Bordeaux gives every car 30 free minutes a day at the kerb, then charges in steps that climb fast: €6 for two hours, €20 for four, €39 for 4 h 15, which is exactly the fine for not paying. Everything inside the ring road is a low-emission zone, so a foreign car needs a Crit'Air sticker.
I'd leave the car at a tram park and ride. One ticket covers the day's parking and a return tram for up to five people.
Parking in Bordeaux: Crit'Air inside the rocade, €2.50 for the first hour
1. Order the Crit'Air sticker first
Since 1 January 2025 everything inside the rocade (ring road) is a low-emission zone (ZFE); the rocade itself stays open. The city tells drivers to display a Crit'Air sticker, and police have been checking since 1 July 2025. Only unclassified vehicles are banned, meaning petrol and diesel cars registered before 1 January 1997. Bordeaux doesn't publish the fine.
2. Use the 30 free minutes once
Since 3 August 2026 every car gets 30 free minutes a day at any paid kerb space. Pick the 30-minute option at the meter or in EasyPark; nothing goes on the windscreen. The meter asks for a French-style plate, and the city says nothing about foreign ones, so I'd use the app.
3. Stop before the last quarter-hour
The kerb is charged 09:00–19:00, Monday to Saturday, inside the boulevards plus parts of La Bastide and Caudéran. A first ticket costs €2.50 for an hour, €6 for two, €11 for three and €20 for four. Fifteen more minutes take it to €39. The city's FAQ gives visitors 4 h 15 at most; another city page says 24 hours. I'd trust the FAQ.
4. Check whether your car counts as heavy
Petrol and non-plug-in hybrids over 1,600 kg, and electric or plug-in hybrids over 1,900 kg, pay the heavy rate: €3.30 for an hour, €7.80 for two. The city reads the weight from box G1 of a French registration document. How it treats a foreign one is unpublished.
5. Park under Victor Hugo or Pey-Berland
The Metpark car parks Victor Hugo and Pey-Berland charge €3.20 an hour and €24 for 10 or 24 hours, under a 1.80 m roof. Indigo's Bourse–Jaurès by the river has 1,300 spaces and 2.00 m: €2.80 for an hour, €22.10 for ten, €30.30 for 24. North of the centre, Metpark's Grand Parc is €22 a day.
Four hours at the kerb cost €20; four in Victor Hugo cost €12. I only use the kerb for the free half-hour.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourse–Jaurès (Indigo)Place Jean Jaurès, by the river and Place de la Bourse; 1,300 spaces | €2.80 1 h, €6.90 2 h, €9 3 h, €11.20 4 h, €22.10 10 h, €30.30 24 h; night €7. Height 2.00 m. | 2 m | 83 charging spaces; price not published. |
| Victor Hugo (Metpark)Cours Victor Hugo, old town near the Grosse Cloche; 634 spaces | €3.20 1 h, €6.40 2 h, €9.60 3 h, €12 4 h, €24 for 10 or 24 h; night €7. Height 1.80 m. | 1.8 m | 9 charging spaces; price not published. |
| Pey-Berland (Metpark)Place Pey Berland, under the cathedral square; 600 spaces | €3.20 1 h, €6.40 2 h, €12 4 h, €24 for 10 or 24 h; night €7. Height 1.80 m. | 1.8 m | No charging spaces listed. |
| Grand Parc (Metpark)Rue François Lévêque, north of the centre; 468 spaces | €2.80 1 h, €5.60 2 h, €10.80 4 h, €22 for 10 or 24 h; night €7. Height 2.00 m. | 2 m | 35 charging spaces; price not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | TBM park and ride, e.g. Brandenburg (tram B) | €4.50 | €4.50 per Le Bonbon (29 September 2026), €5 in 2027; the métropole's live listing shows €3.50 at Brandenburg. Covers parking plus a return trip for up to five. Open 05:00–02:00; for nights, buy the 2–5 day ticket at one of 11 sites. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Victor Hugo (Metpark) | €6.40 | height 1.80 m |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, single visitor zone (first 30 min free once a day) | €6 | First ticket: €2.50 1 h, €6 2 h, €11 3 h, €20 4 h, €39 4 h 15 (the 30 free minutes are inside the first hour). Visitors get 4 h 15 at most, per the city FAQ. Heavy cars (over 1,600 kg petrol, 1,900 kg electric) pay more; FPS €39, €51 heavy. |
| A full day (10 h) | TBM park and ride, e.g. Brandenburg (tram B) | €4.50 | €4.50 per Le Bonbon (29 September 2026), €5 in 2027; the métropole's live listing shows €3.50 at Brandenburg. Covers parking plus a return trip for up to five. Open 05:00–02:00; for nights, buy the 2–5 day ticket at one of 11 sites. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Bourse–Jaurès (Indigo) | €22.10 | height 2.00 m · Tariff on the métropole's listing dated 18 March 2026 |
| 24 hours | Grand Parc (Metpark) | €22 | height 2.00 m |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Victor Hugo (Metpark) | €24 | height 1.80 m |
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Towed in Bordeaux: Hôtel de police first, then rue Jean Fleuret
1. Get the release at the police station
Go to the Hôtel de police with your driving licence, registration document, insurance certificate and roadworthiness test, the city says.
