Street parking in central Madrid costs €1.10 for the first hour in a blue SER bay (€2.75 for 2 hours, €8.20 for the 4-hour maximum) and is free on Sundays and public holidays. Green bays cost €2.05 an hour with a 2-hour limit for visitors, and park-and-ride SER bays charge €6 for a full 12-hour day. Booked online, central garages start at about €14 a day. This guide explains the SER zones and label surcharges, the low-emission zone for foreign cars, and the best garages near the sights.
Driving in? Still choosing a car? Our Spain car hire guide compares the local desks and prices – pick the car first, then park it cheaply with the tips below.
Do you need a car? For Madrid itself, no: the metro is fast and street parking is limited to 4 hours. A car pays off for day trips to Toledo, Segovia or El Escorial. Most visitors pick up at the airport: compare car rental at Madrid-Barajas Airport on DiscoverCars, and read our Spain car hire guide first.
Most of central Madrid lies inside the regulated parking area, the SER (Servicio de Estacionamiento Regulado). Visitors can park in the blue bays for up to 4 hours and in the green bays (meant for residents) for up to 2 hours. You pay from Monday to Friday 9:00 to 21:00 and on Saturdays 9:00 to 15:00; in August the paid hours end at 15:00 on every day except Sundays. Sundays and public holidays are free. When your time runs out you may not park again in the same neighbourhood (barrio) for one hour.
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| Stay | Blue bay (visitors, max 4 h) | Green bay (max 2 h) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes (minimum) | €0.05 | €0.15 |
| 30 minutes | €0.40 | €0.90 |
| 1 hour | €1.10 | €2.05 |
| 2 hours | €2.75 | €4.10 |
| 3 hours | €5.20 | – |
| 4 hours | €8.20 | – |
Base tariffs from Madrid’s parking tax ordinance (Ordenanza Fiscal, article 6) and the City of Madrid SER pages on madrid.es, checked on 25 October 2026. The price rises steeply after the second hour, so a garage is usually cheaper for a long visit.
The parking meter or app reads your number plate in the Spanish DGT register and adjusts the base tariff to the car’s environmental label:
| DGT label | Effect on the SER tariff | 1 hour in a blue bay |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Emisiones (blue) | Exempt, no payment | €0 |
| ECO | 75% reduction | about €0.28 |
| C (green) | 10% reduction | about €0.99 |
| B (yellow) | 20% surcharge | €1.32 |
| A (no label) | 50% surcharge | €1.65 |
| Car not in the Spanish register (foreign plates) | Base tariff | €1.10 |
On days of high nitrogen dioxide pollution the city adds a further surcharge of 60% (level 1) or 100% (level 2). A Spanish rental car pays according to its own label, which is printed on a sticker on the windscreen.
What parking costs in Madrid
City tariffs and Parclick “from” prices, 25 October 2026
Parclick lists 171 car parks in Madrid. These are close to the main sights; the prices are the “from” prices shown on Parclick on 25 October 2026, and your real quote depends on the dates you enter.
Cuesta de Santo Domingo 5, a short walk from the Teatro Real, the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor. From €3 an hour on Parclick. Height limit 1.85 m. See prices on Parclick.
Below Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace. Height limit 2 m. See prices on Parclick.
Calle de Tudescos 1, between Callao and Plaza de Santo Domingo. From €2 an hour on Parclick. Height limit 1.80 m. See prices on Parclick.
Calle de Isabel la Católica 12, just off the Gran Vía. Height limit 2 m. See prices on Parclick.
Plaza de España 18, run by the city transport company EMT. From €15 for 6 hours on Parclick. Height limit 1.9 m. See prices on Parclick.
Calle de Toledo 88, handy for the Sunday Rastro market. From €14 a day on Parclick. Height limit 2.2 m. See prices on Parclick.
Plaza del Rey, near Cibeles and the Gran Vía. From €24.01 a day on Parclick. Height limit 1.9 m. See prices on Parclick.
Arriving by train? Parclick shows a car park at Fray Luis de León 11, near Atocha station, from €15 a day. A little further out, INDIGO Orense (Calle de Orense 50, near Nuevos Ministerios) is listed from €1.68 an hour.
Yes, in three ways:
The cheapest legal all-day option on a weekday is a park-and-ride bay (Ámbito Diferenciado Disuasorio), marked with orange and blue dashed lines: €0.50 an hour, and one ticket covers all 12 paid hours for €6. These bays are around Paseo del Rey, Parque del Oeste and Cuesta de la Vega. Avoid the blue-and-white zig-zag “high rotation” bays: you may stay only 45 minutes there.
The whole city is a low-emission zone (Madrid ZBE), and the City of Madrid states that foreign cars are subject to it in the same way as Spanish ones. Cars without a DGT label (class A: roughly petrol cars registered before 2000 and diesels before 2006) are restricted; a transitional regime for some of them has applied since 7 April 2026. Inside the M-30 there are stricter zones of special protection (ZBEDEP) in Distrito Centro and around Plaza Elíptica, enforced by cameras.
If you drive your own foreign-registered car into Distrito Centro, the city asks you to send the registration document and technical data sheet in advance to autoextranjerocentro@madrid.es (or book an appointment at Calle Bustamante 16), so that it can match your car to a Spanish label. A Spanish rental car already has its label on record.
Flying out? The M-40, M-45 and M-50 ring roads are not part of Madrid ZBE, and you can reach the airport from the M-40 via the M-11, M-12, M-13, M-14 or R2.
Parclick lists valet and shuttle car parks around Madrid-Barajas (MAD); on the Madrid city page, Parking Plus Valet starts from €14 a day. Prices depend on your dates, so enter them to compare. Aena’s own terminal car parks can be booked on aena.es, for example the Terminal 4 car park page.
Madrid parking cost estimator
Compare Madrid car parks on Parclick →Pre-filled with €3.00 an hour, the Parclick “from” price of the Ópera – Palacio de los Duques garage. A blue street bay costs €1.10 for 1 hour and €8.20 for the maximum 4 hours.
In a blue SER bay the base tariff is €1.10 for 1 hour, €2.75 for 2 hours and €8.20 for the maximum 4 hours. Green bays cost €2.05 an hour and visitors may stay only 2 hours. Your car’s environmental label can lower or raise the price.
Yes. The SER does not operate on Sundays and public holidays, so blue and green bays are free all day. It is also free after 21:00 on weekdays and after 15:00 on Saturdays.
Up to 4 hours. After that you may not park again in the same neighbourhood for one hour. Blue-and-white high-rotation bays allow only 45 minutes, and green bays 2 hours for non-residents.
The park-and-ride SER bays (Ámbito Diferenciado Disuasorio) at Paseo del Rey, Parque del Oeste and Cuesta de la Vega cost €0.50 an hour, €6 for all 12 paid hours. Booked online, central garages start at about €14 a day.
Yes, but foreign cars must meet the same rules as Spanish ones. Cars with plates not in the Spanish register pay the base SER tariff. For Distrito Centro, send your car documents to the city in advance so it can be matched to a Spanish label.
Yes. The major rental companies have desks at Madrid-Barajas (MAD), and you can compare their prices on DiscoverCars. From the airport the M-40 ring road is outside the low-emission zone.
