Alicante's blue zone is cheap but short: €1.80 buys the full two hours, and the meter won't sell you a minute more. Sundays and holidays are free, and so is the 14:00–16:00 lunch gap on weekdays, for now.
How I'd park: leave the car at the port's Poniente car park, €7.95 for anything from 5 to 24 hours, and walk the Explanada. Don't drive into the old town under the castle: it's a closed zone with a €200 fine.
Parking in Alicante: €1.80 at the kerb, €7.95 at the port
1. Keep out of the Casco Antiguo
Since early 2025 the old town under Santa Bárbara has been Ring I of Alicante's low-emission zone (ZBE). It isn't a sticker zone: only residents, authorised vehicles and registered guests may drive in, whatever your label. The fine is €200, €260 for a repeat within a year. It runs from Rambla de Méndez Núñez up to the castle slope.
2. Ask your hotel before you book
Guests of hotels inside the ring need a one-off permit, arranged by the hotel. Alicante publishes no visitor plate register that I could find. If the hotel can't confirm in writing, I'd park outside and walk.
3. Pay €1.80 for two hours
The ORA blue zone (the city's pay-and-display kerb) is €0.30 for 30 minutes, €0.60 for an hour, €1.80 for two, and two hours is the limit. It charges Monday to Friday 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00. Basic zones charge Saturday morning only; commercial streets charge both halves of Saturday. Pay at the meter or in Moviltik, the council's parking app, which bills the exact minutes.
4. Overstayed? Pay €3.50 within 90 minutes
Ran past your ticket but not the two-hour limit? You can cancel the ticket for €3.50 at the meter within 90 minutes. Orange bays are for residents: a visitor gets one hour there, for €1.40.
5. Leave the car at Poniente all day
Poniente on the west quay charges €1.85 for an hour and €7.95 for 5 to 24 hours (€6.95 in its app); height 2.05 m, 516 spaces, open 24/7. Plaza del Puerto, on the Levante quay nearer Postiguet beach, is €2.55 an hour and €29.95 a day, height 2.00 m. For the market, Alfonso el Sabio is 2.20 m high; one listing gives a €12.05 day cap, another €13.20, so read the board at the barrier.
The classic mistake is following the sat nav up to Santa Bárbara: the castle doesn't let you park.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Alicante – Poniente (Interparking)Muelle de Poniente 10A, west quay of the port; 516 spaces, open 24/7 | €1.85 an hour; €7.95 for 5, 12 or 24 hours (app: €1.69, €4.95, €5.95, €6.95). Height 2.05 m. | 2.05 m | Charging at €0.40 per kWh (€0.36 in the app); number of points not stated. |
| Plaza del Puerto (Interparking)Muelle de Levante, by the marina and Postiguet beach; 355 spaces, open 24/7 | €2.55 an hour, €12.75 for 5 hours, €29.95 for 12 or 24 hours (app: €2.30, €10.95, €22.95, €25.95). Height 2.00 m. | 2 m | 2 charging bays, €0.40 per kWh (€0.36 in the app). |
| Alfonso el Sabio (Mercado Central)Under Avenida Alfonso el Sabio, from the top of the Rambla to Plaza de los Luceros; about 600 spaces on two floors, open 24/7 | Listings disagree: €1.20 an hour, €12.05 a day on one, €1.30 and €13.20 (2022 rates) on another. Height 2.20 m. The board at the entrance wins. | 2.2 m | Not published. |
| Avenida de la Estación (Vectalia)Underground on Avenida de la Estación, with direct access to the TRAM; 396 spaces, open 24/7 | About €0.033 a minute for the first three hours (roughly €2 an hour), €18 day maximum, as reported in 2023. Height not published. | not published | 14 charging bays: four 150 kW, six 50 kW, four 22 kW (Iberdrola bp pulse); price not published. |
