Cities were built before the cars and streets came. Therefore, the city streets can be pretty narrow and parking is limited. There`s a good alternative: drive to a nearby town or suburb and take the train from there. Parking in smaller towns is mostly not a problem. Infringement of parking laws may mean a fine or even being towed away.

Free parking space can mostly be found in the smaller towns or suburbs, for example at shopping centers, hotel car parks (guests only) or just in the street. Sometimes there is a time limit and you may need to place a parking disc behind the windshield to show the time you parked. Such a disc can be obtained from gas stations. Rental cars should have a disc on board.

Paid parking is the norm in Switzerland, especially around popular places like rail stations, hotels and town centers. Even as a hotel guest, you often need to pay for parking separately (count on CHF 10 to 50 per day). Parking in the larger cities is quite expensive (up to CHF 4 per hour).

Always check signs before parking but as a rule, where you see:

-White zones (white lines on the ground) – you can park free of charge for as long as you wish;

-White zones `pay and display` - enter your car license number plate to buy a ticket at a street machine and display on the dashboard to park for a limited time;

-Blue zones - get a blue parking disk from police stations, tourist offices and banks and set the dial on the disk to park for up to 90 minutes free of charge;

-Red zones - free parking for up to 15 hours if you have a red parking disk, available from police stations, tourist offices and banks;

-Yellow zones - parking forbidden.

You`ll also find parking meters (sometimes parking is free at night and at lunchtimes), car parks and parking garages - pay at the booth before going back to your car.