Valencia's street parking is cheap and short. In the central blue zone, two hours cost €1.70, and two hours is the ceiling: you cannot feed the meter past it. For a whole day, go underground: Interparking's central garages stop at €23.95 for 24 hours, and the car park under the City of Arts and Sciences is €7 a day with a ticket for one of its buildings.
The other rule starts before the first roundabout. Nearly the whole city is a low-emission zone (ZBE), watched by cameras around the clock, and every foreign-registered vehicle must be entered in the municipal register before it drives in.
A river with no water in it
The river on your map of Valencia is dry. After the flood of 1957 the Turia was sent round the south of the city, and its old bed became a sunken park where bridges cross over joggers and football pitches. The white Calatrava buildings everyone photographs stand in that riverbed, so the newest corner of Valencia is, strictly speaking, at the bottom of a river.
Picture-board paella and every ticket at the Ciutat
I would not order paella for dinner from a picture board in the lanes around the Plaça de la Reina. Valencians eat rice at lunch, and a pan that turns up fast at nine in the evening was not cooked for you.
I also would not buy a ticket for every building at the City of Arts and Sciences. The architecture is the show, and walking round it costs nothing. Pick one interior; that ticket also unlocks the €7 day in the car park underneath.
Horchata and fartons behind the cathedral
Horchatería Santa Catalina has served horchata for about two centuries, on the little square behind the Plaça de la Reina, every day 08:15–21:30. Order a horchata, the cold tiger-nut drink, with fartons, the long soft buns you dunk in it. I go mid-afternoon, when the square outside is too hot to stand in.
Register the plate before you cross the Bulevard Sud
The ZBE covers 27.8 km², almost everything inside the Ronda Nord, Avinguda dels Tarongers, Serradora and the Bulevard Sud, 24 hours a day. Article 7.3 of the ordinance is blunt: foreign-registered motor vehicles of any kind must be entered in the municipal register before entering. The procedure is on movilidad.valencia.es, which would not load for me; no fee or waiting time is published. Do it before the trip.
Banned today: cars Spain would rate label A (petrol before 2001, diesel before 2006) registered outside the province, which a foreign plate is. The fine is €200, reduced for prompt payment. From 1 January 2027 the ban reaches the rest of the province, from 1 January 2028 every label-A car.
Parking in Valencia: Blue for two hours, orange costs double, green is not yours
Low-emission zones in Europe: ZBE València
- Foreign plates
- The ordinance is explicit: motor vehicles with foreign plates, of any kind, must be entered in the municipal register before entering the zone.
- When
- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Fine
- €200
- EV
- 0 and ECO labels: no restriction
278 cameras, enforced since 1 December 2025. From 1 January 2027 the ban widens to label A cars from the rest of the province, and from 1 January 2028 to every car entering the city.
Street parking is the ORA, in three colours. Blue is for visitors: in the centre (Ciutat Vella and l'Eixample) €0.55 for the minimum 25 minutes, €1.00 an hour, €1.70 for the two-hour maximum; outer districts €0.30, €0.80 and €1.50. The city charges 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00, never on Sundays or holidays. Guides disagree about Saturday afternoons; read the meter.
Orange is shared with residents: €2.10 an hour, €3.30 for two. The city says it is open to all Monday to Friday 09:00–21:00; guides say 19:00, or 20:00 in the centre. Green is residents only. These prices come from a local TV report and two parking guides that agree; I found no city price table. Guides say an overstay is cancelled for €4 at the meter within 60 minutes, and name TelPark, ElParking and EasyPark as the apps.
