Practical · Bruges
Parking in Bruges city centre: where to leave your car (and what it costs)
Bruges was built for pedestrians, not cars. The historic centre is largely low-traffic, the streets are narrow and one-way, and on-street parking is capped at four hours. If you're coming by car, the question isn't whether to use a car park but which one — and the difference runs to more than €11 a day.
At a glance
Short answer
- < 1 hour
- 't Zand — the first hour is free.
- A day in town
- Biekorf if you want to be as close to the Markt as possible, 't Zand if you want the easy drive in from the ring road.
- A weekend or longer
- Station, no contest. €5.50 per 24 hours against €17.10 in the centre.
- Arriving in the evening
- Everything gets cheaper — see Evening rates.
The three car parks, side by side
The car parks in Bruges city centre, with rates
Below, the three car parks in Bruges city centre you can walk from, with current rates, and the street-parking rules most visitors get wrong.
| Car park | Per hour | Max. per 24 h | To the Markt | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station | €1.10daytime€0.80 evening | €5.50 | ± 15 min | Weekends, several days |
| Centrum-'t Zand | 1st hour free2 h €4.30 · 4 h €8.80 | €17.10 | ± 8 min | Short visits, or arriving from the ring road |
| Biekorf | €2.20 | €17.10 | ± 2 min | As close to the Markt as possible |
Rates checked on 15 August 2026 (City of Bruges and Interparking). Parking rates change regularly — the sign at the barrier is always right.
Walking times are to the Markt. Biekorf is on Naaldenstraat, about 50 m from the Markt; 't Zand is roughly 650 m away.
Each car park on its own
If you're staying the night
Station
This is the sum that makes a weekend: €5.50 for a full 24 hours, against €17.10 in the centre. Two nights and you keep over €23 — the difference between parking and a dinner.
It's underground, and the walk to the Markt takes a quarter of an hour. It passes the Minnewater and the Beguinage, which frankly is a nicer way to arrive in Bruges than via the ring road.
If you're only stopping briefly
Centrum-'t Zand
The first hour is free, which makes 't Zand the obvious choice if you're just picking something up or having a wander for an hour.
It's also the car park that's easiest to find if you don't know Bruges: you drive to it almost directly from the ring road without entering the centre. Stay longer and it adds up: €4.30 for two hours, €8.80 for four, with a €17.10 cap per 24 hours.
Closest to the Markt
Biekorf
The most central car park in Bruges: a couple of minutes' walk, under the city library. €2.20 an hour, €17.10 per 24 hours. Handy in the rain or with luggage — but for a longer stay you pay well over three times the station's rate.
On the street
Street parking in Bruges
Possible, but with rules you'd rather know in advance:
- Paid every day from 9 am to 8 pm, weekends and public holidays included.
- Free after 8 pm.
- Four hours maximum on street in the centre. (Short-stay bays: 30 minutes for €0.10.)
- The rate rises every hour: €3 for the first hour, €4 the second, €5 the third, €6 the fourth.
That rising rate is policy, not chance: the city wants you to park the car and walk.
For an overnight stay, street parking is simply not an option — if only because you'd have to move the car in the middle of the night.
Evening rates
Arrive in the evening and the picture changes
Station
€0.80 / h
6 pm – 7 am
Centrum-'t Zand
€1.20 / 1st h
€3.70 from 3 h · 6 pm – 7 am
On street
Free
After 8 pm
For a weekend that starts on Friday evening, that all but wipes out the first night's parking.
Free, or nearly
Free parking close to the centre
Completely free and within walking distance of the Markt doesn't exist in Bruges. That's policy, not chance. What does work:
- After 8 pm street parking is free.
- The first hour at 't Zand is free.
- Park-and-ride sites outside the ring road are cheaper, but then you're not walking any more — you're taking the bus.
If you're searching for "free parking in Bruges near the centre", the honest answer is: it doesn't exist, but €5.50 per 24 hours at the station comes closest, and your car is underground.
To the suites
Sleep in the centre, without the parking stress
The simplest solution to parking in Bruges: park the car once and leave it. In the centre, everything is within walking distance anyway.
The Rose Suites is on Elf-Julistraat, a quiet residential street, a kilometre from the Markt — about ten minutes on foot. You check in yourself, with a code — no reception, no waiting, no agreed arrival time. You leave the car in one of the car parks above, walk to the suite, and don't need it again for the rest of the weekend.
The suites are made for two. Some have their own jacuzzi and sauna — which, after a day on cobblestones, matters more than you'd think.
See the suites →One more thing
Frequently asked questions
- What does parking in Bruges city centre cost?
- In a city-centre car park, €17.10 per 24 hours ('t Zand and Biekorf). At the station, €5.50 per 24 hours. On the street you pay per hour, rising from €3 to €6, with a four-hour maximum.
- Which car park in Bruges is the cheapest?
- The Station car park, at €5.50 per 24 hours — about a third of the city-centre rate. The walk to the Markt takes a quarter of an hour.
- Is parking in Bruges free at the weekend?
- No. Paid parking applies every day from 9 am to 8 pm, weekends and public holidays included. After 8 pm, street parking is free.
- How long can you park on the street in Bruges city centre?
- Four hours maximum during paid hours, and the hourly rate rises (€3 / €4 / €5 / €6). For an overnight stay, use a car park.
- Which car park is closest to the Markt?
- Biekorf, under the city library, a couple of minutes' walk from the Markt. It costs €2.20 an hour.
- Is there a hotel in Bruges city centre with parking within walking distance?
- The Rose Suites is a kilometre from the Markt, about ten minutes on foot. You leave the car in one of the car parks above, walk to the suite, and leave it there for the rest of your stay.