If you’re visiting Galicia by car or planning to rent one, find out where to find cheap parking in Santiago de Compostela and where to park!
Whether rented or not, having a car will make it easier for you to discover Galicia. Indeed, if you’re planning to stay longer than 3 days in Santiago de Compostela, you’ll probably find it difficult to access certain tourist sites or discover hidden spots using public transport.
With your own car or a rental vehicle, you’ll have no trouble reaching other tourist attractions in the region, such as La Coruña, Lugo and its beautiful cathedral, the monastery of Samos or Cape Finisterre, the westernmost point of mainland Spain and also the end of the pilgrimage to Compostela!
If you’re planning to visit Santiago de Compostela and the surrounding area by car, the question of parking is bound to arise at some point. Where to park in Santiago de Compostela? And above all, where can you find cheap parking in Santiago de Compostela? To help you prepare for your trip, we’ve put together a guide to the city’s best parking lots.
Parking in Santiago de Compostela: pay on-street parking
Photo Credit: Flickr – _guu_
In Santiago de Compostela, you can pay for street parking. However, be careful about the parking zones you choose. In Spain, parking is almost always regulated. To avoid problems, opt for marked parking spaces:
- Blue zones indicate that you must use a parking meter.
- Green zones are often more expensive than blue zones because they are reserved primarily for local residents.
- The red « Roja » zones are chargeable and are often located in tourist areas.
For these three zones, you’ll need to refer to the signage and payment terminal to determine the authorized parking times and conditions. Paying to park on the street in Santiago de Compostela is often the worst solution. Even if you follow the instructions to the letter, it’s not uncommon to be penalized. For these reasons, we recommend either free public parking or paid parking.
Find a parking lot in Santiago de Compostela
Cheap parking in Santiago de Compostela: park on the street for free
If you don’t want to pay for parking in Santiago de Compostela, a second option is of course to park outside the paid parking zones. However, free spaces are rare in the city center. They are often well known and highly prized by locals.
Several travelers have commented that there are plenty of free parking spaces in the vicinity of theUniversity of Santiago de Compostela. However, if you’re planning a long stay in Santiago de Compostela, we don’t recommend parking on the street in a free space. It’s true that parking time is theoretically unlimited. But you run the risk of finding your vehicle damaged or broken into in your absence.
So, if you’re looking for a secure option, we recommend that you opt for the best solution for parking in Santiago de Compostela: paid parking lots.
Find a parking lot in Santiago de Compostela
Parking in Santiago de Compostela in a secure pay parking lot
Photo credit: Map of cheap parking lots in Santiago de Compostela
If you want to park as close to the center of Santiago de Compostela as possible, without risking a break-in or a scratch on the bodywork, the best solution is obviously to opt for a paid, guarded parking lot.
Parking prices in Santiago de Compostela are generally reasonable. Expect to pay at least €14 for a day’s parking. These parking lots are available on the Parclick website. By reserving your space in advance, you can be sure of parking in a cheap parking lot in Santiago de Compostela as soon as you arrive.
Close to the city center, we recommend the following 3 pay parking lots:
- Parking Plaza Roja: Rúa da República de el Salvador 29 or Rúa de Santiago del Estero 3-5
- Parking A Rosa: Rúa de San Pedro de Mezonzo 37
- Parking Saba Estación Tren Santiago: Rúa do Hórreo 75
We also recommend the Praza Galicia Interparking parking lot, located in the square of the same name (Praza de Galicia). Open 24 hours a day and secure, it is however impossible to reserve your parking in advance.
Please note: there are also numerous parking lots all around the city center. However, it’s not unusual for them to be cramped, expensive or dilapidated.