Free & cheap parking in Barcelona

💡 The cheapest way

The cheapest sensible way to park for a day in Barcelona is a prepaid B:SM Parking Card: 24 hours from €21.00 in any car park of the network, with unlimited entries and exits, instead of €4.00–4.20 an hour. The AMB park-and-ride car parks outside the city are free with a public transport ticket. Street parking in the centre is a poor idea: it is paid, limited to 1 or 2 hours and dearer for older cars.

AMB Aparcaments d'intercanvi (P+R)

• ✅ Conditions: Free if you register in the AMB P+R app and validate a valid public transport ticket on the way back. When we checked (October 2026) the service ran Monday to Friday 05:00–23:00, for up to 24 hours. Check the accepted tickets and the sites that are open on amb.cat before you go.
• 🚇 To the centre: Rodalies, metro, tram or bus, depending on the site
• 🕗 Open: Mon–Fri 05:00–23:00
• 📍 Next to Rodalies, metro or tram stations in the towns around Barcelona, for example Sant Joan Despí, Cornellà, Viladecans, Castelldefels and Sant Just Desvern
• MapWebsite

B:SM Sant Genís – Vall d'Hebron

• 💶 Price: Tibidabo ticket holders pay €4.20 a day at the lower level. Check the rate for other visitors at the car park.
• 🎟️ Includes: Parking only; the TibiBus shuttle to Tibidabo leaves from here
• ✅ Conditions: Open 24 hours
• 🚇 To the centre: Metro L3 and L5 (Vall d'Hebron) next to the car park
• 📍 Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 138-176, 08035 Barcelona
• MapWebsite

Free street parking

• Blue (Àrea Blava) and green (Àrea Verda) zones: Outside the regulated hours parking is free for everybody. Blue zone: Monday to Friday 09:00–20:00, in the centre also Saturday, on the beach areas also Sundays and public holidays. Green zone for non-residents: Monday to Friday or Monday to Saturday 08:00–20:00, in some areas until 22:00. The signs on the street have the last word. (Evenings after 20:00 (some green areas after 22:00), Sundays, and Saturdays outside the centre in the blue zone) areaverda.cat/en/blue ↗

When paid street parking is free

Street parking in the blue zone is paid Monday to Friday 09:00–20:00 (plus Saturday in the centre and Sunday and holidays in beach zones) and in the green zone for non-residents 08:00–20:00, Monday to Friday or Saturday depending on the area (some areas until 22:00). Outside these hours it is free. Visitors can usually stay only 1 or 2 hours, as shown on the sign. We found no special rule for August. areaverda.cat/en/green-area ↗

B:SM Parking Card 1 Day / 3 Days · B:SM

• 📍 Near: depends on the car park you choose
• 💶 Per day: €21.00
• 🌙 Flat rates: From €21.00 for 24 consecutive hours. 2 days €36.75; 3 days €42.00; 5 days €57.75; 7 days €68.25. Unlimited entries and exits, cars only. The plate must match the booking; unused time is not refunded.
• 📍 Prepaid, valid in the car park of the B:SM network you choose when booking, for example Sagrada Família, La Boqueria, Port Olímpic or Plaça Fòrum
• MapWebsite

Plaça del Fòrum · B:SM

• 📍 Near: Fòrum / Diagonal Mar
• 💶 Per hour: €4.00
• 🌙 Flat rates: Parking Card 1 Day from €21.00. Height limit 2.15 m.
• 📍 Av. d'Eduard Maristany 4, Barcelona
• MapWebsite

Rius i Taulet · B:SM

• 📍 Near: Poble Espanyol, Montjuïc, Plaça d'Espanya
• 💶 Per hour: €4.00
• 🌙 Flat rates: Parking Card 1 Day from €21.00. Height limit 2.00 m.
• 📍 Av. Rius i Taulet 2 / Av. de la Reina Maria Cristina 16, Barcelona
• MapWebsite

Plaça Catalunya · Saba (Bamsa)

• 📍 Near: Plaça de Catalunya, La Rambla, La Boqueria market
• 💶 Per hour: €4.20
• 🌙 Flat rates: First hour €4.20, then about €0.07 a minute, so a full day costs far more than a Parking Card. Height limit 2.00 m.
• 📍 Plaça de Catalunya, s/n, 08002 Barcelona
• MapWebsite

Ways to pay less

Prepay a Parking Card instead of paying by the minute

The 24-hour card starts at €21.00 with unlimited entries and exits; the 3-day card is €42.00. Book on aparcamentsbsm.cat with your plate. aparcamentsbsm.cat/en/sipa-105 ↗

Park&Go for a half day

B:SM PARK&GO is 6 consecutive hours with a guaranteed space from €23.40, one entry and one exit, in the car park you choose. Extra time is charged at the regular rate. aparcamentsbsm.cat/ca/sipa-123 ↗

Free P+R with a ticket

AMB park-and-ride car parks are free if you register in the AMB app and validate a public transport ticket on the way back. Check the service days and hours on amb.cat. amb.cat/es/web/mobilitat/mobilitat-sostenible/zones-d-estacionament/aparcaments-d-intercanvi-p-r/aparcamentspr ↗

Public transport fares in Zone 1 (2026)

Since 15 January 2026: single ticket €2.90, T-Casual (10 trips) €13.00, T-Dia €12.00. tmb.cat/en/barcelona-fares-metro-bus/transport-ticket-fares ↗

Pay for street parking with the Smou app

Tickets for blue and green zones are bought at the meter or in the free Smou app. You pay only for the minutes parked. areaverda.cat/en ↗

Watch out

Low Emission Zone (ZBE Rondes de Barcelona)

Restrictions apply on weekdays 07:00–20:00. A foreign-plated car must be registered (free) before you drive in; a car that does not meet the environmental requirements needs daily permits. ajuntament.barcelona.cat/qualitataire/en/low-emission-zone/vehicles-foreign-number-plate ↗

Street parking rates depend on the car

Blue zone, non-residents, per hour from the cleanest to the oldest car: €1.25 to €3.75 in rate A (Eixample, Ciutat Vella), €1.15 to €3.50 in rate B (other areas). Green zone: €1.50 to €4.25 in rate A, €1.40 to €4.00 in rate B. Visitors can usually stay only 1 or 2 hours. areaverda.cat/en/green-area ↗

No free parking for electric cars

Since 1 February 2025 zero-emission cars pay in the blue and green zones too (blue zone from €1.15 to €1.25 an hour). areaverda.cat/en/blue ↗

Exceeding paid time

If you overstay in a street zone, the notice can be cancelled for €9 when the excess is at most half of the paid time. areaverda.cat/en ↗

Height limits

Plaça Catalunya takes cars up to 2.00 m, Plaça del Fòrum 2.15 m, Rius i Taulet 2.00 m. saba.es/en/parking-barcelona/parking-saba-bamsa-placa-catalunya ↗

Pollution episodes

On days when a pollution episode is declared, the council may limit parking in the regulated street zones. areaverda.cat/en/blue ↗