Noon looks like four in the afternoon
Grey arrives twice, out of the sky and off the water, so midday carries the same low glow as six in the evening. On the canal bridges the bicycles come in shoals, and they do not slow down for a hire car that has stopped to read a sign. Directness is the local manners: if you're in the wrong place, a stranger says so.
A brewery that stopped brewing, and €27 at the door
Heineken Experience lists €24.95 for the self-guided tour, €29.95 with the rooftop, at the time of writing. Beer hasn't been brewed in that building since 1988. You get two hours of brand museum, one beer at the end, and no under-18s. Eight minutes away the Rijksmuseum is €25, free under 18. I'd spend it there.
Madame Tussauds on Dam Square is the same wax franchise as London or Berlin, and its own price list gives it away: €19 online, €27 at the door. Buying it on the square costs €8 more than buying it on your phone while standing there. I'd keep the €27 and look at the Palace, which is real and outdoors.
Two hundred stalls on the Dapperstraat
The Dappermarkt runs the length of the Dapperstraat in Oost, about 200 stalls, and the city's own listing gives it Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00 at the time of writing. Not a postcard market.
Go on a weekday morning; Saturday is shoulder to shoulder. Household goods before food: pillowcases, phone cases, bolts of fabric, then fruit by the bowl not the kilo. The eating is Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan, and a roti from a Surinamese counter is my lunch. Bring cash and a debit card, because not every stall takes both.
Open the door with your far hand
The red strip beside the kerb is a road, and its traffic is quiet, fast and doesn't expect you. Visitors land on it stepping out of the car, or backing up to photograph a gable. A bell isn't a greeting. It means brake.
Open the door with the hand furthest from it, the way Dutch drivers do: the shoulder turns, the head follows, and you see what's coming before the door does. On a canal street the bikes run between you and everything else.
Rent a bike and the national tariffs land on you too: at the time of writing, €170 for a phone in your hand and €75 for riding without lights, each plus €9 in costs.
Parking in Amsterdam: Centrum, where your plate is the ticket
Low-emission zones in Europe: Milieuzone A10 and zero-emission zone S100
- Foreign plates
- Foreign plates are covered — the city's own exemption policy says so. Nothing to register; there is no day exemption for a diesel car.
- When
- Round the clock; the zone signs carry no times
- Fine
- €130 plus €9 admin for a car or van, €320 for a lorry
- EV
- Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed everywhere, including inside the zero-emission zone.
Diesel cars tightened from class 4 to class 5 on 1 January 2025, the same day the zero-emission zone opened.
The whole Centrum district has paid parking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 2026 the centre costs roughly €5.37 to €8.05 an hour by street; outer districts are cheaper. Pay by app (Yellowbrick, Parkmobile, EasyPark) or type your plate into a street machine. I wouldn't count on cash.
Skip paying and a naheffingsaanslag arrives: the tax you dodged plus a penalty of up to about €82. More than two unpaid fines and they clamp the car. Removing it costs €158, fines extra.
Two more things before the A10:
- Low emission zone. Inside the A10 ring, diesel cars must be Euro 5 or newer, which usually means first registered from late 2009. Petrol, LPG and electric cars are fine. Cameras read foreign plates too, and the fine is €130 plus €9 admin.
