI and Bos en Lommer within one hour of arrival (up to 5 tickets per car); it is valid for one hour each way on GVB trams, buses and metros;
• a paper GVB ticket (1 hour, day ticket), sold at metro stations and GVB sales points;
• an OV-chipkaart you already own.

At the entrance, take the parking ticket at the barrier without tapping your bank card, otherwise you are registered as a regular customer. On your return, scan your public transport ticket at the pay machine and pay within one hour of your last journey. GVB tickets are explained in detail in our guide to public transport in Amsterdam.

The main P+R sites

The P+R rate is the same everywhere: €6 per 24 hours (€13 for the first 24 hours if you arrive on a weekday before 10am). Prices checked in October 2026 on the City of Amsterdam website. There is also a P+R in Weesp and a weekend-only P+R near the VUmc hospital.

For the museums, P+R Olympisch Stadion is convenient: tram 24 runs via Museumplein, in front of the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, a short walk from the Vondelpark. P+R RAI, on metro line 52, also gets you to De Pijp and the centre in a few minutes; on trade fair days at the RAI it fills up quickly. P+R Zeeburg and Noord suit you if you arrive from the east or the north.

Parking in the centre: street and garages

Street parking in the centre costs €5.37 to €8.05 per hour depending on the street and the time; in the Centrum district the highest rate applies day and night, every day. Further out the hourly rate drops, but the whole area inside the ring is still paid parking. The exact price for each street is shown on the city's parking rates map.

You pay at the parking machine, by bank card only (no cash), entering your number plate, or with a city-approved parking app that lets you start and stop your session from your phone. There is no ticket to display behind the windscreen: enforcement officers check number plates with scan cars.

Covered car parks in the centre are more comfortable but expensive. One example: Q-Park Museumplein, Van Baerlestraat 33B, under Museumplein, offers a 24-hour rate from €37.50 when booked online, with a maximum height of 1.90 m (prices checked in October 2026). If your hotel offers parking, ask about the price when you book: our guide where to stay in Amsterdam helps you pick a well-connected neighbourhood.

Fines and wheel clamps: beware with French plates

Unpaid parking costs a €79.10 fine, plus at least one hour of parking fees. Since 1 July 2026, the city immediately clamps cars registered in countries that do not share owners' addresses with the Netherlands for collecting fines, including France, Luxembourg, Poland and Hungary. To release the car you must pay the parking fee, the fine and the clamping costs, around €250 in total. A car that stays clamped can then be towed away. So always pay for parking, even for a few minutes.

The low emission zone (milieuzone)

Inside the A10 ring, a low emission zone bans diesel cars of Euro 4 standard or lower, even with a particulate filter. Diesel cars of Euro 5 or newer can drive in freely, and petrol cars are not affected. The rule also applies to foreign vehicles, with no prior registration or sticker: cameras read number plates, and the fine is €130. Check your car's Euro standard on its registration document before leaving; if it is not allowed, park at a P+R outside the zone.

The city also has a zone for mopeds and scooters, which mainly matters if you rent one: electric models are allowed without restriction.

Rules of the road to know

• 30 km/h: since December 2023 the limit has been 30 km/h on about 80% of Amsterdam's streets; the main roads generally stay at 50 km/h.
• Trams: they generally have priority; do not drive onto tram tracks and never stop on them.
• Bikes: cyclists coming from the right have priority at unmarked junctions, and when turning you must give way to bikes going straight ahead on the cycle path. Always check your mirror before opening a door.
• Shark's teeth: a row of white triangles painted on the road means you must give way.
• Bridges and quays: many canal-side streets are one-way, narrow and have no railing on the water side; drive at walking pace.

Charging an electric car

Amsterdam has many public charging points on the street, and every P+R has them. You pay for charging with a charging card or app; some fast chargers also take bank cards. There is no time limit on charging, but on a charging space inside a paid parking zone you still have to pay for parking on top of the electricity.

Day trips where a car is useful

A car really comes into its own for getting out of the city, for example if you rent one for a day. For the other options, by train or bus, see our guide to day trips from Amsterdam.

• Keukenhof: in Lisse, about forty kilometres south-west, open only in spring (18 March to 9 May 2027). Parking costs €10 booked online and €15 on site, and a parking ticket is compulsory.
• Zaanse Schans: the windmills on the Zaan, north-west of the city. Parking costs €15 per visit, open 8am to 7pm, with no spaces for camper vans.
• Kinderdijk: the UNESCO-listed windmills near Rotterdam, a little under 100 km to the south. From 16 March to 1 November you park at the Transferium in Alblasserdam (Kabelbaan 1) for €9.75 per car, shuttle included; the rest of the year the €9.75 car park is at the site entrance (Nederwaard 1). Either way, parking is only possible with an admission ticket.
• Amsterdamse Bos: the large forest to the south, in Amstelveen. Only the main entrance car park is paid (€3.12 per hour, Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm); the other car parks are free, some with a 3-hour limit.

Prices checked in October 2026. If you fly in and rent a car, many rental companies operate at the airport: our guide Schiphol Airport to central Amsterdam also covers the other ways into the city.

Further reading

Once the car is parked, trams, the metro and the free ferries are all you need to see everything: read our guide to public transport in Amsterdam. To compare with rail, see getting to Amsterdam by train, and to plan outings beyond the city, our selection of day trips from Amsterdam.