Tips for parking your car cheaply

December 23, 2022

Free parking is becoming increasingly difficult, both in cities and smaller towns and villages. There, municipalities are more often choosing car-free pedestrian areas, environmental zones, school zones and other gathering places. Other forms of mobility are preferred, such as walking, cycling, public transportation and shared vehicles.

Still, there are a few tips to help find a free or good affordable parking space.

Tip 1: Consult the municipality’s website.

Many municipalities map out through their websites which areas are suitable for parking your car and how much money it costs. Are they places where you can stand for short or long periods of time? Is there covered parking and perhaps even public charging stations available? The website of the relevant municipality often gives you a lot of information.

Tip 2: Download dedicated parking apps

Mobile apps give you an up-to-date supply of the parking facility of your choice on the go or on site. They also often list the associated costs. Apps like Yellowbrick, ParkMobile or ParkBee are the best known. Most of these apps do charge for each parking transaction. If you use such an app more often, a subscription allows you to avoid transaction fees.

Q-Park ‘s app lets you park not only in parking garages, but also on the street. The advantage of this app is that it is linked to your car’s license plate number, charges no transaction fees and requires no subscription.

Tip 3: Blue zones

For short-term free parking, you can always go to a municipality’s blue zones. You can quickly recognize those zones by the blue painted markings along the curbs. Be sure to tape your parking disc clearly visible behind the windshield or place it on the dashboard.

Don’t see any signs or the street markings don’t mention anything? Then parking is often free.

Tip 4: Choose the best time

Going for a quick store in a city center? Sometimes it pays to go very early in the morning. Many cities don’t let paid parking take effect until a slightly later time in the morning. There are also opportunities to park your car for free on Sundays and holidays.

Tip 5: P+R and public transportation

Cheaper or even free parking can often be found at a P+R lot. These are often located just outside the city, so you’ll take public transportation for the last part of your trip. In exchange for that last bit of travel by bus, streetcar or train, you can then enter the city cheaply and smoothly.