2. Collect the car at Jean Fleuret
Then pay the tow and storage and collect the car at 29 rue Jean Fleuret. A phone number and opening hours for the pound are unpublished.
3. Budget about €180
Since 1 October 2026 the national cap for a car is €135 to tow and €7.15 a day to store. Bordeaux, at about 268,000 people, sits below the 400,000 line for the higher scale. One day in the pound is €142.15; a €35 parking fine takes it to €177.15. The city's own current scale is unpublished.
4. Expect the FPS by post
An unpaid meter isn't a tow. It's a forfait post-stationnement (FPS) of €39, €51 for a heavy car, and €5 less if paid within nine days. Nothing goes on the windscreen: the national agency ANTAI posts it to the registered keeper, one per 4 h 15. On a hire car, the rental company passes it on.
Towing is for cars that block; the FPS is for everyone else. I'd rather pay the €2.50.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Cars parked in an obstructive or dangerous way can be towed by the police; an unpaid meter is an FPS (€39), not a tow. The release comes from the Hôtel de police, the car from the pound on rue Jean Fleuret
- Phone
- Bordeaux city hall (no pound number is published): 05 56 10 20 30
- Collect it at
- Get the release at the Hôtel de police, then collect the car at 29 rue Jean Fleuret.
- Hours
- Unpublished.
- What it costs
- National maximum for a car since 1 October 2026: €135 tow, €7.15 a day storage, €15.20 if the truck came but didn't take the car. Bordeaux (about 268,000 people) is below the 400,000 threshold for the higher scale. One day in the pound plus a €35 fine: €177.15. The city's own current scale is unpublished.
- Bring
- The city lists: driving licence, registration document, insurance certificate and roadworthiness test (contrôle technique). For a hire car I'd bring the rental contract and ring the company first.
EV charging in Bordeaux: 83 charging bays at Bourse–Jaurès, no published price
1. Charge at Bourse–Jaurès
The métropole lists 83 charging spaces at Bourse–Jaurès, the most of any central car park I found. The price per kWh is unpublished.
2. Skip Pey-Berland for charging
Pey-Berland lists none. Victor Hugo has 9, and Grand Parc has 35, with its €22 day.
3. Sleep where there's a charger
Two hotels with free parking also list chargers on their own pages: greet Hotel Bordeaux Floirac Arena, and B&B Hotel Bordeaux Lac sur Bruges, which lists a fast charger. Neither says what charging costs.
No operator I checked publishes a kWh price. Read the screen first.
Where to charge
- Bourse–Jaurès — 83 charging spaces — Bourse–Jaurès, Indigo. The most charging spaces of any central car park on the métropole's listing; no kWh price published, so read the screen
- Grand Parc — 35 charging spaces — Grand Parc, Metpark. €22 for a day of parking, 2.00 m height; charging price not published
- Victor Hugo — 9 charging spaces — Victor Hugo, Metpark. Old-town car park, 1.80 m height; charging price not published
Free parking in Bordeaux: €4.50 tram park and ride, and free Sundays
1. Use a tram park and ride
TBM runs 28 park-and-ride sites (a July 2026 city note says 31). The P+R ticket covers the day's parking and a return trip for everyone in the car, up to five. Le Bonbon gives €4.50 for 2026 and €5 for 2027; the métropole's listing shows €3.50 at Brandenburg. Sites open 05:00–02:00, and you validate on the tram to get out.
