Reims's low-emission zone runs 24 hours a day over the city centre and the A344 through town, and a Dutch or Belgian car needs a Crit'Air sticker. The kerb is gentler: it only charges 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–19:00, Monday to Saturday, and skipping the meter costs a €25 post-parking charge.
My plan: sticker on the windscreen, then the Erlon car park under Place Drouet-d'Erlon, open 24/7 and capped at €17 for the day. On a day trip I'd leave the car at a free P+R and take the tram.
Parking in Reims: Reims's meters sleep at lunch; its ZFE never does
ZFE-m of the Grand Reims
- Foreign plates
- Sticker compulsory, foreign plates included
- When
- 24 hours, every day
- Fine
- €68 for a car or van; €135 for a lorry, bus or coach
- EV
- Battery electric and hydrogen are Crit'Air 0, allowed at all times
Reims is a “territoire de vigilance”, and the Grand Reims has set a five-year moratorium: no Crit'Air 3 restriction before January 2029 (checked 14 October 2026)
1. Order the Crit'Air before you leave
Grand Reims's ZFE-m covers the centre inside the boulevards, 24 hours a day, every day. Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified cars are banned; foreign plates need the sticker too. It comes by post only from certificat-air.gouv.fr, €5.11 to an address abroad, and the fine is €68.
2. Don't drive the A344 without one
The zone also covers the A344 between the Tinqueux and Cormontreuil interchanges, the motorway that crosses the city. A car without a sticker breaks the rule just by driving through. Motorbikes are exempt; your family car isn't.
3. Pay the kerb in two blocks
Paid hours are 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–19:00, Monday to Saturday. Lunch, evenings, Sundays and public holidays are free; August is charged. The first 15 minutes are free once a day, but you still take a ticket. Two parking sites agree the red zone is €2 for an hour and €4 for two; for the other zones they disagree, so read the meter. Arrive at 11:00, pay one hour, and I make that three hours parked for €2.
4. Don't count on Cathédrale on Sundays
Champagne Parc Auto (CPA), the local car-park company, runs Erlon, Cathédrale, République, Buirette, Gambetta and Hôtel de Ville. At Cathédrale cars get in only 07:00–20:00, and not on Sundays or public holidays; you can always drive out. Erlon is open 24/7 both ways.
5. Do the car-park sum
At Erlon and Cathédrale the first 30 minutes are free, then €0.60 a quarter to two hours and €0.50 a quarter to eight. By my reading two hours is €3.60 and eight is €15.60; the day caps at €17. République, by the station, caps at €21.50. Passes start at €21 for two days.
With a roof box, skip CPA: all six car parks stop at 1.90 m, and the P+R barriers take 2.10 m.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erlon (CPA)Boulevard du Général Leclerc, under Place Drouet-d'Erlon; 643 spaces on 5 levels; entry and exit 24/7 | Per CPA: first 30 min free, then €0.60 a quarter to 2 h, €0.50 a quarter to 8 h, €0.20 to 9 h 15, €0.10 to 12 h, capped at €17 up to 24 h. Passes €21 (2 days), €27 (3), €32 (4), €44 (week). Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | Charging listed among CPA's services; number and price not published. |
| Cathédrale (CPA)25 rue des Capucins, near the cathedral; 556 spaces on 3 levels. Entry 07:00–20:00, not on Sundays or public holidays; exit 24/7 | Same grid as Erlon: 30 min free, €3.60 for 2 h by my sum, €17 cap up to 24 h. Passes from €21 for 2 days. Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | Charging listed; number and price not published. |
| République (CPA), by the stationRue de la Petite Vitesse, near Reims-Centre station; 746 spaces on 8 levels. Entry 06:30–21:30 (varies with arena events), exit 24/7 | Per CPA: 30 min free, €0.60 a quarter to 3 h, €0.50 to 8 h, €0.40 to 9 h, €0.30 to 12 h, capped at €21.50 up to 24 h. Passes €27 (2 days) to €42 (week). Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | Charging listed; number and price not published. |
| Buirette (CPA)28 rue Buirette, between the station and Place d'Erlon; 6 levels | Tariff not read on CPA's own page. Height 1.90 m (CPA list). | not published | Not listed. |