| La Montañeta (municipal concession)Plaza de la Montañeta, near the Mercado Central; 336 spaces, open 24/7 | €1.70 an hour as reported in 2023; no day cap published. Height not published. The council approved a €2.5 million renovation plan in August 2026; no closure dates yet. | not published | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | San Gabriel park and ride (free; buses 01 and L36) | Free | Two free council car parks on calle Bahía (261 spaces planned, 223 at opening). The bus is not included: €1.50 a single. Opening hours and overnight rules are not published. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Alfonso el Sabio (Mercado Central) | €2.40 | height 2.20 m · Prices from listings, not the operator |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, ORA blue zone (2 h max) | €1.80 | €0.30 for the minimum 30 minutes, €0.60 an hour, €1.80 for the two-hour maximum, from the council's tariff. Overstay but under two hours: cancel for €3.50 at the meter within 90 minutes. Pay by meter or the Moviltik app. |
| A full day (10 h) | San Gabriel park and ride (free; buses 01 and L36) | Free | Two free council car parks on calle Bahía (261 spaces planned, 223 at opening). The bus is not included: €1.50 a single. Opening hours and overnight rules are not published. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Puerto Alicante – Poniente (Interparking) | €7.95 | height 2.05 m · €7.95 covers 5 to 24 hours |
| 24 hours | Puerto Alicante – Poniente (Interparking) | €7.95 | height 2.05 m · €7.95 covers 5 to 24 hours |
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Towed in Alicante: Babel, €127 a night, and two phone numbers
1. Ring the Babel yard first
Towed cars go to the municipal yard at Babel, calle Metalurgias. Ring 965 288 498 or 965 149 521 before you go. Its hours aren't published, so I wouldn't turn up unannounced.
2. Budget €127 for one night
The council's fee table gives €106.09 to tow a car up to 1,500 kg and €21.22 a day for storage. One night comes to €127.31, before the parking fine. Over 1,500 kg, a big estate or a seven-seater, it's €159.14 plus €31.83 a day: €190.97.
3. Bring the car's papers
The council asks for your driving licence, the registration document, the ITV (roadworthiness) card and the insurance certificate. If the car isn't yours, bring the owner's signed authorisation and a copy of their ID. With a hire car, I'd add the rental agreement.
4. Watch the Bacarot weekday hours
The second municipal yard, Bacarot, opens Monday to Friday 07:00–14:00 only, and the fees are paid at Babel first. A car that lands there on Friday evening sits until Monday: three days of storage makes it €169.75.
I'd treat a tow truck in Alicante as a €127 problem, not a warning.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Alicante's Policía Local orders the tow; the ORA and tow service has been run by a Pavapark–Vectalia joint venture since 2013
- Phone
- Babel municipal car pound: 965 288 498
Babel municipal car pound, second line: 965 149 521
Bacarot yard: 965 112 891 - Collect it at
- Babel car pound, calle Metalurgias, where fees are paid. Second yard: Bacarot, Camino de los Frailes, 03114.
- Hours
- Babel: not published, ring first. Bacarot: Monday to Friday 07:00–14:00, closed weekends and holidays.
- What it costs
- Tow €106.09 up to 1,500 kg, €159.14 above; storage €21.22 or €31.83 a day; immobilisation €53.05 (council page last updated 2018). One night for a normal car: €127.31 plus the fine.
- Bring
- Driving licence, registration document, ITV card and insurance certificate; if the car isn't yours, the owner's signed authorisation and a copy of their ID. With a hire car, I'd bring the rental agreement and ring the company first.
EV charging in Alicante: Fourteen plugs under the station, €0.40 at the port
1. Fast-charge at Avenida de la Estación
The underground car park on Avenida de la Estación has 14 charging bays: four at 150 kW, six at 50 kW and four at 22 kW, run by Iberdrola bp pulse. The kWh price isn't published; check the screen.
2. Charge at the port for €0.40
Interparking lists €0.40 per kWh (€0.36 in its app) at both port car parks. Plaza del Puerto has two charging bays; Poniente doesn't say how many.
3. Don't count on street chargers
Avenida Alfonso el Sabio has older street chargers, price unpublished. A network of up to 20 new street stations is still at tender stage.
