If you are going to rent or buy a car in Spain, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the local parking regulations. Leaving the car in an unauthorized place, you risk that the car may be sent to the parking lot, and you will be issued a large fine. In this article, we will talk about the basic rules for parking in Spain.
Traffic rules in Spain are similar to Russian in many respects. You can park the car only in the designated place. At the same time, do not underestimate the strictness of local policemen, they closely monitor the observance of parking rules. The same can be said about local residents. If you parked in front of a building with a no-parking sign on its facade, the owner of the building will definitely call a tow truck.
Undoubtedly, there are exceptional situations. For example, during football matches, police officers often turn a blind eye to improperly parked cars around the stadium. Or you are just lucky: the owner of the house with prohibited parking in front of the entrance is not there. However, you should not count on luck. If you cannot find a place to leave your car, it is better not to break the law and use paid parking services.
Underground paid parking in Spain
- In shopping centers and shops
All large shopping centers in Spain have underground parking. In shopping centers located within the city, these are usually paid parking lots, but if certain conditions are met, they can be used for free. Large shopping centers often offer a free hour of parking at a certain time of the day (usually after lunch), which can be extended by making purchases of the appropriate amount.
Many grocery stores also have underground parking that is free for customers. When paying for products, it is necessary to present a parking ticket at the cash register. - Urban paid underground parking
In this case, we are talking about underground parking lots located in residential and commercial buildings, marked with the sign “P”, parking publico (public parking). The scoreboard below the pointer informs about the availability of free spaces: “libre” means that there are free spaces in the parking lot, “ocupado” – there are no spaces.
Despite being called “public”, these car parks are private and charge a fee to use them. The cost of parking and the hours of operation of the parking lots depend on the calculations of the owner. There are parking lots that are open 24 hours, while others are already closed at 8 p.m. Therefore, when entering the parking lot, be sure to familiarize yourself with the conditions of its operation.
Please note that places in paid underground parking lots are rented for a long time. Such parking spaces are marked with the words “plaza reservada” or simply “reservado”. Even if this space is free, you do not have the right to park your car there.
Ground paid parking
- Blue zone
The blue zone, or “zona azul” (in Barcelona – “área blava”) is the most common form of surface paid parking in Spanish cities. Parking spaces are marked by a dashed blue line on the asphalt and the familiar image of a hand dropping a coin. If in underground parking lots payment is made upon exit, then in the blue zone payment is made immediately after you have parked the car. In a special parking meter, you pay for the required amount of parking time, receive a ticket and place it under the windshield in a prominent place. The presence of this coupon is strictly controlled by employees of the blue zone. If the time you paid for has passed, you must pay again and put the coupon under the windshield. Otherwise, you will be issued a fine, and the car may be evacuated to the parking lot.
- Parking time. The maximum number of watches that can be purchased at one time does not exceed 2 hours. This limitation is explained by the fact that the blue zone is not intended for long-term parking and is designed to ensure the constant availability of parking spaces in the city. In addition, the existence of a blue zone allows you to exclude the accumulation of abandoned cars on the streets of Spanish cities.
- The cost of an hour of parking in the blue zone varies from city to city and is 2-3 euros. The blue zone is charged only during certain hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 14:00. Small changes may be made to the schedule in different cities. Thus, at night and on Sundays, you can park in the blue zone for free.
Be careful with the coastal area. In winter, you can usually park here for free in the blue zone, but in the summer, the blue zone can be paid for longer than usual. - Green and orange zones
The green zone, “zona verde” (in Barcelona – “área preferent”), and the orange zone, “zona naranja”, exist in many large cities in Spain and are a kind of subspecies of the blue zone, but with one difference. Car owners who live nearby (residents) have significant advantages when parking in these zones compared to the rest (non-residents).
- Cost. If in the blue zone the cost of parking is the same for everyone, then in the green and orange zones the cost of parking for residents is much lower than for non-residents.
- Parking time. Residents can leave cars immediately for a period of up to 7 days (sometimes even up to 3 months), while non-residents can buy only 1-2 hours of parking at a time and at a certain time of the day: from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. :00 , some parking lots also allow parking on Saturdays.
How do the green and orange zones differ from each other? Both perform the same function, the color changes depending on the city. The green zone exists in such cities as Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Seville, the orange zone – in Valencia, Zaragoza and others. In order to take advantage of this parking, car owners must issue a resident card. A mandatory condition is the presence of a residence permit in this place.
- Area for residents only
Only car owners who live nearby have the right to park in these zones. This can be a green or orange zone with the sign “zona residentes” or “area residents” in Barcelona.
Unloading and loading area
These zones are marked by diagonal yellow lines on the asphalt. Parking in this location is permitted for unloading and loading purposes only. Maximum unloading and loading times are generally 30 minutes Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Use of these areas is free.
Parking is prohibited
As a general rule, places where parking is prohibited are marked on the asphalt in yellow with a crossed-out E sign or similar:
- transport entry and exit zones (underground and surface garages);
- loading and unloading areas of goods;
- zones reserved for use by emergency services;
- taxi stands;
- pedestrian zones closed to traffic;
- pedestrian crossings;
- roadsides with prohibition markings (solid yellow line), etc.