| Gare Clairmarais (Effia)Behind Reims-Centre station, Clairmarais side; open 24/7 per a directory | €1.90 an hour according to one 2025 guide; Effia's own page would not open for me. Height not published. | not published | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Four free P+R sites, e.g. Neufchâtel (tram terminus) | Free | Free: you leave by showing a validated network ticket at the exit terminal. SMS tickets and Presto passes don't open the barrier. Open 24/7, barrier 2.10 m. The P+R page shows no fare; overnight is not ruled out but not stated either. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Erlon (CPA) | €3.60 | height 1.90 m · My reading of CPA's quarter-hour grid: 2 h €3.60, 8 h €15.60, cap €17 |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, red zone (hypercentre) | €4 | Red zone per two parking sites: €2 for one hour, €4 for two; one site gives a 2 h 15 limit. First 15 minutes free once a day, with a ticket. Unpaid is a €25 post-parking charge. Other zones: the sites disagree, so read the meter. |
| A full day (10 h) | Four free P+R sites, e.g. Neufchâtel (tram terminus) | Free | Free: you leave by showing a validated network ticket at the exit terminal. SMS tickets and Presto passes don't open the barrier. Open 24/7, barrier 2.10 m. The P+R page shows no fare; overnight is not ruled out but not stated either. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Erlon (CPA) | €16.90 | height 1.90 m · My reading of CPA's quarter-hour grid: 2 h €3.60, 8 h €15.60, cap €17 |
| 24 hours | Four free P+R sites, e.g. Neufchâtel (tram terminus) | Free | Free: you leave by showing a validated network ticket at the exit terminal. SMS tickets and Presto passes don't open the barrier. Open 24/7, barrier 2.10 m. The P+R page shows no fare; overnight is not ruled out but not stated either. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Erlon (CPA) | €17 | height 1.90 m · My reading of CPA's quarter-hour grid: 2 h €3.60, 8 h €15.60, cap €17 |
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Towed in Reims: Towed in Reims? The car is probably in Tinqueux
1. Search the plate first
The interior ministry's Ma Sécurité site searches French car pounds by number plate. If the car isn't there and you think it was stolen, ring 17.
2. Get the release, then drive to Tinqueux
I found no city page on towing. Two directory sites send drivers to the police station at 40 boulevard Louis-Roederer for the release order, then to the car pound at 8 rue Marcel Dassault. One of them says the pound is open around the clock; I'd ring the police before going.
3. Budget about €180
Reims publishes no pound tariff of its own, so the national cap applies. Since 1 October 2026 that's €135 to tow a car and €7.15 a day. One night is €142.15; add a €35 obstruction fine and you're at €177.15. Park on a pavement or a bus lane and the fine is €135, so €277.15.
Bring originals: passport, licence, registration document, insurance. With a hire car, I'd ring the rental company first.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Police order removals; Reims publishes no towing page, no operator and no tariff of its own
- Phone
- Police emergency, if you think the car was stolen: 17
- Collect it at
- Two directory sites give the pound at 8 rue Marcel Dassault, Tinqueux, and the release order from the police station at 40 boulevard Louis-Roederer. The city publishes neither.
- Hours
- Not published by the city. One directory says 24/7; ring the police first.
- What it costs
- Reims's own figure is unpublished, so the national cap applies from 1 October 2026: tow €135, storage €7.15 a day, €15.20 if the truck came but didn't tow. Tow plus one day: €142.15; with a €35 obstruction fine, €177.15.
- Bring
- Originals: passport, driving licence, registration document, insurance. With a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Reims: Reims charges under its car parks, but prices are unpublished
1. Plug in under Erlon or Cathédrale
CPA lists charging among the services at Erlon, Cathédrale and République, and in 2021 it announced points in all its car parks. It doesn't publish how many, or the price per kWh.
2. Use the 150 kW at the Hippodrome
The national charge-point register lists an Izivia 150 kW CCS point at the McDonald's Reims Hippodrome, open 24/7. It's one point, and the price is set in the operator's app.
3. Don't trust the free-kerb story
A parking site says cars with a green disc (disque vert) get two free hours at the kerb. I couldn't open the city's page to confirm it, so I'd pay the meter.
An electric car gets the green Crit'Air 0 sticker, and that's all the Reims zone asks of it.
