Park and Ride (P+R)

How park and ride works in each country

A park and ride site is cheap or free on one condition, and the condition changes from city to city: travelling on by public transport, buying a combined ticket or staying within a set number of hours. Keep both your parking ticket and your travel ticket until you drive out, because in several cities the pay machine only applies the discount when you show the two together.

Netherlands: the price depends on your journey

In Amsterdam, P+R Zeeburg II costs €6 per 24 hours if you drive in from 10:00, or €13 for the first 24 hours if you arrive earlier; the next 3 days cost €6 per 24 hours, and after 4 days the standard rate applies. To qualify, you travel back by public transport with your last check in inside the centre, on your own OV-chipkaart or a paper GVB ticket. OVpay, barcode tickets and paper NS tickets give no discount, and you have 1 hour after checking out to pay. In Utrecht, P+R Utrecht Science Park charges €8.50 including public transport, of which €5.50 is a U-OV ticket valid for up to 5 people; without it, parking costs €2.50 an hour up to €15.00 a day.

United Kingdom: buses, trams and combined tickets

Edinburgh has 7 park and ride sites. Ingliston, by the airport, has 1,085 free spaces served by Lothian buses and the tram, and opens from 4:00 to 2:00: cars left overnight are towed, whereas neighbouring Hermiston lets you stay up to 3 nights. In Oxford, parking only at Pear Tree costs £2.50 for up to 16 hours, but the £3 combined ticket covers 16 hours of parking for one car and return bus travel for up to 5 people, from 17 August 2026 to 31 March 2027. In Cambridge you park free for up to 18 hours and pay for the bus: £4.50 for an adult return.

Spain: Madrid's disuasorios

Madrid's municipal park and ride car parks add up to more than 5,500 spaces in 7 sites, among them Estadio Metropolitano, Avenida de Portugal and Fuente de la Mora. You pay nothing if the car stays between 5 and 16 hours and you use public transport on the same day. When leaving, show the entry ticket and the travel ticket you used, whether a pass, a 10 trip ticket or a single, at the control office.

Italy: parcheggi di scambio

Roma has about 35 parcheggi di scambio at metro and rail stations and bus terminals: €1.50 for 12 consecutive hours or €2.50 for 16. Monthly and annual Metrebus pass holders park free if they display the Metrebus Parking permit on the dashboard. In Milano, ATM interchange car parks such as Bisceglie, Famagosta and Lampugnano do not ask for a travel ticket: an occasional stay costs €1.50 for up to 5 hours and €7.50 between 19 and 24 hours.

Sources:Gemeente Amsterdam, P+R Zeeburg II, P1 Utrecht, P+R Utrecht Science Park, City of Edinburgh Council, Find a park and ride, City of Edinburgh Council, Ingliston Park and Ride, Oxfordshire County Council, Pear Tree park and ride, Cambridge Park & Ride, pricing, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, aparcamientos disuasorios gratuitos, Roma Servizi per la Mobilità, Parcheggi di scambio, ATM Milano, parcheggi di interscambio. Information checked in October 2026.