Amsterdam parking fees amongst the highest in the world

DutchAmsterdam.nl — Daily parking rates for unreserved spots in Amsterdam are the highest in the world, while the city’s monthly parking fee for unreserved spots place it third, just after London City and London West End.

So says the 2009 Parking Rate Survey published by Colliers International, a global affiliation of independently owned commercial real estate firms that each year compares the parking rates of 140 cities around the world.

In Amsterdam, drivers pay the equivalent of $70.77 a day, while a monthly fee will set you back $805.36. Monthly parking rates in London City and London West End amount to $1,020.99 and $955.51 respectively, but the daily rates there are lower than in Amsterdam: $56.89 and $51.82 respectively.

According to Colliers International whether you park for a day or for a month, the world’s top financial centers are amongst the most expensive in the world. “Parking appears to be somewhat immune to the economic downtown,” the firm’s survey says.

A spokesman for the municipality of Amsterdam contacted by local newspaper Het Parool that parking rates in the city are high, but said, “we do this to keep the town clean.”

If you’re looking for the lowest parking rates available, look to Chennai, India, where you can park all day for the equivalent of $0.96.

• The city of Amsterdam has an english-language website with information about parking in Amsterdam