- Bike lanes. Stopping a car on the red asphalt, even "just for a second", costs €130.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| P+R RAIEuropaplein 24 · metro/train to the centre · max 24 h | €6/24h after 10:00 weekdays & weekends · €13 first 24h if earlier | 35 |
| P+R Johan Cruijff ArenA (P1)Burgemeester Stramanweg 130 · metro 54 | P+R rate · max 96 h · avoid match and concert days | 20 |
| P+R NoordNieuwe Leeuwarderweg 25 · metro 52 to Centraal | P+R rate · max 96 h | 16 |
| P+R Zeeburg 3Anthonie van Akenstraat · tram 26 to Centraal | P+R rate · max 96 h | 16 |
| P+R SloterdijkPiarcoplein 1 · train/tram | P+R rate · max 96 h | 1 |
| Q-Park De BijenkorfBeursplein 15 · right by Dam Square · height 1.80 m | €1.60 to €3.50 per 15 minutes — up to €14 an hour — capped at €65 for 24 h. Q-Park publishes the range without saying which rate applies when; budget for the top of it. 431 spaces, 24/7. | 14 |
| Q-Park EuroparkingMarnixstraat 250 · west edge of the canal ring, Leidseplein side · height 1.95 m | €1.20 to €2.30 per 15 minutes, capped at €55 for 24 h — the cheapest central day rate we found. 710 spaces, 24/7. | 2 |
| Rokin (city garage)Rokin 67 · under the Rokin, two minutes from Dam Square · height 2.00 m | City-run: €1.50 per 10 minutes, €9 an hour, €90 for 24 h. No reservations, no cash — card only, plate recognition. | 20 |
| Stadhuis (city garage)Waterlooplein 28 · under the city hall and opera, by the flea market · height 1.80 m | City-run: €1.50 per 10 minutes, €9 an hour, €90 for 24 h. No reservations, no cash — card only, plate recognition. | 31 |
| Markenhoven (city garage)Anne Frankstraat 220 · east edge of the centre, by Nieuwmarkt and the Maritime Museum · height 2.00 m | City-run: €1.50 per 10 minutes, €9 an hour, €90 for 24 h. No reservations, no cash — card only, plate recognition. | 8 |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | P+R (any of the five) | €6 | €6 for 24 h only if you arrive after 10:00 on a weekday or any time at the weekend, and travel in with an OV-chipkaart or GVB ticket — check in with a contactless bank card and the trip does not count, so you pay the full garage rate. Earlier arrival: €13 for the first 24 h. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Rokin (city garage) | €18 | height 2.00 m · 293 spaces |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Centrum | €16.10 | The whole Centrum district is paid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, up to €8.05 an hour. Skip paying and the notice is the tax you dodged plus a penalty of about €82; more than two unpaid and they clamp the car (€158 to remove). |
| A full day (10 h) | P+R (any of the five) | €6 | €6 for 24 h only if you arrive after 10:00 on a weekday or any time at the weekend, and travel in with an OV-chipkaart or GVB ticket — check in with a contactless bank card and the trip does not count, so you pay the full garage rate. Earlier arrival: €13 for the first 24 h. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Q-Park Europarking | €55 | height 1.95 m · €4.80–€9.20 an hour by time of day |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Centrum | €80.50 | The whole Centrum district is paid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, up to €8.05 an hour. Skip paying and the notice is the tax you dodged plus a penalty of about €82; more than two unpaid and they clamp the car (€158 to remove). |
| 24 hours | P+R (any of the five) | €6 | €6 for 24 h only if you arrive after 10:00 on a weekday or any time at the weekend, and travel in with an OV-chipkaart or GVB ticket — check in with a contactless bank card and the trip does not count, so you pay the full garage rate. Earlier arrival: €13 for the first 24 h. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Q-Park Europarking | €55 | height 1.95 m · €4.80–€9.20 an hour by time of day |
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Towed in Amsterdam: Towed? Daniël Goedkoopstraat, cards only
When a car vanishes from a canal street, my first guess is the tow truck, not a thief. Usual reasons: a charging bay used without charging, a blocked loading zone, an event about to set up.
The car pound is at Daniël Goedkoopstraat 5-9, east of the centre, near Amstel station. The city's visitor site says it's open around the clock, but I'd ring first: from a Dutch phone dial 14 020, from abroad +31 20 624 1111.
In 2026 the bill is €484 for the first 24 hours, then €10 for each extra day, plus the original fine. Debit and credit cards only, so bring the one with the healthier limit; go the same day.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Gemeente Amsterdam (City of Amsterdam) parking enforcement
- Phone
- City of Amsterdam info line (any phone): +31 20 624 1111
City info line (Dutch phones): 14 020
Police, non-emergency: 0900 8844 - Collect it at
- Car pound (autopound), Daniël Goedkoopstraat 5-9, Amsterdam — out east near Amstel station.
- Hours
- Listed by I amsterdam as open 24/7 — call before you cross town
- What it costs
- €484 for the first 24 hours (or part of it), then €10 per extra 24 hours (2026 city regulation). Plus any fines. Debit or credit card only.
