Check the zone rules for your plates before you go: Cologne and Düsseldorf need a green sticker on a foreign car, and Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent want most foreign cars registered.
None of these drives needs a vignette. The closest city abroad, by motorway: Amsterdam: Antwerp, about 1 h 50; Utrecht: Antwerp, about 1 h 30; Rotterdam: Antwerp, about 1 h 20; Eindhoven: Antwerp, about 1 h 15; Brussels: Maastricht, about 1 h 50; Antwerp: Rotterdam, about 1 h 20.
Each drive below is at most 3 h 15 each way, across a border, on the same road data as the trip planner, without stops or traffic. Fuel is for the drive there and back at each country's average price, 5 to 8 litres per 100 km. Parking is not in it.
One Toll on the Way: the Liefkenshoek Tunnel in Antwerp
A satnav may send you round Antwerp through the Liefkenshoek Tunnel. A car under 3 m high (category 1) pays €6.20 by bank or credit card, €8.00 in cash, or €4.40 with the operator's Teletol badge (2026 rates). Set the satnav to avoid tolls if you would rather not. Operator's rates ↗
Closed 21:00–05:00 towards Ghent on the nights of 19–20 November and 10–11 December 2026, and towards the Netherlands on the nights of 20–21 November and 11–12 December 2026. Works ↗
Day Trip to Bruges by Car
The medieval centre on its canals, the Markt and the Belfry, all easy to see on foot. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 2 h 50 each way, from Utrecht about 2 h 35 each way, from Rotterdam about 2 h 20 each way, from Eindhoven about 2 h 20 each way.
Bruges traffic zone
Limited-traffic zone
Bruges
Autoluwe binnenstad (restricted-access centre)
When
Orange and yellow: every day 13:00–18:00. Green: Saturdays and Sundays 13:00–18:00.
Foreign plates
ANPR cameras read the plate. Staying inside the zone, you register your own plate online — the guest does it, not the hotel — by 11:00 the day after arrival, with a booking voucher. Only accommodations on the city's list qualify.
Fine
€58 (GAS 4 penalty)
Where the boundary runs
Three colour-coded areas in the old centre: an orange one around Steenstraat, a yellow one around Katelijnestraat, and a green one covering the rest
Bruges has no low-emission zone. Flanders has only two, in Antwerp and Ghent, so any Euro standard may drive to Bruges. The fine is counted per camera, not per day, and Steenstraat is closed even to permit holders.
The centre does not check your emission class. It checks the time.
Best bet
Parking Centrum-Station, €7.10 for 24 hours — against €17.10 in every central garage. 1,690 spaces, 24/7, height 2.15 m. And the parking ticket buys a free De Lijn return trip for up to four people on lines 1 and 2 from platform A1.
Watch out
The centre closes 13:00–18:00 — daily in the orange and yellow areas, weekends in the green one. Cameras read the plate, and it is €58 per camera, not per day. Steenstraat is shut to everyone, permit holders included.
The Graslei and Korenlei quays, St Bavo's Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece (some panels are being restored at the Museum of Fine Arts until the end of 2026), and the Gravensteen castle. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 2 h 35 each way, from Utrecht about 2 h 15 each way, from Rotterdam about 2 h 05 each way, from Eindhoven about 2 h each way.
Ghent low-emission and traffic zones
Low-emission zone
Ghent
Lage-emissiezone Gent
When
Not published
Kept out
Diesel below Euro 5 and petrol, LPG or CNG below Euro 2. Euro 4 diesel only on a paid permit.
Foreign plates
Same free Flemish registration as Antwerp, at the latest the day after you enter. Ghent warns approval can take up to 14 days. Dutch plates are exempt.
Electric
Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed
Fine
€185, once per day however many times you cross. First offence with a car that meets the standard: register it within 30 days of the fine notice for €75 instead. If you already had a warning letter, an earlier registration or an earlier LEZ fine, late registration is not allowed and you pay €110 more to settle.
Where the boundary runs
The inner city inside the R40 ring road, with signed exceptions for the N430 and the access roads to some car parks
No tightening on 1 January 2026. The study that decides whether the zone stays, changes or goes slipped to spring 2027, so expect these rules through 2026. Day pass €45, maximum 12 a year.
You cannot drive across Ghent: six sectors joined only by the R40 ring. Het Getouw, outside the LEZ, is €8 a day; the central garages are €31. Register a foreign plate for the LEZ, free.
Best bet
Het Getouw: €1 an hour, €8 a day, €5 a night, 2.10 m, and outside the LEZ. A 15-minute walk to the Gravensteen beats €31 at Vrijdagmarkt.
Watch out
You cannot cross the centre by car: six sectors, joined only via the R40 ring. A C3 no-entry sign is €58. Register a foreign plate for the LEZ, free; the fine is €185.
The Cathedral of Our Lady, the Grote Markt and the MAS museum on the Eilandje, the old docks. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 1 h 50 each way, from Utrecht about 1 h 30 each way, from Rotterdam about 1 h 20 each way, from Eindhoven about 1 h 15 each way.
