The cheapest way to park in Maastricht costs nothing. P+R Maastricht Noord has 516 free spaces on the north edge of the city, and bus 10 runs to the centre every 15 minutes in about 12 minutes. The bus is €2.55 per person, there and back, or €6.40 for a group of three to five on one return ticket.
Drive into the old centre instead and the kerb is €3.70 an hour, rising to €5.30 at many spots after the first hours, and the garage under the Vrijthof is €35 a day. Sundays and public holidays are charged from noon to six, which catches the visitor who assumed Sunday was free.
7,000 spaces, a Belgian border and a bus every quarter of an hour
Maastricht Bereikbaar counts about 7,000 parking spaces in the city, and signs on the approach roads show in colour which part of town still has room. The city limits are an international border with Belgium, so a wrong turn south can put you in another country. On an ordinary weekday the Noord bus comes so often that I stop reading the timetable.
A whole day under the Vrijthof, and the garage that will not take a ticket
Everyone heads for the garage under the Vrijthof, and for an hour it makes sense. For a day it is €35, against a flat €14 at Stadspark or €8.30 at Fort Willem, each about ten minutes' walk away. I wouldn't leave a car under the square from morning to night.
The second is Q-Park Entre Deux, by the shopping streets. Q-Park says you can park there only with its app or an online booking, and the clearance is 1.90 m.
Spelt vlaai beside the mill wheel on the Jeker
De Bisschopsmolen is a bakery in a water mill on the Jeker that the tourist board dates to the 11th century. Order a slice of spelt vlaai, the Limburg fruit tart, then take the Bisschopsmolengang alley round to the back to see the wheel. Open Tuesday to Saturday 08:30–17:00 and Sunday 09:00–17:00; closed on Monday.
On Thursday the meter runs until nine
On Thursday, paid street parking runs from 08:00 to 21:00, not 18:00, because of late-night shopping. There is no ticket for the dashboard: you pay by number plate, at the machine or in an app, so type the plate exactly as it is on the car. A scan car checks, and a miss becomes a bill for €82 plus one hour's tariff, collected by Cannock.
Parking in Maastricht: €3.70 inside the ring, €1.90 outside, and a Maastricht tariff that climbs
Low-emission zones in Europe: Zero-emission zone, binnenstad
- Foreign plates
- Nothing to do in a car. A foreign van needs an RDW day exemption, €30.
- When
- Round the clock; the zone signs carry no times
- Fine
- €130 plus €9 admin for a van, €320 for a lorry
- EV
- Battery electric and hydrogen vans and lorries: allowed.
In force since 1 January 2025; the national transition rules run to 2030.
The A zone, the city centre, is €3.70 an hour. The B zone, outside the ring road, is €1.90, with a day ticket at €8.30 where no time limit applies. In the centre and districts such as Céramique, Randwyck and Boschpoort a progressive tariff lifts the rate to €5.30 after the first, second or fourth hour, depending on the spot. The machine takes debit cards, contactless and coins; the apps are ANWB, Parkmobile and Yellowbrick.
The garages are mostly Q-Park, priced by distance from the Vrijthof. Q-Park Vrijthof is €1.50 per 16 minutes and €35 a day, 447 spaces, 2.00 m clearance. Mosae Forum, the big one on the river with 1,089 spaces, and Bassin are €1.50 per 25 minutes and €28.50 a day. My pick for half a day is Sphinx, run by P1: €1.50 per 32 minutes or part of it, €18 a day.
