Motorcoach traffic and parking are strictly regulated in Paris.
Details of rules and formalities, useful links, and list of Parisian coach operators.
Article updated on 12 december 2024
All vehicles travelling in the Greater Paris area (within the A86 ring road) must display a Crit’Air (air criteria) sticker number 1, 2 or 3.
Diesel engine coaches registered before 1 October 2009, Euro standards 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4, are banned from the perimeter 7/7 days from 8am until 8pm.
The calendar of coach restrictions is as follow:
In 2030, all diesel engine coaches as well as petrol engine coaches with Euro standard 5, registered between 2009 and 2013 and later on all petrol engine coaches as well as gas and hybrid engine coaches with Euro standard 6, registered from 1 January 2014.
The exact dates on which these bans will come into force have yet to be decided.
In order to improve quality of life - reduce noise and air pollution, and encourage environmentally friendly modes of travel - and after consultation with tourism, commerce, culture, events and transport professionals, the City of Paris is introducing new traffic rules.
A Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) comes into effect on November 4 2024.
Perimeter: the first four arrondissements, excluding the islands and upper quays.
Motorized vehicles must be able to justify their presence in the area in the event of a spot check (hotel, restaurant, car park reservations, etc.).
However, the City of Paris has provided for exceptions that may transit:
More information on the ZTL here.
Stopping to drop off and pick up passengers
Coaches are allowed to stop in Paris. This is free and requires no authorization, providing coaches stop only for the time strictly necessary to drop off or pick up passengers, with or without the loading/unloading of luggage. The engine must be switched off.
There are 56 on-street designated places for coaches to pick up/drop off passengers. In addition, there are delivery areas as well as places within the immediate vicinity of hotels and sports and cultural venues to pick up/drop off passengers.
Parking
Parking charges apply to all coaches in Paris 24/24 and 7/7 and the coach parking pass 'PASS Autocar' is obligatory.
Paris is divided into 2 fare zones:
The duration of the parking time depends on the zone:
Parking is prohibited outside the 468 parking spaces made available to professionals, of which 236 are in the Central zone.
The biggest coach parks are:
The PASS Autocar is a coach parking pass that must be used by all coaches parking in Paris. It allows coaches to park in coach parks and in designated parking spaces.
During the authorized period, coaches can move from one authorized parking area to another on in the zone chosen.
The charge depends on the type of PASS, the duration, the parking zone, and (for subscribers) the motorisation of the vehicle - from Euro 4 to Euro 6 and clean vehicles (electric, NGV, LNG).
*Example of charges:
2 hours parking in the Central zone, or 4 hours in the Peripheral zone: from €15 (clean vehicles) to €90 (Euro 4 coaches) for subscribers, from €109.50 (online purchase) to €121.50 (payment onsite) for occasional users.
A municipal decree of 8 January 2019 regulates the travelling, stopping and parking of vehicles in tourist zones.
It gives details of: streets in Paris in which tourist coaches are banned from travelling, places where the dropping-off and picking-up of passengers are authorized and parking spaces.
Read the decree [in French]