Antwerp low-emission zone
Low-emission zone
Antwerp
Lage-emissiezone Antwerpen
When
Not published
Kept out
Diesel below Euro 5 and petrol, LPG or CNG below Euro 2. Euro 4 diesel only on a paid permit.
Foreign plates
Register the plate free on the Flemish system, at the latest the day after you drive in. One registration covers Antwerp and Ghent. Dutch plates are exempt.
Electric
Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed
Fine
€150, then €250 for a second offence within 12 months and €350 after that. If the car qualified and you only forgot to register, €75 within 30 days replaces the fine.
Where the boundary runs
The inner city inside the R1 ring road, plus Linkeroever across the Scheldt
The tightening planned for 1 January 2026 (diesel Euro 6, petrol Euro 3) was cancelled by the Flemish government on 28 November 2025; the next review is in 2027. Day pass €45, maximum 12 a year.
Visitors may not park on the street in the historic centre at all, and the red zone stops at three hours. A garage day is €28. Register a foreign plate for the LEZ first — free.
Best bet
Parking Meir: €4 an hour, €28 for 24 hours, and the evening from 19:00 to 05:00 tops out at €8. Height 2.2 m, the roomiest in the centre.
Watch out
Register a foreign plate for the LEZ — free, at the latest the day after you drive in. Dutch plates are exempt. Forget it and the first fine is €150.
The Grand Place, the Atomium and the museums round the Mont des Arts. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 2 h 35 each way, from Utrecht about 2 h 15 each way, from Rotterdam about 2 h 05 each way, from Eindhoven about 2 h 05 each way.
Brussels low-emission zone
Low-emission zone
Brussels
Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Brussels
When
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Kept out
Diesel below Euro 6 and petrol, LPG or CNG below Euro 3, since 1 January 2026
Foreign plates
Register the plate at lez.brussels before you enter, or within 5 days. Free, valid 5 years. An unregistered foreign car is fined even when it is clean. Dutch plates that meet the criteria need not register.
Electric
Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed, and still have to be registered
Fine
€350 for a non-compliant car without a day pass; €150 for an unregistered foreign car. One fine per vehicle every 3 months, 4 a year.
Where the boundary runs
All 19 communes of the Brussels-Capital Region. The R0 ring road is outside the zone, as are the signed access roads to the Ceria-Coovi, Kraainem, Lennik, Stalle and UZ transit car parks.
The Euro 5 diesel step had been postponed; the Constitutional Court struck the postponement down on 11 September 2025 and it took effect on 1 January 2026. Cars caught by that step get a warning letter first and the €350 only three months later. The published calendar takes diesel out in 2030 and petrol in 2035.
A street space in the centre throws you out after four and a half hours; a garage keeps you all day for €30. Register the plate for the LEZ first — free, and fined if you forget.
Best bet
Albertine-Square: €4 an hour, €30 a day, and €8 for the ten evening hours 19:00–05:00. It sits under the Mont des Arts, five minutes' walk from the Grand-Place.
Watch out
Every foreign plate must be registered for the LEZ, electric cars included: free, valid five years, before you enter or within five days. Unregistered is €150 even for a clean car.
Park free at Noord and ride in for €2.55 there and back. The centre kerb is €3.70 an hour and climbs to €5.30, and a towed car goes to Beek.
Best bet
P+R Maastricht Noord is free. Bus 10 runs to the centre every 15 minutes, about 12 minutes, €2.55 return per person or €6.40 for a group of three to five.
Watch out
Thursday is paid until 21:00, Sundays and public holidays 12:00–18:00. The centre rate jumps from €3.70 to €5.30 after the first hours at many spots. Unpaid: €82 plus one hour.
The cathedral next to the main station, the old town on the Rhine and the Chocolate Museum. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 2 h 50 each way, from Utrecht about 2 h 35 each way, from Rotterdam about 2 h 35 each way, from Eindhoven about 1 h 55 each way, from Brussels about 2 h 50 each way, from Antwerp about 2 h 30 each way.
A blue band on the street machine means €5 for 24 hours. Since July 2026 the cathedral has charged for sightseeing, and every car needs the green sticker.
Best bet
The city garage under the cathedral: €0.80 per 20 minutes, €24 a day at Tiefgarage Am Dom. On the street, machines with a blue band sell 24 hours for €5; the rest charge €4 an hour in the centre.
Watch out
Green sticker compulsory in the 137 km² Umweltzone, electric and foreign cars included — €100 plus fees. Sunday is free at the kerb except near the LANXESS arena, the Zoo and the Messe.
The Rhine embankment promenade, the old town's traditional breweries and the Königsallee. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Amsterdam about 2 h 35 each way, from Utrecht about 2 h 15 each way, from Rotterdam about 2 h 15 each way, from Eindhoven about 1 h 40 each way, from Brussels about 2 h 50 each way, from Antwerp about 2 h 10 each way.
Düsseldorf low-emission zone
Low-emission zone
Düsseldorf
Umweltzone Düsseldorf
When
24 hours, every day
Kept out
Anything without a green sticker; green only since 1 July 2014
Foreign plates
Green sticker compulsory, foreign plates included
Electric
An electric car still needs the green sticker; it is classed in pollution group 4
Fine
€100 plus fees
Where the boundary runs
About 80 km² of the city, the size it reached on 1 February 2013
The 2022 air quality plan dropped the diesel ban as disproportionate; none is in force.