2. Do the family sum
Four adults on single tickets: eight times €1.90 is €15.20. The €4.50 P+R ticket covers all of that plus the parking. Against a €24 day at Victor Hugo, you keep €19.50.
3. Stay two to five days at the edge
Eleven P+R sites take multi-day stays, return trip included: 2 days €12, 3 days €15, 4 days €20, 5 days €25. They include Les Aubiers, Cantinolle, 40 Journaux, Pessac Alouette, La Gardette and Floirac Dravemont.
4. Park free on Sundays and evenings
The kerb is free after 19:00, on Sundays and on public holidays. At weekends six Metpark car parks give two free hours; the city names Amédée Saint-Germain, Paludate and Amplitude, not the other three.
5. Sleep where parking is free
greet Hotel Bordeaux Floirac Arena and B&B Hotel Bordeaux Lac sur Bruges say on their own pages that parking is free.
On a weekday I'd use Brandenburg; on a Sunday, the kerb.
Free or nearly-free spots
TBM park and ride: €4.50 for up to five
28 tram park-and-ride sites (a July 2026 city note says 31). The P+R ticket covers the day's parking and a return trip for everyone in the car, up to five: €4.50 in 2026 per Le Bonbon, €3.50 on the métropole's Brandenburg listing. Open 05:00–02:00; validate on the tram to get out.
2–5 days at 11 park-and-ride sites
2 days €12, 3 days €15, 4 days €20, 5 days €25, return trip included: 40 Journaux, Cantinolle, Les Pins, Les Aubiers, Pessac Alouette, Cap Métiers, Villenave Pyrénées, La Gardette Nord and Sud, Lauriers, Floirac Dravemont.
30 free minutes, evenings and Sundays on the Bordeaux kerb
Every car gets 30 free minutes once a day since 3 August 2026. The kerb is charged Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00, so it's free after 19:00, on Sundays and on public holidays.
Two free hours at six Metpark car parks at weekends
Six Metpark car parks on the edge of the centre, about 2,500 spaces, give two free hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The city names Amédée Saint-Germain, Paludate and Amplitude (Deschamps–Belvédère); the other three are only on a map image.
Hotels and their parking
- greet Hotel Bordeaux Floirac Arena — 2 Allée de la Gabarre, 33270 Floirac Map. Its own page: secure free parking with charging points. Right bank, east of the centre; charging price not stated
- B&B Hotel Bordeaux Lac sur Bruges — 59 Rue de Daugère, 33520 Bruges Map. Its own page: free, closed car park, plus an EV charger and a fast charger. North of the centre near the A630
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The ZFE covers everything inside the rocade since 1 January 2025, with police checks since 1 July 2025. The city asks drivers to display a Crit'Air sticker; only unclassified vehicles (cars registered before 1 January 1997) are banned. A foreign car orders the sticker at certificat-air.gouv.fr. Bordeaux publishes no fine amount.
- The kerb's last quarter-hour is the trap: 4 h costs €20, 4 h 15 costs €39, the same as the FPS. The city's FAQ caps visitors at 4 h 15 per space; its visitor page says 24 hours. The FAQ was updated on 12 November 2026, so I follow it.
- Heavy cars pay more at the kerb: petrol and non-plug-in hybrids over 1,600 kg, electric and plug-in hybrids over 1,900 kg (box G1 on a French registration). Rates €3.30 an hour, FPS €51. How a foreign registration is read is unpublished.
- The FPS (€39, €5 off within nine days) never goes on the windscreen; ANTAI posts it to the registered keeper, one per 4 h 15. On a hire car the rental company passes it on with its own fee.
- Pound details disagree: the city sends drivers to 29 rue Jean Fleuret; a parking-app page (Yespark) lists a Metpark pound at Le Haillan and storage at 25 rue Jean Fleuret, with a €10 daily fee above the new national €7.15 cap. I follow the city and the national order.
- Metpark's Victor Hugo and Pey-Berland car parks are 1.80 m; a roof box belongs at Bourse–Jaurès or Grand Parc (2.00 m) or a park and ride (Brandenburg 2.10 m).
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.