There is no low-emission zone for cars. The centre's zero-emission zone, in force since 1 January 2025, applies to vans and lorries, and the city states that passenger cars are not covered; the older milieuzone is for diesel lorries. A foreign car has nothing to register.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Q-Park VrijthofVrijthof 100 — under the main square | €1.50 per 16 minutes, €35 a day — the dearest garage in town. 447 spaces, height 2.00 m, open 24/7. | 29 charging points. |
| Q-Park Mosae ForumMaasboulevard 40 — on the Maas riverfront | €1.50 per 25 minutes, €28.50 a day. The biggest in the centre with 1,089 spaces, height 2.00 m, open 24/7. | 38 charging points. |
| Q-Park BassinMaastrichter Grachtstraat 21 | €1.50 per 25 minutes, €28.50 a day. 397 spaces, height 2.00 m, open 24/7; takes Visa, Mastercard and Amex. | 16 charging points. |
| Parkeerterrein Sphinx (P1)Frontensingel — in the Sphinx quarter on the north side of the centre | €1.50 per 32 minutes or part of it, €18 a day. 400 spaces, open 24/7; card or cash. My pick for half a day. | 10 charging points. |
| Stadspark (Park+Walk, Q-Park)At the Stadspark, the city park — about ten minutes' walk to the centre | €1.50 per 50 minutes, a flat €14 for the day. Walk in through the park. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | P+R Maastricht Noord | Free | Free, a few days allowed but not weeks. Bus 10 every 15 minutes, €2.55 return per person or €6.40 for a group of three to five. No cameras on the car park. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Parkeerterrein Sphinx (P1) | €6 | €1.50 per started 32 minutes |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, city centre (A zone), progressive | €7.40 | €3.70 an hour, then €5.30 after the first, second or fourth hour depending on the spot. Thursday to 21:00, Sunday 12:00–18:00. Unpaid: €82 plus one hour. |
| A full day (10 h) | P+R Maastricht Noord | Free | Free, a few days allowed but not weeks. Bus 10 every 15 minutes, €2.55 return per person or €6.40 for a group of three to five. No cameras on the car park. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Parkeerterrein Sphinx (P1) | €18 | €1.50 per started 32 minutes |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, city centre (A zone), progressive | €49.80 | €3.70 an hour, then €5.30 after the first, second or fourth hour depending on the spot. Thursday to 21:00, Sunday 12:00–18:00. Unpaid: €82 plus one hour. |
| 24 hours | P+R Maastricht Noord | Free | Free, a few days allowed but not weeks. Bus 10 every 15 minutes, €2.55 return per person or €6.40 for a group of three to five. No cameras on the car park. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Parkeerterrein Sphinx (P1) | €18 | €1.50 per started 32 minutes |
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Towed in Maastricht: €247.93 plus VAT, and the car pound is in Beek
The towing regulation hands cars to Van Dongen Berging, outside the city: the car pound is Van Dongen Beek (046 740 00 01) or Van Dongen Landgraaf (045 533 00 00, also the 24-hour line). Both open Monday to Friday 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00, so a car towed on Friday evening means waiting for Monday or paying the out-of-hours surcharge of €33.06.
The regulation sets €247.93 for a full tow and €12.40 a day for storage, and the tow company adds VAT, which at 21% makes about €300 and €15. How you pay is not published. Bring ID, the registration document and the key, as the consumer programme Kassa advises. Towing is allowed on routes kept clear for events, so take the carnival signs seriously.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The city tows under its Wegsleepverordening 2024 (towing regulation) for obstruction, danger or keeping marked road clear, for example on a parade route. Van Dongen Berging does the towing and the storage
- Phone
- Van Dongen Berging, Beek depot: 046 740 00 01
Van Dongen Berging, Landgraaf depot — also its 24-hour line: 045 533 00 00 - Collect it at
- Not in Maastricht: Van Dongen Berging Beek or Van Dongen Berging Landgraaf. Ring first to find out which.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00. Collecting outside these hours carries a surcharge.
- What it costs
- €247.93 for a full tow and €12.40 per day or part of a day for storage, and the tow company adds VAT on top, so about €300 and €15. A tow called off before the car is lifted is €123.97 or €165.29, collecting out of hours €33.06, all plus VAT. How you pay is not published.
