- Features of parking in the Netherlands
- Parking in the cities of the Netherlands
- Car rental in the Netherlands
It will not be superfluous to get acquainted with the nuances of parking in the Netherlands, especially if you plan to explore major cities by car. It is worth taking into account: traffic jams are everywhere in the Netherlands, and the flow of cars is quite intense (with the exception of the northern regions of the country). As for toll roads, there are no toll roads here, but there is a fee for driving through some tunnels (for moving through Westerschelde you need to pay 5-7, 5 euros, and through Kiltunnel - 2-5 euros).
Features of parking in the Netherlands
Before leaving a car in the parking lot in the Netherlands, it should be noted that in some cities, for a long parking in one place, the car can be towed, as well as in places oriented to special vehicles or disabled people. Stop prohibition will be indicated by a solid yellow line next to the sidewalk, and no parking will be indicated by a black and white curb and a dashed yellow line.
In Dutch cities, you can park your car in Park & Ride car parks located near metro stations: drivers who park there receive an OV card that allows them to travel to the city center for free and back to the parking lot.
In the P-zone, car owners will need a parking ticket (pay attention to the yellow and gray vending machines on the side of the road, which “issue” this ticket, which must be attached to the dashboard, otherwise the driver will be fined and the wheels of his car locked) … And on the blue zone, you can't do without a parking disc, for which you can go to a tobacco shop or a police station.
Parking in the cities of the Netherlands
In Amsterdam, you can park your car at Kalvertoren (any of 230 spaces costs 5 euros / hour and 50 euros / from 7 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.), Geelvinck (prices for a 60-seat parking lot, open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to midnight, in Friday-Saturday - from 08-09: 00 to 5 a.m., and on Sunday - from 9 a.m. to midnight: 5 euros / 45 minutes, 65 euros / day), Koningsplein Parking (1 hour of parking in this 25-seat parking lot is paid by 5 euros), Parking Centrum Oosterdok (tariffs for a parking lot with a capacity of 1369 cars and open daily from 6 am to 9 pm: 1 euro / 12 minutes, 13 euros / all day). As for the P + R car parks, these include Area A, Zeeburg I and II, Bos en Lommer, Sloterdijk (each parking lot will cost 8 euros).
Rotterdam has parking lots such as Budget Parking Rotterdam (for each of the 300 parking spaces you will be asked to pay 5 euros / 2 hours and 10 euros / all day), Stroveer (is a free 42-seat parking lot), Koopgoot (24-minute parking at this 435 -local parking will cost 1.50 euros, and within a day - 30 euros), Schouwburgplein 2 (parking can accommodate 760 cars; parking for 15 minutes costs 0.50 euros, and a day - 28 euros).
In The Hague, it will be possible to park at a 300-seat Torengarage (a 20-minute parking is paid for 1 euro, a daily one - 26 euros, and a night one - 10 euros), a 40-seat Uitenhagestraat (here you can leave a car from 6 a.m. to midnight, and each hour is charged at 1.70 euros), 300-seat City Parking (prices: 2 euros / half an hour, 30 euros / 24 hours, 10 euros / from 6 pm to 6 am), 560-seat Pleingarage (here you can leave a car at 16 minutes for 1 euro, and for a day - for 30 euros).
Leiden offers - Kaasmarkt (free parking, with a capacity of 72 cars), Morspoort (for each of 390 parking spaces, a payment of 0, 50 euros / 15 minutes, 2 euros / 1 hour and 10 euros / 24 hours is provided), Rijnland Vierzicht (there are 879 parking spaces in total; prices: 1 euro / 42 minutes, 6 euro / 24 hours, 30 euro / week), LUMC (only visitors of this medical center will be able to use the 1500-seat parking; prices: 0, 50 euro / 30 minutes, 1, 50 euros / 1 hour, 3, 50 euros / 2 hours, 4, 50 euros / 3 hours, 5, 50 euros / 4 hours).
In Volendam, Europaplein (which can accommodate 112 cars), Art Historical Center (has 125 parking spaces), Haven (90 parking spaces available), Marinapark (270 parking spaces at the disposal of car owners) are designated for free parking in Volendam.
From Delft parking lots stand out 202-seat Garage Phoenix (0.20 euros / 5 minutes, 2.40 euros / 1 hour, 14 euros / all day), 12-seat Voorstraat (for 1 hour of parking the car owner will pay 2,50 euros), 320-seat Paardenmarkt (parking for 1 hour will cost 2, 50 euros, and the whole day - 14, 50 euros).
Car rental in the Netherlands
To conclude a contract with a car rental company, a tourist who is at least 21 years old with at least 1 year of driving experience must have a driver's license and 2 credit cards. For an economy class car, you will be asked to pay 109-291 euros / 3 days or 156-330 euros / week.
Important information:
- Do not travel in the bus lane (Bus / Lijnbus), cyclist lanes and spitsstrooks with a red X above them;
- the speed within residential areas is 50 km / h, and outside them you can reach speeds of up to 80 km / h (you should pay attention to the signs above which during peak hours information is reflected at what speed you can move at a given time);
- those passing on the road where the “trajectcontrole” sign hangs should be aware that their average speed will be monitored by an automatic system;
- in the event of a car breakdown on the motorway, you must call the emergency services. The yellow Praatpalen telephones on the road are intended for this purpose.
