Car Parking Barcelona

Parking your car in Barcelona can be a problem. Although the city centre does have parking facilities the car parks are often full or have limited spaces. You’ll also find that it's difficult to find a car park space on the streets in the city centre. However this page will guide you through all the steps you can take if you need to park your car in Barcelona city centre.

Do you really have to bring a car into Barcelona city centre?

The best advice I can give is try avoid bringing a car into the city centre if you can. You will save a lot problems if you don't.

Barcelona has an excellent public transport system. The Barcelona metro system can take you almost everywhere that you need to go. If you can’t get to your destination by metro then buses or taxis are readily available and offer a low-cost transport option.

But I definitely need to park my car in Barcelona centre!

Ok so you’ve decided to “brave it” and bring your car into the city centre. You have a number of options open to you.

Are you driving a foreign plated car?

If you are driving a foreign plated car then bear in mind that these cars are often targeted for robbery. Even when driving make sure that your doors (and boot is locked). If there is slow-moving traffic it has been known for thieves to pop open the boot or open a door and run off with the contents. The same is true for open windows. If you can reach in and grab something of value then ensure to have your windows wound up to prevent this.

To give you some peace of mind it is best parking your car in a car park with some form of security surveillance. Note that the car parks in general do not give any guarantees of security but they are a lot safer than leaving your car on the street.

Park and Ride at Glories (Metropark) Tel: (0034) 93 265 1047

Placa de les Glories offers a “Park and Ride” service called Metropark. The parking fee gives you car parking and unlimited metro travel for 10.40 Euros per day.

The metropark is right in the centre of Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes where the three huge Barcelona roads meet, Avenue Diagonal, Gran Via Corts de Catalanes and Meridiana - you can't miss it once you're there.

Click here for more information on the Metropark at Glories

Click here to locate the Barcelona Metropark at Glories on a map

Parking at the Barcelona Bus terminal Estacion de Nord

Barcelona bus terminal has a large car parking facility.
Parking costs 2.40 Euros for 1 hour or 31.85 Euros for 24 hours.

The other advantage of using this car park is there is a metro stop right outside the bus station. Metro Arc de Triomf (Red Line, L1) or Marina (Red Line, L1)

Estacion de Nord can be found at the junction of Carrer de Napols and Av de Vilanova

There are also a number of car parks in Barcelona city centre which you can try your luck at. They are all around the same rate of 12 to 15 Euros per day.

Cheap longer term car parking

Perhaps you just want somewhere secure and low cost to leave your car whilst you explore the city? You may want to leave your car there for more than just a few days without paying a small fortune in parking fees. But how can you do this? As usual, Barcelona-tourist-guide has the answers.
Click here to read our article on cheap long term car parking in Barcelona.

Parking your car in one of the Barcelona suburbs

If you want to park your car without paying car-park charges choose a Barcelona district that is a little further out from the city centre but that has a metro stop near by.

Consider an area that is about 8 stops (or more) out from Catalunya main central station then drive to that district and park your car and catch the metro into the town centre.

Car impounding in Barcelona

If you park in a non-designated car parking area you’ll almost certainly receive a ticket or have your car towed away.

This happened to a friend of mine who lives in Barcelona. She parked a car in a restricted area for only 20 minutes or so only to find that her car had been towed away when she got back.

At first we thought her car had been stolen but then we rang the car impound and found it had been towed away. It cost 175 Euros to have her car released and there are additional charges per hour if the car is not picked up within a certain time frame. You will also have a horrible sticker stuck right across your windscreen that takes an age to remove!

Click here for more detailed information on what to do if your car is impounded in Barcelona.

Further Help in finding a place to park in Barcelona

If you would like to identify a carpark in a specific location in Barcelona and find the rates and facilities at the carpark I recommend you take a look at the following link that has an interactive map to help you identify your ideal car parking location

Barcelona Car Parking Map

Summary for Car Parking Barcelona

If you intend to park your car in Barcelona then it can be a little troublesome. However if you follow the tips above you could find that your parking experience might not be all that bad after all.

Related Pages

Car parking at Barcelona Airport
Coach Parking in Barcelona
Car Impounding in Barcelona - what to do if your car is impounded
Cheap long term car parking in Barcelona

Car Safety in Barcelona - Real life stories of car crime and what you can do to prevent it.

Car Hire at Barcelona Airport
Car Hire at Girona Airport
Barcelona Transport system

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