- Bring
- Passport or ID, the car's registration papers, rental contract if it's a hire car, and a payment card.
EV charging in Amsterdam: 10,000 plugs, no loitering in the bay
The charging network is among the world's densest: by March 2026 it passed 10,000 public connectors and 240 fast chargers. You need a charge card or app, and street parking fees still apply.
The rule everyone gets wrong: you may only park in a charging bay while you're actually charging. Top up, wander off to dinner, and you'll come back to a €130 fine or an empty kerb.
Garages are more relaxed, and that's where I'd plug in. Q-Park De Bijenkorf by Dam Square has 14 chargers. The P+R sites have them too: 35 at RAI, 20 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, 16 at Noord and 16 at Zeeburg 3.
Where to charge
- Q-Park De Bijenkorf — Beursplein 15. 14 chargers, open 24/7, 1.80 m height limit
- Q-Park Europarking — Marnixstraat 250. 2 chargers, 710 spaces, walk to the Jordaan
- P+R RAI — Europaplein 24. 35 chargers, the most of any P+R
- P+R Johan Cruijff ArenA — Burgemeester Stramanweg 130. 20 chargers
- P+R Noord — Nieuwe Leeuwarderweg 25. 16 chargers
Free parking in Amsterdam: €6 at the P+R, and the OVpay trap
P+R is my answer every time. In 2026 it goes like this:
- Take a ticket at the barrier. Don't use your bank card to enter.
- Arrive after 10:00 on a weekday, or any time at weekends and holidays, and it's €6 per 24 hours. Before 10:00 on a weekday the first 24 hours cost €13, so I'd have a slow breakfast.
- Ride GVB in and back, checking in with an OV-chipkaart, a GVB ticket, or the P+R GVB card, bought at the machine within an hour of parking: €6 for one or two people, more for groups.
- Back at the garage, pay at the machine with the parking ticket and the transport card, within an hour of checking out.
Don't tap in with a contactless bank card or your phone. That's OVpay, it doesn't count for P+R, and you pay the normal garage rate. The classic mistake, and the machine doesn't care.
Maximum stay is 96 hours, 24 at RAI, so for longer trips I'd skip RAI.
Truly free parking survives on the edges: the Amsterdamse Bos away from the main entrance, the dyke villages of Durgerdam and Ransdorp north of the IJ, the Osdorp polders, most of Weesp. Lovely, and a long way from the Rijksmuseum.
Free or nearly-free spots
Amsterdamse Bos
The big city forest south of the centre still has free parking, except the car park at the main entrance. Good for a walk, a pancake and a bus back in.
Landelijk Noord: Durgerdam & Ransdorp
Dyke villages ten minutes north of the IJ with free parking and old Dutch houses along the water. Not a base for the centre, but a lovely detour.
Osdorp polders
Around Tuinen van West and Osdorperweg on the western edge, still unpaid. Far from everything, which is why it's free.
Weesp and Driemond
Most of Weesp outside its little centre is free, and trains reach Amsterdam Centraal quickly. A pretty fortress town in its own right.
Hotels with free parking
- Bastion Hotel Amsterdam Amstel — Verlengde van Marwijk Kooystraat 30 Map. Free parking, inside the city
- Bastion Hotel Zaandam — Wibautstraat 278, Zaandam Map. Free parking; Zaanse Schans windmills nearby
- Bastion Hotel Schiphol Hoofddorp — Adrianahoeve 8, Hoofddorp Map. Free parking, handy for an early flight
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The OVpay trap. Check in on the tram with your contactless bank card or phone and your P+R trip doesn't count: you pay the full garage rate. Use an OV-chipkaart, a GVB ticket, or the P+R GVB card bought within an hour of parking.
- Free zones shrink every year. Gein in Zuidoost became paid in April 2026. Unmarked streets can still be permit-only. Check the sign and the app before walking away.
- Charging bays are for charging. Park at one without plugging in and it's €130 + €9, and they can tow you — which starts at €484.
- Break-ins happen. Amsterdam recorded 5,645 car break-ins in 2025. Out-of-town free spots are quieter, which cuts both ways. Empty the car.
- Canals have no railings. Handbrake on, car in gear, and don't reverse by feel.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.
