Most European cities are characterised by narrow streets and a complete lack of free parking space. Barcelona is no exception. It is not easy to leave your own car for free for at least a few minutes in the center of Barcelona or in popular areas. The situation is aggravated in the middle of the day. The problem is especially acute for tourists who went to the country in their own car and have not rented an apartment with a garage. They will have to look for free parking in Barcelona or leave the car in a paid parking lot.
How to save money on parking?
Not all tourists can pay the European price for the service. The cost of parking is set according to its location. In search of a safe and suitable parking lot, tourists are advised to pay attention to the following.
SM de la plaça Fòrum
You can leave transport here cheaply and for a long time. The cost is within 7,5 €/day, if you are going to use the service for at least 6 days. For the first five days, you have to pay 39,85€.
SM de la plaça Fòrum is a huge parking lot for 750 cars. It is easily accessible by metro, tram or bus.
Estació Barcelona Nord
This is the cheapest option if you consider leaving your car for just one day. For such a pleasure a tourist should pay 18.4 euros!
Location: it is located in the center of the city, near the Nord Station. It is possible to get here by metro, exiting at Arc de Triomphe station.
Ona Glòries
Ideal for those who are not going to stay in the city, looking for a place for a car for a couple of hours. If you need to save money, you will have to go here. The cost of parking for 2-6 hours is 6,1 euros, for 6-24 – 18,45 euros.
Location: in Barcelona you can find a parking lot on a map near Centre Comercial.
Litoral Port
To find an inexpensive parking lot for a few days, take a look at Park & Ride:P.R. You can leave your car here for up to 5 days. The cost does not exceed 39,85€. The following days will be slightly cheaper for these customers – 7.5€ each.
Important! When leaving a vehicle in the parking lot, you should make sure that the trunk and all doors are locked. There is no need to leave documents or gadgets on the dashboard. It is also recommended to hide all valuables from the seats.
How to understand the color coding of Barcelona parking lots?
If you park your car on the streets of the city, you should consider the general rules that divide parking in Barcelona into certain zones. There are only three types of zones here:
- green;
- blue;
- white or free.
It is also worth taking a closer look at the unloading points. These places can be used for temporary parking. Time limits – only on weekdays and for a maximum of 30 minutes. The time frame is from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.! You should look for places marked with a yellow zigzag. Tourists also offer to search for bus lanes. They are found on the wide streets, which include Muntaner and Balmes. There are special signs that indicate the possibility of parking at weekends.
Àrea verda or green zone
These are kind of privileged places for the local population. Residents pay euro per week for the opportunity to park their vehicles here. Guests of the city will be able to use the lane, but it is already more expensive, and it is possible to leave the car only for a couple of hours.
Often these lanes are free of charge during working hours from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. But in summer – from 1 to 31 August – you can park here without payment at any time – all on vacation. Do not forget about the information signs. They inform the tourist about the restrictions. Some zones are offered exclusively for use by the local population at any time of year.
Parking is charged on the green zone for 2.75-3 euros on weekdays.
Àrea blava or blue zone
This is the designation for parking lots located near public areas. These include schools, hospitals, police stations, shopping centres, etc. In each of these places it is often necessary to pay during peak hours – from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., as well as from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This rule applies on weekdays, but in some places and on weekends you have to pay. You should pay for the place right after the car is set up, using parking machines.
Important! The ticket received from the controller is placed on the inside of the windscreen in such a way that the markings on it are clearly visible. Otherwise, you can get a fine of 100-150 euros for breaking the rules and calling the tow truck.
The cost of parking depends on the popularity of the place. Letters are used to indicate the location. The cheapest parking lots are marked with letters “C” and “D”. You can leave your car here for 3 hours for 1.96€ and 4 hours for 1.08€, respectively.
Without payment
Free parking in Barcelona is problematic. There are no such places in the center. But unpopular areas (Poble Sec, Zona Universitaria, Bogatell) have such parking lots. However, it is not safe to leave a car in such areas.
