Visiting Central London by car is very expensive!

If your hotel or camping site is outside Central London, costs are lower

If you want to park your car in the centre of London, you have to pay high parking fees and a congestion charge. Also, the traffic in the centre is a nightmare, and taking the tube is probably a faster (and definitely a cheaper) alternative. Therefore, it is best not to have a car in the centre. If your accommodation is outside Central London, you have to pay lower parking fees, and you can leave your car at your accommodation and travel to Central London by public transport.

Parking fees

Parking fees in the Central London area are very high. If you want to park your car in the city centre, parking fees of £ 20,- (for 24 hours) are no exception.

Congestion charge

Motorists entering the Central London area have to pay a fee, the London Congestion Charge. The aim of this charge is to encourage people to use the public transport, in order to reduce congestion. The daily fee is £ 8,-. Some vehicles (for example police cars and taxis) do not have to pay the charge. Residents of the area can get a large discount. The boundary of the charging zone is the London Inner Road Ring. The zone includes the financial district (the City) and the West End.

More information

• You can visit the Transport for London website for more information about the congestion charge
• To plan your journey, you can visit the ViaMichelin website

Last update: March 10th, 2006