Where to charge
- CPA car parks: Erlon, Cathédrale, République — Erlon and the other central CPA car parks. Charging is in CPA's service list, and its 2021 news put points in all its car parks; count and kWh price not published
- Izivia 150 kW, McDonald's Reims Hippodrome — Corner of avenue d'Épernay and avenue du Général Eisenhower; one CCS point, 24/7. From the national charge-point register; price set in the operator's app
- Qovoltis 22 kW, rue Buirette — 9 rue Buirette, public car park; one Type 2 point, bring your own cable, 24/7. Pay per kWh plus a possible connection fee, card accepted; no figure published
Free parking in Reims: Four free P+R sites on the Reims tram, and one ticket rule
1. Park free at a P+R
Grand Reims Mobilités lists four P+R sites: Neufchâtel, Belges, Hôpital Debré and the new Thillois. They're open 24/7 and take no entry ticket. You get out by showing a validated network ticket at the exit terminal, so parking is free.
2. Buy a paper ticket, not an SMS
The exit terminal ignores SMS tickets and Presto subscriptions. Buy a paper ticket at a tram station or from the bus driver; the Grand R card, Simplicités card and Kif&Go also work. The P+R page shows no fare, so check the machine.
3. Pick Neufchâtel for the centre
Neufchâtel is the northern tram terminus. A 2025 Christmas guide counts 189 spaces there and puts it 13 minutes from the centre, against 30 minutes from Hôpital Debré.
4. Come on a Sunday or a holiday
The kerb is free on Sundays and public holidays. On the autumn road trip that's Sunday 1 November and Wednesday 11 November.
5. Sleep outside the boulevards
Accor's own Reims page lists free parking at the Mercure Reims Parc des Expositions (120 spaces), the Novotel Reims Tinqueux and the ibis Reims Tinqueux, which adds Tesla Superchargers. The ibis Styles near the cathedral charges for 13 spaces you can't book.
Every price here was checked on 14 October 2026; the kerb rates come from parking sites, because the city's own page wouldn't open for me.
Free or nearly-free spots
P+R Neufchâtel: free with a ticket
Northern tram terminus. 189 spaces and about 13 minutes to the centre, per a 2025 guide. Exit with a validated network ticket; open 24/7, barrier 2.10 m.
P+R Belges: free with a ticket
97 spaces and about 15 minutes by tram, per a 2025 guide. Same exit rule: a validated ticket, not an SMS ticket.
P+R Hôpital Debré: free with a ticket
Southern terminus of the tram. 152 spaces and about 30 minutes to the centre, per a 2025 guide.
P+R Thillois: free with a ticket
Listed as new by Grand Reims Mobilités, west of the city. Spaces and line not published on the page I could read.
Kerb at lunch, evenings, Sundays, holidays
The kerb charges only 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–19:00, Monday to Saturday. Pay at 11:00 for one hour and the next paid minute is 14:00.
Hotels and their parking
- Mercure Reims Parc des Expositions — By the Parc des Expositions, Reims Map. Accor's own page: free car park with 120 spaces and EV charging points
- Novotel Reims Tinqueux — Tinqueux, west of Reims, off the A4 and A26 Map. Accor's own page: direct motorway access and free parking
- ibis Reims Tinqueux — Tinqueux, west of Reims Map. Accor's own page: large free car park with Tesla Superchargers and EV charging
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Grand Reims's ZFE-m runs 24/7 over the centre and the A344 between the Tinqueux and Cormontreuil interchanges. Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned; motorbikes are exempt. Foreign plates need the sticker: certificat-air.gouv.fr, €5.11 posted abroad. Fine €68. The Constitutional Council struck out the national ZFE abolition on 21 May 2026, so the zone stands.
- Crit'Air 3: our zone file says Reims is now a 'territoire de vigilance' with no Crit'Air 3 step required; a January 2026 car guide says the local calendar still includes one by 2029. No date was published on a page I could read.
- Kerb tariffs: the city's own page would not open for me, and parking sites disagree on every zone except red (€2 an hour, €4 for two). The meter wins.
- Cathédrale car park lets no cars in on Sundays or public holidays, and only 07:00–20:00 on other days. Use Erlon, which is 24/7.
- Every CPA car park has a 1.90 m height limit; the P+R barriers take 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.