My pick is Poniente: the cheap day rate and the cheap kWh are in the same place.
Where to charge
- Avenida de la Estación car park — 14 bays — Avenida de la Estación, underground, open 24/7. Four 150 kW, six 50 kW and four 22 kW bays, Iberdrola bp pulse with Vectalia; price not published
- Interparking at the port — €0.40 per kWh — Plaza del Puerto (2 bays) and Poniente. €0.40 per kWh, €0.36 in the P-app; plus the parking
- Street chargers, Avenida Alfonso el Sabio — On Avenida Alfonso el Sabio, by the Mercado Central. Existing points mentioned by the press; number and price not published. A network of up to 20 new street stations is at tender stage
Free parking in Alicante: San Gabriel, Sundays and a lift to the castle
1. Park free at San Gabriel
Alicante's only official park and ride is at San Gabriel: two free car parks on calle Bahía, southwest of the centre. The council counted 261 spaces when it started them and 223 when they opened. Buses 01 and L36 stop less than 100 m away.
2. Do the bus sums first
The bus isn't included: a single is €1.50. Two people, there and back, pay €6. That beats Plaza del Puerto's €29.95 by €23.95, but Poniente's €7.95 by only €1.95, so I'd still take Poniente.
3. Park free on Sundays and at lunch
Blue zones are free on Sundays and holidays, after 20:00, and from 14:00 to 16:00 on weekdays. The lunch gap ends with the new ORA contract, late 2026 at the earliest.
4. Ride the lift, don't drive up
There's no parking at the castle. Only taxis, VTCs, reduced-mobility vehicles and minibuses go up calle Vázquez de Mella, and only to drop off. The lift on Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach, is €2.70; the castle itself is free.
5. Sleep by the airport
The only hotel I found whose own site says parking is free is B&B Hotel Alicante Aeropuerto, with a free outdoor car park. I found none in the centre.
Every price on this page was checked on 13 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
San Gabriel park and ride, free
Two council car parks on calle Bahía, free, with buses 01 and L36 under 100 m away. The bus costs €1.50 a single and is not included.
Blue zone: Sundays, holidays and lunch
ORA bays are free on Sundays and holidays, after 20:00, and 14:00–16:00 on weekdays. Basic zones are also free on Saturday afternoon. The lunch gap ends with the new ORA contract, not before late 2026.
Santa Bárbara: free castle, €2.70 lift
No parking at the castle. Park at the port, take the lift opposite Postiguet beach for €2.70, or the CSB shuttle from Puerta del Mar for €1.45 (card or bonobus only).
Hotels and their parking
- B&B Hotel Alicante Aeropuerto — Plaza Área de Transporte 55J, c/ Oficial Provisional 31, 03114 Alicante Map. The chain's own Alicante page calls its large outdoor car park free; the hotel page itself just says on-site parking. Out by the airport, not in the centre
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The Casco Antiguo (ZBE Ring I, bounded by Rambla de Méndez Núñez, calle Altamira, avenida Jaume II and the Benacantil slope) is closed to non-residents' cars whatever their label: €200, €260 for a repeat. Hotel guests inside need a one-off permit through the hotel.
- Rings II and III of the ZBE (the traditional centre and the area inside the Gran Vía) have no permanent restrictions, but the city can close them to the most polluting cars during pollution episodes. Alicante publishes no plate register for foreign cars that I could find.
- There is no parking at Santa Bárbara castle; only taxis, VTCs, reduced-mobility vehicles and minibuses may go up calle Vázquez de Mella, to drop off.
- The ORA is being re-tendered: the new contract adds paid lunchtime (09:00–20:00 straight) and over 3,000 new regulated spaces, mostly orange residents' bays, from late 2026 at the earliest.
- Alfonso el Sabio, La Montañeta and Avenida de la Estación prices here come from listings and press reports, not from the operators; the board at the entrance wins.
- During Hogueras (20–24 June 2027) mascletàs go off at 14:00 in Plaza de los Luceros, at the end of the Alfonso el Sabio car park. Expect street closures; the council had not published them when I checked.
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.