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Parking in Paris |
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Paris Links
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
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Street parking in Paris is relatively inexpensive, but difficult to find. If you decide to park in the street, please note that as a general rule it is payable from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm. Night time and Sundays are free. On public holidays and during the month of August you can sometimes park free of charge in certain streets: this is indicated by a yellow sticker placed on the parking meter.
You may end up paying more per hour on the street than in a garage – but there are times when street parking is completely free. When you need to pay for street parking, however, you can’t use coins in the meters – so you have to be prepared with the proper card before you find that perfect parking space. Get a “Paris Carte” at any tobacco shop (you can get them in denominations of either €10 or €30), and you’ll use that card in the parking meters. Meters will spit out a ticket that you’ll put in plain sight on your dashboard, visible from the outside.
Tariffs are divided into 3 zones, ranging from an hourly rate of €3 in the centre of Paris, to €1 per hour on the outskirts. Parking meters do not accept coins and only take the “Paris Carte” card, available in tobacconists for €10 to €30. The machine will give you a ticket in exchange, which should be placed behind your windscreen, clearly visible from the outside. Beware...street parking is limited to 2 hours.
Tariffs are divided into 3 zones, ranging from an hourly rate of €3 in the centre of Paris, to €1 per hour on the outskirts. Parking meters do not accept coins and only take the “Paris Carte” card, available in tobacconists for €10 to €30. The machine will give you a ticket in exchange, which should be placed behind your windscreen, clearly visible from the outside. Street parking is limited to 2 hours.
You are not allowed to attach bicycles and scooters to street fittings (poles, fences, etc.). Make sure you have a robust anti-theft device. Parking of two-wheeled vehicles on the pavement is tolerated, as long as you are not blocking the way for pedestrians. Be careful though, fines are more and more frequent. So we recommend that you use the special parking areas provided for two-wheelers.
Parking campers or motor-homes in Paris should be avoided, so as not to block traffic. Instead you should head for the designated parking spaces at camp sites. In Paris, it is prohibited to sleep in your motor-home.
Free Downloads
Paris STREET map (pdf tourist map of Paris)
Decide on Paris sector/ area by magnifying up to 400% and then print on current view. The map includes street names, Paris attractions and metro stations.
Underground Parking in Paris
Underground car parks, of which there are many in Paris, (map with all parking locations) are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for cars and motorbikes. They can be identified by a white “P” on a blue background, and can usually be found in busy shopping, tourist or business areas. Security is provided by guards and cameras. Tariffs vary depending on the neighbourhood: in the city centre and busy tourist areas, you need to allow around €2.50 for 1 hour, €5 for 2 hours and €20 or more for 12 to 24 hours. On the outskirts of Paris; prices are generally lower and you might pay on average from €10 to €15 for 24 hours. Underground car parks can also offer special tariffs for the weekend or by the week or month.
The underground lots in Paris are open 24/7, and if you haven’t located one online before you left home you’ll want to be on the lookout for blue square signs with a big white P on them (the usual “parking” indicators). Luckily for visitors, they tend to be common in places that are frequented by tourists – so as long as you’re not venturing out into the Parisian hinterlands you should be able to find one reasonably close to where you want to be.
Underground vs. Street Parking
For security reasons, you’re car is definitely more secure in underground parking. One of our favorites is ViNCI park (where you can also get free bicycle rental service at some branches). We really like the Vinci Park because the lots are well maintained (and even have piped in classical music, free candies at the office, and extremely helpful staff.)
You’ll recognize underground parking garages are parking in general by the large blue panels marked with the letter “P”. In addition to private car parks, you’ll also find a few municipal car parks (esp around Montparnasse) which are also well maintained.
If you do choose to use the street parking, the advantage here is free parking after 7 pm. It’s for this reason that some people insist on driving around in circles looking for a free spot. They may end up missing have the movie they’ve come to see, but it’s hard to pass up anything for FREE in such an expensive city.
If you’re parking during daytime hours you’ll have to pick up a parking pass at one of the newsstands or cafe-tabacs. These parking cards work along the same priniciple is the Pay as You Go phone cards such as ‘Mobicarte’. Also, the parking is limited to two hours. All of these are reasons why we prefer the underground parking
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