Underground, Porta de la Mar and Glorieta Paz (Interparking) both charge €3.85 an hour, €15.50 for five hours, €23.95 for 12 or 24, open 24/7. Glorieta Paz is 2.10 m high with 375 spaces, my pick for a tall hire car. The city's Plaça de la Reina car park (EMT) is under the cathedral square, 2.00 m. EMT shows its prices as images I could not read; a 2023 news report gave €3.00 an hour and €21.80 for 24 hours.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Glorieta Paz (Interparking)Plaza de Tetuán s/n, between the Glorieta gardens and Calle de la Paz | €3.85 an hour, €15.50 for 5 hours, €23.95 for 12 or 24 hours; 10% off per-minute stays in the P-app. 375 spaces, open 24/7, height 2.10 m. | 10 charging points at €0.40/kWh, €0.36 in the P-app. |
| Porta de la Mar (Interparking)Avenida Navarro Reverter s/n, by the Porta de la Mar and the Turia gardens | €3.85 an hour, €15.50 for 5 hours, €23.95 for 12 or 24 hours. 197 spaces, open 24/7, height 2.00 m. | 2 charging points at €0.40/kWh, €0.36 in the P-app. |
| Plaça de la Reina (EMT, municipal)Under the Plaza de la Reina, entry from Calle de la Paz, exit onto Calle del Mar | 228 spaces, open 24 hours, height 2.00 m. EMT shows its prices only as images I could not read; a 2023 news report gave €3.00 an hour, €21.80 for 24 hours and €5.50 for 17:00–07:00. | 7 points of 22 kW, Type 2; price not published. |
| L'Umbracle, City of Arts and SciencesUnder the Umbracle garden walk at the City of Arts and Sciences, Avinguda del Professor López Piñero | €2.30 an hour, €24 a day, or €7 a day with a City of Arts and Sciences ticket. 661 car spaces, open 08:00–24:00; vehicles 2.10 m or taller are turned away. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | València Sud (Metro 1, 2, 7, free) | Free | 536 free spaces, reopened 28 February 2026 with an underground passage to the platforms. Opening hours are not published, so do not count on leaving the car overnight. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Plaça de la Reina (EMT, municipal) | €9.85 | height 2.00 m · 2023 news figures |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, central blue zone (2 h max) | €1.70 | €0.55 for the minimum 25 minutes, €1.00 an hour, €1.70 for the two-hour maximum; you cannot buy more. Free 14:00–16:00, after 20:00, Sundays and holidays. Figures from a local TV report and two parking guides that agree; guides say an overstay is cancelled for €4 within 60 minutes. |
| A full day (10 h) | València Sud (Metro 1, 2, 7, free) | Free | 536 free spaces, reopened 28 February 2026 with an underground passage to the platforms. Opening hours are not published, so do not count on leaving the car overnight. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Plaça de la Reina (EMT, municipal) | €21.80 | height 2.00 m · 2023 news figures |
| 24 hours | Plaça de la Reina (EMT, municipal) | €21.80 | height 2.00 m · 2023 news figures |
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Towed in Valencia: The grúa goes to La Torre
A towed car goes to the municipal depot run by the city's contractor, Trans Asistencia de la Chica, at Avenida Real de Madrid 79 on the southern edge of town. Ring 96 159 72 89 first; the city says it answers Monday to Sunday.
The towing ordinance: €75.98 for a vehicle up to 1,000 kg unladen, €151.97 above; the weight is on your registration document. Catch the truck before it leaves and it is €39.02. Storage is €9.50 or €19.00 a day, charged only after the first 24 hours, so go the same day.
The city pages I read list no documents. I would bring the registration papers, insurance certificate, licence and passport, plus the contract for a hire car, and ring the rental company.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The Policía Local orders the removal; the city's towing contractor, Trans Asistencia de la Chica S.L., lifts the car and runs the municipal depot.
- Phone
- Municipal vehicle depot (information Monday to Sunday): +34 961 597 289
Policía Local administrative office, Avinguda del Cid 37: +34 963 525 478
Emergency, if you think the car was stolen: 112 - Collect it at
- The municipal depot at Avenida Real de Madrid 79, in La Torre on the southern edge of the city.
- Hours
- The city says the depot gives information Monday to Sunday; release hours are not published. Ask when you ring.
