Parking in Paris...for free?

We've seen people bumping their way into a parking place often in France. It seems to be a national sport. I've read someplace you should park your car in neutral so it isn't damaged when it gets bumped by people trying to park in front or back of you. I thought they were crazy until I saw it in action. Now it seems logical!

Did you notice used car lots are nearly nonexistant? Wonder what they do with their pre-owned vehicles? Do they last forever?!

SalB: My wife and I were entertained by a guy that was enlarging a space that was smaller than his car - using the "bumpers" as "...what else are bumpers for?..." all the while where a policeman was ticketing the adjacent cars. Great entertainment. Donerail

Anyone who likes to wiggle in and out of parking places has got to be a masochist!!

adela: I love to drive and being from Boston I believe I could compete ok with the French in that respect. Having said that, I would have to agree with SalB that bringing a car into Paris is not a particulary good choice unless there are special circumstances involved. It would be like being attached to a ball and chain - even though you can park at just about any place that is not specifically prohibited. The combination of the metro, bus, taxi and foot makes having a car a burden. Wiggling into and out of spaces that are two inches longer than the car could be fun, however. Donerail

I hope you get an answer to this. We have given up taking a car into Paris. We take the RER into town, spend our time there and then RER back out to the airport and pick up our leased car. That way we don't have to worry about parking. The first time we went to Paris we spent nearly as much on the car as our hotel room. We vowed never to do that again.

Another nice thing about our method is that you don't have to drive in Paris either!