The garage by the Rhine bills per started hour, up to €42 a day; the one under the K20 is €2 an hour and €10 overnight. The Altstadt kerb is €4.50 an hour until 22:00.
Best bet
Tiefgarage Grabbeplatz: €2 an hour, €30 a day, €10 from 23:00 to 08:00, under the K20 on the edge of the Altstadt. Height 1.80 m. For a full day near the Kö, Grupellostraße is €24.
Watch out
The Rheinufer garage charges €5 per started hour (€6 on Saturday), up to €42. Green sticker compulsory in the 80 km² Umweltzone, electric cars included. Altstadt kerb charged until 22:00.
Ten park and rides where parking is free for everyone, and seven more that are free only if you carry a card most visitors no longer own.
Best bet
A park and ride that is free for everyone: P+R Beverwaard, 508 spaces, tram to the centre in about 25 minutes, no card needed. The central kerb is €6.42 an hour; a city garage caps at €41 a day.
Watch out
Free P+R needs a physical OV-chipkaart. Travel on with a contactless bank card, a phone or an OVpay ticket and the city's own page says the free parking does not apply — at seven sites that means €0.50 per 13 minutes, up to €23 a day.
The Mauritshuis, the Peace Palace and the beach at Scheveningen. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Brussels about 2 h 25 each way, from Antwerp about 1 h 40 each way.
The Hague low-emission zone
Low-emission zone
The Hague
Milieuzone centrum and zero-emission zone
When
Round the clock; the zone signs carry no times
Kept out
Diesel cars below emission class 4, and diesel buses below class 6. Petrol, LPG and electric cars are not affected.
Foreign plates
The mildest car rule in the country: a diesel first registered from 2006 normally clears it. Nothing to register.
Electric
Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed everywhere, including the zero-emission zone.
Fine
€130 plus €9 admin for a car or van, €320 for a lorry
Where the boundary runs
Inside the Centrumring (S100) and the Telders route (S200). The zero-emission zone was extended to the coastal strip in 2026.
Zero-emission zone for vans and lorries since 1 January 2025; the city says it warns for at least four months from 1 January 2026 in the new coastal area before it fines.
On twenty-two streets, ninety minutes now cost €50. Two stops away, a whole day at the beach with the tram included costs €6.50.
Best bet
Park+Beach: €6.50 for 24 hours with a return tram to the beach for one person, €1 per extra person up to five, from central garages including Malieveld. On the street the centre and Scheveningen are €7.15 an hour. Free all year: P+R Mariahoeve, tram 6 into town.
Watch out
Since 1 April 2026, 22 streets charge by the minute on a rising scale: 20 minutes €7, an hour €25, 90 minutes €50. Seventeen are in the old centre around the Grote Kerk and the canals, five in Scheveningen. Check the street name before you tap start.
The canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Tourism office ↗
The drive: from Brussels about 2 h 35 each way, from Antwerp about 1 h 50 each way.
Amsterdam low-emission zone
Low-emission zone
Amsterdam
Milieuzone A10 and zero-emission zone S100
When
Round the clock; the zone signs carry no times
Kept out
Diesel cars below emission class 5. Petrol, LPG and electric cars are not affected.
Foreign plates
Foreign plates are covered — the city's own exemption policy says so. Nothing to register; there is no day exemption for a diesel car.
Electric
Battery electric and hydrogen: allowed everywhere, including inside the zero-emission zone.
Fine
€130 plus €9 admin for a car or van, €320 for a lorry
Where the boundary runs
Diesel cars: everything inside the A10 ring. Vans and lorries: zero-emission inside the S100 centre ring, emission class 5 or better between the S100 and the A10.
Diesel cars tightened from class 4 to class 5 on 1 January 2025, the same day the zero-emission zone opened.
Up to €8 an hour on the street, €6 a day if you know the P+R rules.
Best bet
P+R: arrive after 10:00 on a weekday (or any time at weekends) and it's €6 per 24 hours. Travel in by tram or metro with an OV-chipkaart or GVB ticket — not a contactless bank card.
Watch out
Diesel older than Euro 5? Cameras fine you inside the A10 ring (€130 + €9). Canal edges have no barriers.
The dearest kerb in the country, charged on Sunday and on public holidays. The garage is cheaper, and the park and ride carries five of you in for €8.50.
Best bet
The P+R combi ticket: €8.50 for the car and a same-day return on the tram or bus for up to five people.P+R Westraven has 1,385 spaces and a tram to the centre in about 12 minutes. The inner-centre kerb is €8.01 an hour.
Watch out
The inner centre is charged until 01:00 and on Sunday 12:00–18:00, and the city says there is no longer any exception for public holidays. The P+R combi discount needs an OV-chipkaart or U-OV card — OVpay does not qualify.
Driving home after a day out: the drink-drive limits are lower for new drivers in several countries. Check the zone of the city you visit, park outside the centre, and the day is easy.