- What it costs
- From the city's fiscal ordinance on towing: full removal €75.98 for a vehicle up to 1,000 kg unladen, €151.97 above; €39.02 if you arrive before the truck leaves. Storage €9.50 or €19.00 a day by the same weight line, charged only after the first 24 hours.
- Bring
- Not listed on the city pages I read. I would bring the registration papers, insurance certificate, driving licence and passport, and for a hire car the rental contract; ring the rental company too.
EV charging in Valencia: Thirty-three plugs under the Mercat Central
Interparking is the one operator that prints a price: €0.40 per kWh, €0.36 in its app, with 10 points at Glorieta Paz and 2 at Porta de la Mar.
EMT has more plugs: 33 of 22 kW, Type 2, at Centre Històric–Mercat Central, and 7 at Plaça de la Reina, price not published. My pick is the market car park: with 33 plugs one is usually free, and parking is 30% off Monday to Saturday 17:00–07:00 and all day Sundays. An electric car is not banned from the ZBE, but a foreign one still needs registering.
Where to charge
- Interparking — €0.40 per kWh — Glorieta Paz (10 points) and Porta de la Mar (2 points). The one central operator that publishes a price: €0.40/kWh, €0.36 in the P-app, plus the parking
- EMT Centre Històric–Mercat Central — 33 points — Plaza Ciudad de Brujas, beside the Mercat Central. 33 points of 22 kW, Type 2, open 24 hours; parking 30% off Mon–Sat 17:00–07:00 and all day Sundays and holidays. kWh price not published, so my pick for an evening charge but read the terminal first
- EMT Plaça de la Reina — 7 points — Plaça de la Reina car park, under the cathedral square. 7 points of 22 kW, Type 2; price not published
Free parking in Valencia: Lunchtime, Sundays and València Sud
The blue zone is free 14:00–16:00, after 20:00, and on Sundays and holidays. Park at two and your paid two hours start at four.
Metrovalencia reopened the car park at València Sud on 28 February 2026, rebuilt after the 2024 floods: 536 free spaces on lines 1, 2 and 7. No hours are published, so I would not leave a car there overnight without asking.
The Umbracle car park is €24 a day, or €7 with a City of Arts and Sciences ticket, 08:00–24:00, nothing 2.10 m or taller. From there the Turia gardens walk you into town.
Free or nearly-free spots
València Sud: 536 free spaces on metro lines 1, 2 and 7
Metrovalencia reopened the free car park at València Sud on 28 February 2026, rebuilt after the October 2024 floods, with an underground passage to the platforms. Opening hours are not published, so check before leaving a car overnight.
Blue zone: free at lunch, after 20:00 and on Sundays
The blue zone charges 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00, not on Sundays or public holidays. Park at two and your paid two hours start at four.
Umbracle: €7 a day with a City of Arts and Sciences ticket
Not free, but close. The Umbracle car park is €24 a day at the gate and €7 with a ticket for the complex; open 08:00–24:00, under 2.10 m only. Walk into town through the Turia gardens.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Valencia's ZBE covers almost the whole city, 24/7, with 278 cameras. The ordinance requires every foreign-registered motor vehicle, of any kind, to be entered in the municipal register before entering. No fee or processing time is published on the city pages I could open.
- Since 1 December 2025, label-A cars (petrol before 2001, diesel before 2006) registered outside Valencia province are banned; the fine is €200, reduced for prompt payment. From 1 January 2027 the ban covers the rest of the province, from 1 January 2028 every label-A car.
- The blue zone is a two-hour maximum: €1.70 in the centre and nothing more to buy. Guides say an overstay can be cancelled for €4 at the meter within 60 minutes of the ticket running out.
- Green ORA spaces are for residents only, and in 2025 the orange zone became residents-only around the clock during Fallas. Read the kerb colour before you walk away.
- The Umbracle car park closes at midnight and refuses vehicles 2.10 m or taller; Porta de la Mar and Plaça de la Reina are 2.00 m.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.