The cheapest way into Strasbourg is a €4.20 P+R ticket. At the twelve CTS park and rides, open 24/7, it covers the car for the day and the tram into town and back for up to seven people. Rives de l'Aar is ten minutes from the centre on tram B. In town, the underground car park under Petite France charges €15 for 24 hours and nothing for the first half hour.
The whole Eurométropole is a ZFE low-emission zone, 24 hours a day, and a foreign-plated car needs the French Crit'Air sticker like any other. Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified cars are banned already, and Crit'Air 3 is due to follow on 1 January 2027. Order it at certificat-air.gouv.fr weeks ahead; it only comes by post.
Twelve apostles at half past twelve
The apostles on the cathedral's astronomical clock parade at 12:30, not at noon, and the mechanism doing it dates from 1842. Outside, the tram slides past almost silently; you listen for a bell, not an engine. The old centre is an island, the Grande Île, wrapped by the Ill and a canal, so every walk into it starts on a bridge.
A December Saturday and a midday bridge
I would not go to the Christmas market on a Saturday in December. Large bags are checked at the entrances to the island, and on a weekend the lanes between the chalets move at the speed of the slowest pushchair. Come on a weekday, before lunch.
My second skip is the photograph from the Ponts Couverts at midday. Everyone stands on one bridge in flat light. Walk onto the Barrage Vauban instead, just to the west, and you get the towers and the Petite France roofs in one frame.
Baeckeoffe by the cathedral
For a winstub, the wood-panelled Alsatian wine room, I go to Le Clou, a minute from the cathedral. It serves lunch 11:45–14:30 and dinner 18:00–23:00, every day. Order the baeckeoffe, meat and potatoes baked for hours in a sealed dish, and a glass of Alsace white. Book; winstubs in the centre fill up on weekdays too.
Nothing taller than 1.90 m under the old town
Every central car park on this page has a 1.90 m height limit. With a roof box or a camper van you will not fit. The CTS park and rides are not the escape either: a vehicle over 1.90 m can use only P+R Elsau, on tram B. Decide that before you reach the ring road.
Parking in Strasbourg: Red, orange, green, and nothing on Sundays
Low-emission zones in Europe: ZFE-m of the Eurométropole de Strasbourg
- Foreign plates
- Sticker compulsory, foreign plates included
- When
- 24 hours, every day
- Fine
- €68 for a car, van or motorcycle; €135 for a lorry, bus or coach
- EV
- Battery electric and hydrogen are Crit'Air 0, allowed at all times
Crit'Air 3 is in an educational phase with no fine; the Eurométropole's published calendar bans it from January 2027 (checked 18 September 2026)
Street parking is charged Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00, and free on Sundays and public holidays. Red is the dearest: €3.50 for one hour, €8 for two, €17 for the three-hour maximum. Orange runs €2.50 for the first hour up to €17 for four hours; green starts at €1 an hour and allows five hours for €17. Overstay or skip paying and you get a €35 post-parking charge, cut to €17 if you pay it quickly, and the notice goes to the registered keeper rather than onto the windscreen. Pay at the meter or with EasyPark or Indigo Neo.
The Crit'Air rule is not optional for visitors. Every car in the zone needs the sticker, and the fine for driving without the right one is €68. A car that is too old has one way in: the Pass ZFE 24h, 24 rolling days a year, requested on the Eurométropole's derogations site after you register the vehicle there.
Underground, Parcus runs the centre. Centre historique Petite France is my pick: free for 30 minutes, €1 for the first hour, €15 for 24 hours, with 939 spaces. Austerlitz, south of the cathedral, is €2 an hour and €22 a day; Saint-Nicolas across the river is €2 an hour and €21 a day. Gutenberg is the closest to the cathedral and the dearest, €3.20 an hour and €44 a day. All but Gutenberg charge €2 for the evening, 20:00–02:00.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Centre historique Petite France (Parcus)Rue de Molsheim, car entries from Rue de Molsheim and Quai Marc Bloch; on foot to Place Hans Jean Arp | First 30 minutes free, then €0.50 per 15 minutes to 2 hours, €15 for 24 hours. €2 for 20:00–02:00. 939 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.90 m. | 6 charging spaces; price not published. |
| Austerlitz (Parcus)Rue des Bœufs, south of the cathedral | €0.50 per 15 minutes for the first 3 hours (€2 an hour), €22 for 24 hours. €2 for 20:00–02:00. 492 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.90 m. | 5 charging spaces; price not published. |
| Saint-Nicolas (Parcus)Rue de la Porte de l'Hôpital, across the Ill from the old town | €0.50 per 15 minutes for the first 2 hours, then €0.40, €21 for 24 hours. €2 for 20:00–02:00. 360 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.90 m. | Charging not published. |
| Gutenberg (Parcus)Place Gutenberg, a minute from the cathedral | €0.80 per 15 minutes (€3.20 an hour), €44 for 24 hours — the closest and the dearest. €4 for 20:00–02:00. 244 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.90 m. | Charging price not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Centre historique Petite France (Parcus) | €3 | height 1.90 m · 30 min free; €2 evening |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, red zone | €8 | €3.50 for one hour, €8 for two, €17 for the three-hour maximum. Overstay or skip paying and it is a €35 post-parking charge (€17 if paid quickly). Free on Sundays and public holidays. |
| A full day (10 h) | P+R Rives de l'Aar (tram B) | €4.20 | €4.20 for 04:30–02:00 with the tram for up to 7 people; €7.20 for 24 hours. Height over 1.90 m: only P+R Elsau. Lost ticket €40. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Centre historique Petite France (Parcus) | €11 | height 1.90 m · 30 min free; €2 evening |
| 24 hours | P+R Rives de l'Aar (tram B) | €4.20 | €4.20 for 04:30–02:00 with the tram for up to 7 people; €7.20 for 24 hours. Height over 1.90 m: only P+R Elsau. Lost ticket €40. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Centre historique Petite France (Parcus) | €15 | height 1.90 m · 30 min free; €2 evening |
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Towed in Strasbourg: The car pound on Rue du Doubs
Towed cars go to the car pound of the Eurométropole, run for the city by SEG, at 1C Rue du Doubs. It is staffed 24 hours a day, every day, on 03 90 40 14 00. If you think the car was stolen rather than towed, ring 17.
