Parking in Amsterdam
Coming by car? Driving into the centre of Amsterdam is slow and parking is expensive. Here is where to park near the sights, the cheaper Park & Ride option, and what you need to know about the Low Emission Zone.
🚫 Low Emission Zone (LEZ)
Amsterdam has an environmental zone (milieuzone) inside the whole A10 ring road. Since 1 January 2025 diesel cars with emission class 4 or lower may not enter; diesel class 5 and higher, petrol, LPG and electric cars may. The separate zero-emission zone (uitstootvrije zone) applies to vans, lorries and mopeds, not to passenger cars. Foreign-registered cars must follow the same rules.
- Petrol, LPG and electric cars have access to the milieuzone without restriction.
- Diesel cars need emission class 5 or higher (blue zone, as in Utrecht and Arnhem). Cameras read number plates, so there is no sticker.
- Passenger cars are not affected by the zero-emission zone, which covers vans, lorries and mopeds.
Foreign cars: The Dutch emission class check does not work with foreign plates. For a foreign diesel car the class follows from the date of first registration on the registration certificate (tables on milieuzones.nl). Foreign cars are checked by number-plate cameras like Dutch ones.
Fine: A fine of €130 for a car is sent by post to the registered keeper (taxis, vans and coaches: also €130).
Car parks near the sights
Q-Park Museumplein · Q-Park
Q-Park Europarking Marnixstraat · Q-Park
Q-Park Nieuwendijk · Q-Park
Q-Park Waterlooplein · Q-Park
Q-Park De Bijenkorf · Q-Park
Parking Centrum Oosterdok · Parking Centrum Oosterdok
Q-Park Centrum Oost · Q-Park
Park & Ride (P+R): park on the ring road, tram or metro in
- P+R Sloterdijk
- 🚇 Train to Centraal Station (about 8 minutes) or metro 50/51 and tram 19; the GVB P+R ticket does not cover the train · 8 min to the centre
- 💶 €6 per 24 hours if you arrive on a weekday after 10:00, at a weekend or on a public holiday; weekdays before 10:00 it is €13 for the first 24 hours, then €6 per 24 hours. Maximum 4 days (96 hours)
- MapWebsite
- P+R Johan Cruijff ArenA
- P+R Bos en Lommer
- P+R Noord
- P+R Olympisch Stadion
Street parking
Street parking in the centre is paid every day of the week, 24 hours a day, at about €8.05 an hour in 2026; outer districts cost less (roughly €5 to €7 an hour). Cash is no longer accepted: pay at the machine by card or with an app (for example Parkmobile or EasyPark) by entering your number plate. There is no ticket to display. Without payment you get a parking fine. A garage is often cheaper than the street for a long visit.
Tips
Leave the car outside: use P+R
Centre parking costs about €8 an hour or €55–€65 a day in a garage. A P+R site on the ring road costs €6 for 24 hours (€13 for the first 24 hours when you arrive on a weekday before 10:00), if you travel to and from the centre by public transport.
Arrive after 10:00 on weekdays
A P+R entry before 10:00 on a weekday costs €13 for the first 24 hours. After 10:00, or at weekends and on holidays, it is €6.
Use the right ticket
You must travel to and from the city centre by public transport, and pay for parking within 1 hour after the trip. The return trip needs an OV-chipkaart, a paper GVB ticket or the GVB P+R ticket (€6 for 1–2 people, €7 for 3, €8.50 for 4, €9.50 for 5). Bank cards, phones, QR tickets, an OV-pas and paper train tickets do not count; the one exception is P+R Sloterdijk, which also accepts OVpay, an OV-pas or a paper NS ticket. The last check-in or transfer must be inside the city centre zone.
Diesel car? Check the emission class
Diesel cars of class 4 or lower may not enter the zone inside the A10. A P+R site on the ring road is outside the problem.
Book a garage online
Q-Park sells day bookings online: Nieuwendijk from €32.50 a day against a walk-in rate of up to €14 an hour. Booked garages can be sold out in busy periods.
Mind the height limit
Q-Park Museumplein and Nieuwendijk take cars up to 1.90 m. With a roof box or a van, check before you go in.
Cards and apps only
Machines in the street and the car parks do not take cash. Bring a bank or credit card.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
More guides
- Free things to do in Amsterdam
- Hidden gems in Amsterdam
- Delicatessen in Amsterdam
- Amsterdam on a rainy day
- Which museums are open today in Amsterdam?
- Amsterdam on a Sunday
- Opening hours of the sights in Amsterdam
- Which clubs are open tonight in Amsterdam?
- Amsterdam with kids
- Where to eat near Dam Square
- Where to eat near the Anne Frank House
- Where to eat near the Rijksmuseum
- Where to eat near the Van Gogh Museum
Checked: 6 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.