Visiting Lisbon without parking in the centre
If you come to visit Lisbon by car, you soon realise that the hard part is not getting to the city: it is parking. There are few free spaces in the centre, on-street parking has different rates by zone, and some historic quarters have restricted car access.
There is a calmer way to do the visit: leave the car at a private car park outside the centre, a few minutes from the city, and carry on without it. This guide explains how it works with us, what it costs and how to get into the centre from the car park.
Parking in central Lisbon: what to expect
On-street parking is managed by EMEL, the city's parking company, with four different rates depending on the zone. According to EMEL itself, the aim is to keep spaces turning over and to leave room for residents, not for a car to stay there for days.
Bairro Alto, Alfama, Santa Catarina and Bica, and the Castle area are restricted car access zones, with the entrances controlled by EMEL.
Car parks in the centre work for a few hours, but over a visit of several days the cost adds up. The rates are on the websites of EMEL and of each car park; we do not repeat them here, because they change.
The alternative: leave the car outside the centre
Check-in Park is a private, fenced car park with video surveillance and staff on site, next to Lisbon Airport and a few minutes from the city centre. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and takes stays from 1 to 365 days.
You arrive at your booked time, check the vehicle in with our team and head into the city without the car. When you come back, the vehicle is waiting for you, and you only pay at the end.
How to get into the centre from the car park
By ride-hailing or taxi. Book Parking Only (no transport), leave the car and order an Uber, a Bolt or a taxi from our waiting room, which has WiFi and a toilet. On the way back, make the same trip to the car park.
By transfer to the airport, then metro or bus. Book Parking with Transfer to/from Lisbon Airport: our van takes you to the airport, where the metro station is in the Arrivals area and connects to the city centre and the other lines. On the way back, return to the airport and call the operations line, +351 915 489 501: we collect you at Terminal 1 Arrivals and bring you back to the car park.
To another destination, only on request. With a parking booking, you can ask us whether we can take you somewhere else, such as your hotel. It depends on the team's availability at that moment and is never guaranteed: ask beforehand, on WhatsApp or by phone, and always have a plan B.
What it costs
Parking a car costs 6 € per 24 hours, with a 20 € minimum per booking, and from 20 to 30 days you pay the monthly rate, 120 €. Motorhomes, campers and large vans pay 10 € per 24 hours, with the same minimum.
With transfer, a small amount is added per booking, for the return trip, not per person. With Parking Only nothing is added. The amount for each service is in the price table.
There is no booking fee: you pay on your return, by card, cash or MB WAY, and cancelling costs nothing until the vehicle enters the car park.
Before you go
Book with the time you will actually arrive at the car park and save the operations line number on your phone; it answers 24 hours a day.
If you are counting on the metro to come back, remember it runs from 6:30 am to 1 am. After that, a ride-hailing car or a taxi takes you straight to the car park, which is always open.
City buses only take luggage up to 50 x 40 x 20 cm: with large suitcases, the metro, ride-hailing or a taxi are better options.
To see the total for your dates, put them into the simulator.