Parking in Bruges is much easier if you decide in advance what matters most. If you want certainty, book a space before you arrive. If price comes first, look around the station or use a free Park & Ride. And if you want to leave the car just a few steps from Markt, expect to pay more for a central car park.
If Bruges is one stop in a longer journey, our getting to Bruges guide compares arriving by train, coach and car.
The trade-off is simple: the cheapest option is not always the most convenient. This guide starts with spaces you can book in advance, then compares central, low-cost and free alternatives so you can choose before Bruges’ one-way streets and city-centre traffic narrow your options.
Reserve before arriving and forget about parking
If you would rather pay a little more than spend the first part of your visit looking for a space, these are the most useful options to check first.
- Mobypark Hovenierslanden (advertising link)◆: €15 for 24 hours, with an outdoor space at Hovenierslanden 10, roughly a 10-minute walk from the historic centre. Book before you arrive and you will receive the access instructions with your reservation.
- SparkSpot Grauwwerkersstraat 2: €26.50 per day when last checked. It is the priciest of the three SparkSpot options, but also the most central.
- SparkSpot Nieuwe Gentweg 80: €19.79 per day when last checked, on the south-eastern side of the historic centre.
- SparkSpot Annuntiatenstraat 38: €16.50 per day when last checked, north of the busiest central streets.
SparkSpot prices and availability change, so treat the figures above as a guide rather than a guaranteed rate for your travel date.
Parking in Bruges: the full comparison
The table uses the same four groups as the map. “Reserve ahead” means you can book a space online before arrival; at ordinary public car parks, you can usually still turn up without a reservation.
| Parking | Group | Price | Reserve ahead? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobypark Hovenierslanden (advertising link)◆ | Reserve ahead | €15/24h | Yes | A guaranteed private space without the highest central rates |
| SparkSpot Grauwwerkersstraat 2 | Reserve ahead | €26.50/day | Yes | A pre-booked space right in the centre |
| SparkSpot Nieuwe Gentweg 80 | Reserve ahead | €19.79/day | Yes | Reserved parking near the southern/eastern sights |
| SparkSpot Annuntiatenstraat 38 | Reserve ahead | €16.50/day | Yes | Reserved parking on the quieter northern side |
| Biekorf | City centre | €17.10/24h | No standard pre-booking shown | The shortest walk to Markt |
| Zilverpand | City centre | €17.10/24h | No standard pre-booking shown | Shops, Steenstraat and central sights |
| Pandreitje | City centre | €17.10/24h | No standard pre-booking shown | Burg, Rozenhoedkaai and east-central Bruges |
| Langestraat | City centre | €18/24h max | Pay on arrival | East side of the centre and a very short walk |
| Centrum Ezelstraat | City centre | €17.10/24h | Yes, online booking | Arriving from the north |
| Katelijne | City centre | €17.10/24h | No standard pre-booking shown | Begijnhof, museums and Church of Our Lady |
| Centrum-'t Zand | City centre | €17.10/24h | Yes, online booking | A large central car park with easy road access |
| Site Oud Sint-Jan | City centre | Check current tariff | No online pre-booking shown | Very central open-air parking |
| Centrum-Station | Best value | €7.10/24h | Yes, online booking | A strong mix of price, capacity and connections |
| Oesterparking | Best value | €3/day | No | The cheapest paid all-day option in this comparison |
| Magdalenastraat | Free / P+R | Free | No | Free parking close enough to walk |
| P+R Waggelwater | Free / P+R | Free | No | Free parking with a frequent bus connection |
| P+R Boogschutterslaan | Free / P+R | Free | No | Free parking east of the city |
| P+R Jan Breydel | Free / P+R | Free | No | Free P+R when there is no home football match |
If you want to park right in the centre
There is no single central car park that suits everybody. A better question is which side of the centre you want to start from.
Biekorf: closest to Markt
Biekorf is the obvious choice if walking distance to the main square matters more than price. It is about 50 metres from Markt. It has around 200 spaces, a 2 m height limit, is open 24/7 and costs €17.10 for 24 hours.
For Markt itself, Biekorf is closer than Centrum-'t Zand. The trade-off is that you have to drive farther into the centre before parking.
Zilverpand: central for shopping, but watch weekend access
Zilverpand sits under the shopping district, with 392 spaces, a 1.85 m height limit and a €17.10/24h maximum.
There is one important practical restriction: on Saturdays and Sundays from 13:00 to 18:00, the central low-traffic zone restricts access to Zilverpand for drivers without the relevant permit. If you are arriving in that time window, choose another car park before you reach the restricted streets.
Pandreitje: handy for the Burg and the east side
Pandreitje is next to Koningin Astridpark, a good starting point for the Burg, Vismarkt and Rozenhoedkaai side of the city. It has 212 spaces, a 2 m height limit, opens 24/7 and costs €17.10/24h.
Langestraat: central and convenient from the east
Parking Langestraat is under the State Archives and is reached from Predikherenrei. It has 200 spaces, a 2.2 m height limit and a maximum of €18 per 24 hours.
