The end of this article was going to be a call to reflection. We were going to ask ourselves, we were going to ask you, is it worth to look for free parking considering that parking for free in Barcelona will mean moving to areas far from the city center? This approach acquires more sense if we take into account that in areas not so far from the center we can find some guarded parking at € 7.00 per day (such as Parking Viajeros) or even in towns bordering Barcelona and with close access to the network of metro, at € 5.00 per day (for example Car Park Promoparc Cubics). But it is understandable that on a trip we want to save the most money, and parking in Barcelona is not cheap, although there are parking options for days in the center of the city that have cheapened the cost of parking. But now it's about totally free, so let's go back to the initial approach, where to park for free in Barcelona? Is it possible? ... Yes, it is. In some areas and spaces 24 hours a day and others in limited hours. Let's see where:
Seven are the areas of Barcelona where you can find parking for not spending money: Montjuïc, the University Zone, the quarter of Pedralbes, near the beaches, La Maquinista, La Segrera and Vall d'Hebrón - Guinardó..
Montjuïc is a mountain in Barcelona that is part of the Sants-Montjuïc district and which can be accessed from Plaça Espanya, Lleida street and other streets of Poble Sec, Mèxic street and the Passeig de la Zona Franca as main access points. Montjuïc is an area full of parks and gardens, museums, cultural centers and sports facilities. There is no parking time limitation area and the MNAC has a free unguarded outdoor parking.
Pros
Cons
The University Zone is located at the east access of Barcelona, on both sides of the Avinguda Diagonal and around the Palau Reial. It is an area that you will find if you come to Barcelona from the A2 motorway.
Pros
Cons
Part of the University Zone is located in the quarter of Pedralbes (the other in Les Corts). In this quarter in the upper part of Barcelona there are very few green or blue time zones, but as in the whole city, there are loading and unloading areas where is not not allowed to park in certain hours. To look for parking in this area, one option would be to take John Maynard Keynes street from Avinguda Diagonal, and immediately follow the side of Avinguda Diagonal or continue along John Maynard Keynes street:
Pros
Cons
Speaking about parking next to the beaches of Barcelona, we must first differentiate the beaches of Barceloneta from the rest of the beaches, those that start from Marina Street and go to Barcelona north. In the narrow streets of the Barceloneta quarter you will only find areas reserved for neighbors so forget about that area. In the other you will find a blue parking area first and then you can find free parking areas. The possibilities will increase the farther north you go, towards the beach area of Mar Bella.
Pros
Cons
La Maquinista is a shopping center in the Bon Pastor quarter of the Sant Andreu district. It is located on the outskirts of Barcelona, very close to Santa Coloma de Gramenet, in a semi-industrial and residential area. This shopping center has two underground car parks and one outdoor.
Pros
Cons
A little further south of the La Maquinista shopping center area we find the La Segrera quarter, a zone that we could define as similar to Bon Pastor. Here you can search for car park spaces in the street. From the La Segrera metro station you can reach the Sagrada Familia in 20 minutes.
In the district of Vall de Hebrón and in general in the district of Horta Guinardó there are many free streets of limited parking areas, such as the one below, on Avinguda Martí Codolar, often streets that are not very busy and poorly lit.
The so-called green areas cover a large part of Barcelona. There are two types, which are reserved exclusively for residents and mixed areas that can be used by non-residents with limited hours. In the mixed you can park for a maximum of 1 or 2 hours depending on the area (in the parking meters and signals this information is indicated) and the price is € 2.75 to € 3.00 per hour. The operating hours of the mixed green spaces are from Monday to Friday or from Monday to Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Outside of these hours and days you can park for free. The places reserved exclusively for the neighbors work from Monday to Sunday and holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (old town of Gràcia, old town of Sarriá, Camp de l'Arpa and district of Ciutat Vella, except Barceloneta), or from Monday to Sunday and holidays, from 00:00 to 24:00 (quarters of Barceloneta and El Born).
In these zones you can park all the vehicles, with the corresponding time ticket issued by the parking meter, during the maximum time indicated by the signal. This time can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours (the most common is 1 to 2 hours that is applied in the districts of Eixample and Ciutat Vella, that is, the center of Barcelona, the price in these cases is € 2.50 per hour). The majority working hours of the Blue area coincides with the busiest hours in the city, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. However, in the city center, this schedule is also extended to Saturdays and, in the area of beaches, also applies on Sundays and holidays. As in the green areas, in the blue areas you can park for free outside the operating hours of the area.
Map of the green and blue areas of Barcelona
The loading and unloading areas are everywhere and can be recognized by the yellow zig-zag line drawn on the asphalt and by the vertical prohibition signs. Be careful not to park in one of them because the fine and the crane are likely. And how much does the tow truck cost in Barcelona? € 148.00 and this without counting the fine for parking in not allowed areas and the fine can be up to € 100 or € 200 depending on the severity. To take into account that the amount can be reduced by 50% if the payment is made in the voluntary period. However, vehicles registered outside of Spain have to pay the fine in any case.
€ 100.00 approximately and 50% reduction paying in voluntary period
The same. And can the car be towed in the green and blue areas? As well.
If you park on the street do not leave anything inside the car, and much less things in sight, because anything you leave can make thieves think that there may be more things inside.
The google maps app is beginning to help drivers find free parking on the street. When doing a search, show a letter P indicating wether it is easy or not to find parking in that area. However this functionality of the app is more useful for those who seek parking for hours and obviously does not take into account aspects such as security.
This is a truism, but better to remember it. The longer a vehicle stays in a free parking area away from the center of Barcelona, the more likely it is that something will happen. And if our intention is to use the car or the motorbike during our stay in Barcelona, we will waste time looking for parking. The parkings in Barcelona by hours or by 24 hours with normal rate are expensive but fortunately there are options to park for days at interesting prices, and very possibly near the hotel or apartment that you have booked.
Find a parking near your hotel or apartment in Barcelona
Conclusion: It is possible to find a free space for your car or motorcycle in several places in Barcelona. The decision will depend on what you are going to do in Barcelona, the time you have, your budget, if you want to move the car or not during your stay, where you are going to stay and other considerations. But one thing, do it at your own risk!
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