Your safe drive and parking in Prague

As in most capital cities, parking in the centre during weekdays could really give you headaches.
You might just better off leaving your car in some safe parking lot somewhere out of the hustle and bustle of the city and use the efficient public transport instead (it is definitely less stressful and sometimes it can be even faster). If for some reason or the other you decide to drive to the center, here’s some things you should know:

Parking areas in Prague are divided in three sub categories.

In each category you need to pay in cash at the pay-and-display machine. Don’t forget to place the ticket visibly on the dashboard. Try not to ignore buying a ticket, as you could easily get fined and not only that but you could get your car wheel clamped or even worse, you can get your car towed away.

	1. Orange zone – maximum parking time 2 hours. Valid only for Mo-Sat, from 8am – 6pm Prices: 40 CZK per hour, 10 CZK per 15 min, (minimum parking time unit is 15 minutes.)
	2. Green zone – maximum parking time is 6 hours. Valid for Mo-Fri, from 8am- 6 pm. Price: 30 CZK per hour or 15 CZK per 30 min (minimum parking time unit is 30 min)
	3. Blue zone – reserved for residents and local firms. Special card needed. (marked 1,2 or 3)

If you ignored a “No Parking” sign and you can’t see your car anywhere, it could mean that your car has been towed away or, more dramatically, stolen. In order to get the mystery elucidated, Call 158 and a police officer will tell you where you have to go to pay the fine and get your car back (that is if indeed it has been just towed away), or will help you declare the theft.
If you find your car clamped, you should call the police station at the phone number stated in the bill you find on your windscreen. A policeman will come and after you have paid the fine, the clamp will be removed. A simple solution to save you from all this trouble would be to Safe Park somewhere further from the centre and use the public transport service instead.