Information about parking in Southampton
The lovely coastal city of Southampton sits just South of the M27 – which connects many of the South coast towns and cities – and can be easily reached via the M3 from London or the A36 from as far as Bath.
Many of the streets in Southampton city centre have on-street pay-and-display spaces available and there are multiple off-street car parks to choose from.
There are no park and ride facilities serving Southampton – but with a wide array of accessible off-street car parks across the city, this shouldn’t prove to be too much of a problem.
JustPark provides information on lots of parking options across Southampton – including spaces on-street, off-street and those that are reservable, from driveways to car parks.
On-street parking
Many of the streets in Southampton are within the city centre pay-and-display zone, of which 4 distinct tariffs for inner to outer areas apply from 8am-8pm, Monday-Saturday – all of which are very reasonably priced.
You can use our parking map to find information about on-street parking spaces in Southampton and their availability.
Off-street parking
The majority of car parks in Southampton are council-operated, all generally offering competitive rates with ideal access for locations across much of the city.
The largest off-street car park in Southampton is privately run at the Westquay Shopping Centre (SO15 1QF) – providing around 4,000 spaces across its two adjoining car parks, one being multi-storey. The podium car park is open 8am-1.15am, Monday-Thursday, and until 3am on Friday and Saturday – but operating reduced hours of 10am-1.15am on Sundays. The multi-storey car park is open 24 hours, Monday-Sunday. Both car parks offer similar rates of fare, at a reasonable cost for its prime location in the heart of the city.
JustPark offers a range of reservable off-street spaces across Southampton – from public car parks, to private driveways. You can browse these options and book a guaranteed space via our website or app.
Location Operator Price Max Stay Marlands MSCP Southampton City Council £1.00 / hour Portland Terrace Southampton City Council £2.50 / hour Southampton Bargate Public Car Park Green Parking £1.00 / hour Back Of The Walls Southampton City Council £1.00 / 30 minutes 2 hours Eastgate MSCP Southampton City Council £1.00 / hour 
Public transport
The principal railway station serving the city is Southampton Central – part of the Southwest mainline, but also providing regular services to cities the length and breadth of the country.
Bus services form the majority of Southampton’s public transport – with several operators providing an expansive network of connections across the area.
Disabled parking
Blue Badge holder disabled drivers can park in all on-street disabled bays and pay-and-display spaces (and in most council operated off-street car parks) in Southampton free of charge, often for an unlimited amount of time.
Blue Badge holders may also park on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, so long as there is no signposted loading bans in force on location.
You can also filter when searching on JustPark to show all our parking spaces with disabled access in Southampton (select this option by clicking on ‘Filters’ on the search results page).
Parking restrictions & event days
The city centre forms a large Controlled Parking Zone, in which 4 distinct payment tariffs apply to all on-street pay-and-display spaces – so it is always worth being aware of the specific restrictions at your chosen on-street parking location before you travel.
On the JustPark map, we’ll only show you spaces which you’re allowed to park in/are not restricted during the time period you search for.
Overnight, weekends & bank holidays
On-street pay-and-display charges apply for a shortened period from 1pm-6pm on Sundays and on Bank Holidays, whereas most off-street car parks’ charges apply from 12 noon-6pm.
Overnight parking is readily available in Southampton, with all council-operated long stay car parks providing this service – but some of these car parks do cease operation at certain times in the evening, so there may be no access overnight.
A further option would be NCP’s only car park in the city, Portland Terrace car park (S014 7EN), not far from Southampton Central station or Westquay shopping centre. This car park operates 24 hours a day, Monday-Sunday, with reasonable daily and overnight rates.
Enter your dates and times on our search results page to see what’s available overnight.
Nearby attractions
Southampton lies at the mouth of both the River Test and the River Itchen. A beautiful port city with a rich maritime history, famous ships from around the globe have docked and set sail from here for centuries. You can park up and enjoy the genuine beauty of Southampton’s fortunate location by the waterfront, or even just slightly inland on the wondrous Southampton Common.
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