New street parking in the city centre

Street parking has changed in the city centre of Leiden. All roadside parking places are available for licence holders. Except for a few locations where visitors can park for a maximum of 2 hours. The new rules for street parking started in June 2022.

Residents in the street, visitors in the parking garage

Leiden expands, and we want to keep the city liveable and reachable and to make the city centre a low-traffic area.  That is why we reserve street parking for residents, their visitors, and other permit holders with company-, handyman-, informal care- or disabled persons parking permits. Visitors, who come by car, have to park in parking garages. New option is the short parking locations near the shops where visitors can park for a maximum of 2 hours. 

What is going to change?

Nearly all parking places in the city centre are now designated for permit holders. Here, you can only park when you have a permit or a day ticket. Also, the week-, month- and year ticket is valid. At the parking machines in the street you can buy a day ticket (vergunninghoudersparkeren) or parking for a max. of 2 hours (kortparkeren). The red-capped machines in the Doezastraat and Lange Mare allow visitors to park for maximal 2 hours, but the parking permit is not valid. Traffic signs indicate the parking situation. Also, calling areas for mobile parking are renewed so that parkers will pay the current rate.

Planning

Street parking city centre started

Mid-June 2022

Frequently asked questions

Visitors can park in parking garages. There are also a few short parking locations with a maximum of 2 hours. These are indicated on the map next to this information.

The locations of short parking are indicated on the map on this page. In the street you will recognise the short parking locations on the zone number signs with a sign underneath indicating ‘maximal 2 hours’.

The locations and zone numbers of short parking are:

  • Doezastraat – 7006 (red cap)
  • Lange Mare – 7025 (red cap)
  • Langegracht – 7028
  • Levendaal – 7029
  • Waardkerkplein – 7048
  • Kaarsenmakersstraat – 7059
  • Stadsbouwhuis – 7057
  • Tweelinghuis – 7082
  • Morssingel – 7071

The zone number is also written on the cap of the parking machine. The zone number for permit holders parking is 7000.

Every parking machine has a blue cap marked with the zone number. A red-capped machine also has a blue cap with a red band around it. There are 2 locations in the city centre with a red-capped machine, namely Doezastraat and Lange Mare.

If you own a visitors parking permit, your visitors can park the car on a permit holders’ place and short parking place. The visitors parking permit is not valid on a short parking place near a red-capped machine. You sign up or sign out your visitor via the visitors’ parking app . If you do not have a parking permit, the best thing your visitor can do is park in one of the parking garages.

The maximum number of visitor hours for zone A (centre) is increased from 200 to 300 hours per year. The visitor hours are linked with the visitors’ parking permit . You will have to add the extra visitor hours yourself via the electronic counter for parking.

Holders of a disabled people parking permit can park on public disabled people parking places.  You can also apply for a free disabled person parking permit. With this permit you can also park on permit holders parking places in the city centre. However the disabled people parking permit is not valid in case there is a red-capped parking machine (located in Doezastraat and Lange Mare).

You have to pay parking fees 24/7 on permit holders locations in the city centre. Parkers who do not have a parking permit, can park with a day card of 28 euro. For short parking a tariff of € 4 applies with a maximum parking time of 2 hours. At these locations, paid parking applies from Monday up to and including Saturday from 9.00 – 21.00 hours and on Sunday from 13.00 – 21.00 hours. Outside these time slots you can park on the short parking locations for free.

Yes people can freely park outside the paid parking times. Holders of a residents parking permit can also make use of these parking locations.

If your company is not eligible for a parking permit, there are nine short-term parking locations in the centre of Leiden that may be near the address where you need to be. Here you can park for up to two hours.

Another option is that the customer registers you on his or her visitor parking permit. Ask this when you make the appointment.

Finally, you can park with a day ticket in a permit holder’s spot.

We realize that the new street parking is a change that does not work out equally well for everyone. Nevertheless, the available parking options offer a suitable solution for most parties.

Note: short stops to load and unload are allowed anyway, the same applies to the entry and exit of people.

The maximum entrance height of the parking garages in the centre of Leiden is 2.10 metres. Your vehicle may be too large for this. In this case, you can park your vehicle at P+R Transferium Haagweg. You can also park at one of the short-term parking locations. Please note that you can stay here for a maximum of 2 hours. Buying a day ticket is also an option. This costs € 28.

More information

Contact

Find out more about this project? Contact the municipality via the contact form (in Dutch) or call 14 071.