The city publishes the price: €121.27 for the tow and €6.42 for every 24 hours begun. Go the same day.
Bring your insurance proof, driving licence and registration document, plus the release order, the mainlevée. The city points you to an online plate check on service-public.gouv.fr and says the release order is issued online through FranceConnect, a French login most visitors do not have. Ring the pound first and ask what a foreign driver needs. With a hire car, ring the rental company too.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The Eurométropole's car pound, run for the city by the Société strasbourgeoise d'Enlèvement (SEG)
- Phone
- Car pound (fourrière), 24/7: +33 3 90 40 14 00
Police emergency, if you think the car was stolen: 17 - Collect it at
- Fourrière de Strasbourg, 1C Rue du Doubs, 67100 Strasbourg
- Hours
- Reception 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- What it costs
- For a car: €121.27 for the removal plus €6.42 storage for every 24 hours begun (City of Strasbourg).
- Bring
- Proof of insurance, a driving licence valid for the vehicle, the registration document and the release order (mainlevée). The city says the release order is issued online via FranceConnect, a French login; a foreign driver should ring the pound first and ask. For a hire car, ring the rental company too.
EV charging in Strasbourg: Elsass Recharge, cheap at night
The public street chargers belong to Elsass Recharge, a joint network of ENGIE Vianeo and Freshmile, 255 chargers planned across the communes. On a standard charger up to 22 kW the public price is €0.34 per kWh plus €0.03 a minute from 08:00 to 20:00, and no time charge at night. Rapid 50 kW chargers are €0.49 per kWh and 150 kW ones €0.51, with €0.05 a minute that jumps to €0.30 after 60 minutes: unplug inside the hour. Without an account, pay by card in guest mode in the Freshmile app or scan the QR label. The operator's FAQ says the car will not be ticketed while it charges.
Petite France has six charging spaces and Austerlitz five, prices not published. Overnight, I would take a street charger after 20:00.
Where to charge
- Elsass Recharge street chargers — €0.34 per kWh — On-street across the Eurométropole, run by ENGIE Vianeo and Freshmile; 255 chargers planned. Public price on standard chargers up to 22 kW: €0.34/kWh plus €0.03 a minute 08:00–20:00, no time charge 20:00–08:00. 50 kW: €0.49/kWh; 150 kW: €0.51/kWh, both with €0.05 a minute rising to €0.30 after 60 minutes. Guest payment by card in the Freshmile app or via the QR label; no parking ticket while charging
- Petite France car park — 6 charging spaces — Parking Centre historique Petite France. The cheapest central garage day at €15, so my pick for a long charge; the kWh price is not published
- Austerlitz car park — 5 charging spaces — Parking Austerlitz, south of the cathedral. Price not published; check the terminal before you plug in
Free parking in Strasbourg: Four euros twenty and a blue disc
The P+R day ticket, €4.20, runs from 04:30 to 02:00 the next morning, tram included. A 24-hour ticket is €7.20. Rives de l'Aar has 456 spaces off the A35 at the Wacken exit. Rotonde is the closest, five minutes from the centre on trams A and D.
On Sundays and public holidays the street is free. And about 1,000 spaces in Strasbourg are blue zones: free with a European blue disc behind the windscreen, 09:00–19:00 except Sundays and holidays; the time limit is on the sign. The fine is €35.
Free or nearly-free spots
P+R Rives de l'Aar: €4.20 a day, tram for seven included
456 spaces off the A35 at the Wacken exit, open 24/7, tram B to the centre in about ten minutes. The CTS P+R ticket is €4.20 for 04:30–02:00, €7.20 for 24 hours, and covers the tram for 1 to 7 people. First 30 minutes free for drop-offs.
P+R Elsau: the only one for vehicles over 1.90 m
CTS lets vehicles taller than 1.90 m into P+R Elsau only, on tram B, 11 minutes from the centre. Same €4.20 ticket. Caravans and trailers are not allowed at any P+R.
Sundays, public holidays and blue zones
Street parking is free on Sundays and public holidays. About 1,000 blue-zone spaces are free all week with a European blue disc, 09:00–19:00 except Sundays and holidays; the limit is on the sign, the fine €35.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The whole Eurométropole de Strasbourg is a ZFE low-emission zone, 24/7. Foreign-registered cars need the French Crit'Air sticker (€3.11 plus postage, only from certificat-air.gouv.fr, posted). Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified are banned; the fine is €68 for a car.
- Crit'Air 3 is due to be banned from 1 January 2027. A non-compliant car can use the Pass ZFE 24h up to 24 times a year, requested on the Eurométropole's derogations site after registering the vehicle.
- Every central Parcus car park on this page has a 1.90 m height limit, and among the P+R sites only Elsau takes vehicles over 1.90 m.
- Street parking runs Mon–Sat 09:00–19:00 with a hard maximum: 3 hours in red, 4 in orange, 5 in green. Overstay or skip paying and it is a €35 post-parking charge, €17 if paid quickly, posted to the registered keeper.
- The historic centre is pedestrianised for the whole Christmas market and large bags are checked at the entrances to the Grande Île.
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.