- Bring
- Valid ID, the registration document and the key, as the consumer programme Kassa advises; written authorisation if someone else collects. For a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Maastricht: A thousand Vattenfall points, and a fine for not charging
Vattenfall InCharge runs the public chargers: about 500 posts with two points each, and the city aims for one within roughly 300 metres of anywhere. The city publishes no price per kWh; it depends on the post and your charge card. In a paid zone the parking is paid on top, and parking at a charger without charging can be fined.
Mosae Forum has 38 points, the Vrijthof 29 and Bassin 16. My choice is P+R Noord, which has charging spaces among its 516 (how many is not published) and costs nothing to park.
Where to charge
- The city's chargers — about 1,000 points, Vattenfall InCharge — On-street across Maastricht, about 500 posts with two points each. The city publishes no kWh price: it depends on the post and your charge card. In a paid zone the parking is paid on top, and parking at a charger without charging can be fined
- Q-Park Mosae Forum — 38 points — Maasboulevard 40, the biggest garage in the centre. The most chargers I found in a central garage; €28.50 a day for the space. Height 2.00 m
- P+R Maastricht Noord — free parking with chargers — Hoekerweg, on the north edge by Maastricht Noord station. Maastricht Bereikbaar lists charging spaces among the 516 but not how many. The parking is free, so this is my pick for an EV
Free parking in Maastricht: Free at Noord, €8.30 at Fort Willem, and three stations with free P+R
P+R Noord is the answer for most visitors: free, bus 10 every 15 minutes, bus 30 to the main station, and the train when the buses stop late at night. A few days' stay is fine; weeks are not. There are no cameras on the car park itself, only at the bus stop and station, so I leave nothing on the seats.
The Park+Walk car parks charge a flat day: Fort Willem €8.30, Stadspark €14, Frontenpark €18 (from €12 booked with Q-Park), and P Bonnefanten €14 at weekends. On big days the city points to free P+R at the stations in Bunde, Meerssen and Eijsden, with a direct train in. The ANWB adds that residential streets 1 to 1.5 km out are unrestricted; read the signs anyway.
Free or nearly-free spots
P+R Maastricht Noord: free, and €2.55 for the bus
516 free spaces on the north edge. Bus 10 goes to the centre every 15 minutes in about 12 minutes, bus 30 to the main station, bus 3 every half hour, and the train takes over late at night. The bus is €2.55 return per person, or €6.40 for one group return covering three to five people. A few days' stay is fine; weeks are not. There are no cameras on the car park itself.
Fort Willem: €8.30 for the day
The cheapest Park+Walk: a flat €8.30 for the day, the same as the B-zone day ticket, about ten minutes' walk to the centre. Stadspark is €14, Frontenpark €18 (from €12 booked with Q-Park), P Bonnefanten €14 at weekends and €21 on weekdays.
Free P+R at Bunde, Meerssen and Eijsden
On big days the city points to the free P+R car parks at the stations in Bunde, Meerssen and Eijsden, with a direct train into Maastricht. The ANWB adds that residential streets 1 to 1.5 km out have no restrictions; read the signs anyway.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Street parking in the A zone (city centre) is €3.70 an hour, B zone €1.90. At many centre spots a progressive tariff lifts the rate to €5.30 after the first, second or fourth hour. Paid Monday to Saturday 08:00–18:00, Thursday until 21:00, Sundays and public holidays 12:00–18:00.
- Payment is by number plate, at the machine (card, contactless, coins) or in the ANWB, Parkmobile or Yellowbrick apps. A scan car checks; unpaid parking is €82 plus one hour's tariff, collected by Cannock.
- There is no low-emission zone for cars. The centre's zero-emission zone (since 1 January 2025) covers vans and lorries only, and the milieuzone only diesel lorries. A foreign car has nothing to register.
- Q-Park Entre Deux on Helmstraat takes cars only through the Q-Park app or an online booking, and its clearance is 1.90 m. The other central garages are 2.00 m.
- At Carnaval the centre's barriers close from 13:00 to 03:00, and in 2026 the Vrijthof was shut to traffic from the Friday before. Parking bans are posted on parade routes; the regulation allows towing there.
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.