For visitors approaching from the east, it is one of the most convenient ways to avoid crossing the whole centre by car.
Ezelstraat: handy if you are arriving from the north
Centrum Ezelstraat is at Hugo Losschaertstraat 5, with 139 spaces, a 2.2 m height limit and a €17.10/24h tariff. It is open 24/7 and can be booked online.
Choose it when you arrive from the north or when the Ezelstraat/Sint-Jakobs side of Bruges fits your route better than 't Zand or Katelijne.
Katelijne: handy for the southern sights
Katelijne has 248 spaces, a 2 m height limit and a €17.10/24h tariff. It is particularly useful for the Church of Our Lady, Groeningemuseum, the Begijnhof and the south-eastern part of the historic centre.
Centrum-'t Zand: large, central and easy to reach
Centrum-'t Zand remains one of the most straightforward large car parks for a first visit. It sits below 't Zand beside the Concertgebouw, has more than 1,800 spaces, is open 24/7 and can be booked online.
The first hour is free and the maximum is €17.10 per 24 hours. It is central and very practical, but it is not automatically “the best central location”: Biekorf, Langestraat and several other options put you closer to particular parts of the old town.
Site Oud Sint-Jan: very central open-air parking
The parking at Site Oud Sint-Jan sits by Mariastraat and the former St John’s Hospital complex. Its location is excellent for the Church of Our Lady, the museum quarter and Walplein.
Because its tariff is published less consistently, choose it mainly for the location and check the price displayed when you arrive.
Two cheaper paid options worth knowing
Centrum-Station: still the all-round value choice
For most full-day visitors who do not need to park in the medieval centre, Centrum-Station is the best all-round option.
- Maximum €7.10 per 24 hours;
- It has 1,690 spaces;
- Maximum clearance 2.15 m;
- Open 24/7;
- Direct online booking is available;
- A free return bus transfer to the centre for the driver and up to three companions is included on the arrival day.
The free bus offer applies specifically to Centrum-Station. Do not assume that bus journeys from Bruges’ other P+R sites are also free.
Oesterparking: only €3 per day
Oesterparking costs €3 per day, has 160 spaces, is open 24/7 and has a 2.2 m height limit. It is a straightforward low-cost option near the station for visitors who do not need to park inside the historic centre.
It is close to the station, about 846 metres from 't Zand. If you are comfortable walking a little farther and do not need the Station car park’s included return bus, it is a remarkably cheap paid option.
Free parking and Park & Ride
If saving money matters more than walking distance, Bruges has several free options on the edge of the centre.
- Magdalenastraat: 198 spaces, around 21 minutes on foot to the centre, with bus connections towards the station.
- P+R Waggelwater: 195 spaces. Bus line 1 serves the site roughly every 10 minutes; walking to the centre takes about 35 minutes.
- P+R Boogschutterslaan: around 100 spaces across the nearby P+R areas and roughly 27 minutes on foot. Several bus lines stop at Sint-Kruis Kerk.
- P+R Jan Breydel: useful on the west side, but do not plan on using it as Park & Ride during Club Brugge or Cercle Brugge home matches.
These choices are ideal if the car will stay put for most of the day. They are less attractive if you have heavy luggage, limited mobility or a schedule that makes a 20–35 minute walk inconvenient.
What about street parking in Bruges?
Street parking in the historic centre is mainly intended for shorter stops. Charges apply daily from 09:00 to 20:00, including weekends and public holidays, and the usual maximum stay is four hours.
The daytime charges add up as follows:
- 1 hour: €3;
- 2 hours: €7;
- 3 hours: €12;
- 4 hours: €18.
That is why street parking is usually a poor choice for a relaxed sightseeing day. After 20:00, ordinary paid street spaces become free until the next charging period, but always follow the signs on the specific street.
Blue zones, hotels and overnight stays
Outside the paid central streets, parts of Bruges use blue-zone parking. A parking disc is required and the usual maximum stay is four hours during the controlled period. This can work for a short visit, but it is not a substitute for all-day parking.
If your hotel includes parking, compare the price with the public alternatives before moving the car again. For an overnight stay, paying a little more to leave the car at the accommodation can be worthwhile if it saves a second parking search and lets you explore entirely on foot.
So where should you park?
The 18 options fall into four useful groups:
- Reserve ahead: Mobypark Hovenierslanden (advertising link)◆, SparkSpot Grauwwerkersstraat 2, SparkSpot Nieuwe Gentweg 80 and SparkSpot Annuntiatenstraat 38 are for visitors who want a space arranged before arrival.
- City centre: Biekorf, Zilverpand, Pandreitje, Langestraat, Centrum Ezelstraat, Katelijne, Centrum-'t Zand and Site Oud Sint-Jan keep you inside or immediately beside the historic centre.
- Lower-cost paid parking: Centrum-Station and Oesterparking reduce the daily parking cost while keeping the centre accessible on foot or by public transport.
- Free / P+R: Magdalenastraat, P+R Waggelwater, P+R Boogschutterslaan and P+R Jan Breydel trade a longer walk or bus ride for free parking.