Parking in Barcelona
Coming by car? Driving into the centre of Barcelona is slow and parking is expensive. Here is where to park near the sights, the cheaper Park & Ride option, and what you need to know about the Low Emission Zone.
🚫 Low Emission Zone (LEZ)
The ZBE Rondes de Barcelona is a Low Emission Zone of about 95 km² inside the city ring roads (Ronda de Dalt and Ronda Litoral). It covers most of Barcelona and Sant Adrià de Besòs, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and parts of Esplugues and Cornellà. Restrictions apply Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 20:00 and are enforced by number-plate cameras. Vehicles registered abroad are covered too.
- Spanish-registered cars with a DGT environmental label 0, ECO, C or B may drive in the zone without restrictions. Cars without a label (roughly petrol before 2000 and diesel before 2006) may not.
- Foreign cars cannot get a DGT label. They must meet at least Euro 3 (petrol) or Euro 4 (diesel); motorcycles at least Euro 2.
- Vehicles that do not comply can apply for daily permits for a limited number of days per year.
- Outside the hours (evenings, weekends) the zone is open to every vehicle.
Foreign cars: Before you arrive, register your foreign-plated car (free) in the Metropolitan Register of foreign and other authorised vehicles at zbe.barcelona, even if it meets the Euro standards. If it does not, also apply for daily permits there, in good time. The zone is checked by cameras, so an unregistered car risks a fine.
Fine: €200 per infringement, 30% more during a pollution episode.
Car parks near the sights
Plaça Catalunya · Saba (Bamsa)
Catedral · Saba (Bamsa)
Francesc Cambó (Santa Caterina) · Saba (Bamsa)
Lluís Companys – Ciutadella · Saba (Bamsa)
Barceloneta · Saba (Bamsa)
Illa Raval · Saba (Bamsa)
Paral·lel · Saba (Bamsa)
Passeig de Gràcia – La Pedrera · Saba (Bamsa)
Passeig de Gràcia – Consell de Cent · Saba (Bamsa)
Hospital Sant Pau · Saba (Bamsa)
Park & Ride: park outside, metro in
Street parking
On the street there are two kinds of regulated zones. The blue zone (Àrea Blava) is open to everyone with a paid ticket for the time shown on the sign: usually Monday to Friday 09:00–20:00, also Saturday in the centre and on beach areas at weekends and on holidays. The green zone (Àrea Verda) is mainly for residents; visitors can pay only for a limited time, usually Monday to Friday or Saturday 08:00–20:00. The city's 2025 tariffs run from about €1.15 to €3.75 an hour in the blue zone and €1.40 to €4.25 in the green zone, the older and more polluting the car, the higher the price (electric cars no longer park free). Pay at the meter or in the city's Smou app. Rates and rules can change, so check the signs. For a day of sightseeing, a car park is simpler, and the old town and Eixample have little free space.
Tips
Foreign car? Register it first
Foreign-plated cars must be registered (free) at zbe.barcelona before driving into the Rondes low emission zone on a weekday between 07:00 and 20:00. Cameras check plates; the fine is €200.
Car parks charge by the minute
The Saba car parks in the centre charge €4.20 an hour (including VAT), billed by the minute. A day of sightseeing adds up, so consider parking once for the whole day and walking or taking the metro.
Mind the height limit
Most car parks in the centre take cars up to 2.00 m. The Catedral car park allows only 1.95 m; Illa Raval allows 2.20 m. With a roof box or a van, check before you enter.
Going to Tibidabo?
Park at BSM Sant Genís – Vall d'Hebron (24 h, next to metro L3/L5). The TibiBus shuttle from the car park to the Cuca de Llum funicular is included in every Tibidabo ticket. Ticket holders pay €4.20 a day at the lower level.
Poble Espanyol has its own car park
For Poble Espanyol and Montjuïc, the site recommends the supervised paid BSM Rius i Taulet car park (Avinguda dels Montanyans, 1).
Don't count on street parking
Blue and green zones fill up and have time limits. Use the Smou app to pay and to see car parks with free spaces.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
More guides
- Free things to do in Barcelona
- Hidden gems in Barcelona
- Delicatessen in Barcelona
- Barcelona on a rainy day
- Which museums are open today in Barcelona?
- Barcelona on a Sunday
- Opening hours of the sights in Barcelona
- Which clubs are open tonight in Barcelona?
- Barcelona with kids
- Where to eat near Barcelona Cathedral
- Where to eat near the Picasso Museum
- Where to eat near the Sagrada Família
- Where to eat near Casa Batlló
Checked: 4 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.