If you want to find parking in Barcelona you will have to plan ahead. Apart from much of downtown being pedestrianized, there is limited on-street parking and although there are a large number of parking lots, they fill up quickly. But if you know where to look you can find decent parking spots in Barcelona where you can leave your car securely and have quick access to everything this dynamic and creative city has to offer.
WHERE TO FIND ON-STREET PARKING
You can find metered on-street parking in the city’s blue and green zones but generally, you can only park there for a maximum of 4 hours or as little as 1 hour. The green zones are mainly used by residents and have shorter maximum time limits. If you are parking in a loading bay (marked with yellow zigzags) be sure to move your vehicle before 8 a.m.; otherwise you could meet the tow truck! In addition be careful not to park in front of peoples’ garages, in places where you might be obstructing vans that need to unload, or behind public garbage bins where the garbage collectors would park to empty them.
WHERE TO FIND PARKING GARAGES
There are many parking garages throughout the city and although they come at a premium, they often offer 24/7 security. Most parking garage spaces can be reserved online, which we recommend in Barcelona as the garages can quickly fill up. You can find three major parking garages that are fully secure in Gran Via, Urgell, and Augusta.
WHERE TO PARK FOR FREE
There are some spots in the city where you can park for free, for example in many areas of Montjuïc. We recommend you try to find a safe spot that is not too secluded and make sure there is no upcoming event in the area as again, the tow truck! Here are some top free parking areas in the city, close to Barcelona’s top visitor attractions:
- Try the residential zone in La Segrera, which has many spaces with no time limits.
- Many shopping centres have free parking with a time limit. La Maquinista is a particularly good spot with 24-hour parking lots both underground and outside.
- The National Museum of Art Catalonia in the Montjuïc area has free parking.
PARK & RIDE LOCATIONS
B:SM has a park and ride system in Barcelona and although it’s not as cheap as other cities’ park and ride options, it does offer an excellent parking solution and you can use the public transportation with the same ticket. You can find a map of the park and ride garages on the B:SM website but the main sites are at Plaça Forúm, Rius i Taulet, and Sant Genis i Marqués de Mulhàcen.
