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Parking in the blue and white zones

Parking zones

In the blue zone, you are allowed to park for one hour only. For this, you have to put a blue zone card on display in your window. Turn the disc to half an hour after your time of arrival, and come back within an hour of that time.

Parkscheibe

Parking disc

Vehicles may be parked for one hour Monday through Saturday between 8.00 – 11.30 and 13.30 – 18.00hrs.

Arriving between 11.30 and 13.30hrs permits you to park until 14.30hrs. Arriving between 18.00 and 8.00 hrs permits you to park until 09.00hrs.

You can also obtain day parking for blue zones in some of the following cities:

  • Basel: There is no day-parking permit system in Basel. The normal 1-hour rules with the parking disc apply. More information on (website currently only in German): www.polizei.bs.ch
  • Berne: Berne issues parking permits for 4 up to 24 hours. The prices are similar to those in Zurich, i.e. CHF 15. However, you cannot buy these permits online. More information on (website currently only in German): www.bern.ch
  • Geneva and Lausanne: neither Geneva nor Lausanne have introduced day permits.
  • Lucerne: day permits cost CHF 20 and can be purchased at the counter of the relevant office: www.stadtluzern.ch
  • St. Gall: St. Gall offers day permits that can be purchased at many post offices. They cost CHF 6.50 a day.
  • Zug: in Zug, day parking for CHF 8 is possible on certain roads. For further information, see: www.stadtzug.ch (in German)
  • Zurich: day parking can be obtained online as a single permit (or a booklet of 10) at CHF 15 each: www.parkkarten.ch and printed off your computer. Simply enter the date and your number plate by hand and put it on the dashboard so is it clearly visible.

 

Parking meters (white zone)

As a rule, these parking spaces will have white borders and numbers, and you pay at a parking meter or a pay-and-display machine, so remember which number your car is on. Other parking areas operate with parking tickets. Rarely, you will find the odd free white-zone parking space where you can park your car for an unlimited amount of time. But beware – make sure it’s not actually part of a pay-and-display zone.

Note: Swiss police sometimes clamp your car to make sure offenders with foreign number plates pay their due. There are many guesses as to what the fine threshold is to put you on the “black list” and thus at risk of clamping, but general consensus places it at CHF 400 or 500.