Book a Paris Parking City Pass before you leave home. If you have no choice but to drive in Paris, you’ll want to keep parking hassles down to a bare minimum. Because most of Paris’s street parking requires payment with tickets (which you have to buy either in tabacs or at newsstands), you may find that having a prepaid parking pass may simplify your life.
There are plenty of underground parking lots in Paris (including the huge Vinci Parking chain) which will even supply you with a complimentary bike rental while you’re in town.
Parking on Paris streets is free after 7 pm, but for the rest of the day you have to keep feeding the meter every two hours - so you can see how street parking can get messy. Depending upon how concerned you are about knicks and scrapes on your car, underground parking does tend to be more secure. Vinci Parks are well lit and relatively easy to negotiate.
It’s also possible in most parking garages to apply for a weekend rate, or a monthly rate. Be sure to ask about these discounts depending upon the length of your stay in Paris.
>> Get more Paris travel tips from a local before you go!
