Cádiz's old town has been a low-emission zone (ZBE) since its ordinance was published on 27 May 2026, and the 33 cameras start fining in mid-November according to one report, December according to another. A foreign car has no Spanish DGT label, and I found no published way to register one.
So I'd stop on the perimeter road. Canalejas, on Avenida del Puerto, is €2.85 an hour and €25.95 for 24 hours, 2.10 m high, with 15 charging bays. Then walk: the old town is small.
Parking in Cádiz: €1 at the blue kerb, €25.95 under a roof, cameras at the gate
1. Treat the old town as camera territory
Merca2 reports 33 cameras and a fine of €200, rising 30% to €260 for a repeat within a year. It says outside cars need a Cero, Eco or C label in 2026, and Cero or Eco only from 2027. Motor16 says the test is where the car pays road tax. A foreign car fails both: no DGT label, no Cádiz tax. I couldn't read the ordinance itself, so I'd assume mine can't go in.
2. Park on the ring, not inside it
Both reports leave the outer ring road outside the zone. Interparking's Canalejas has 562 spaces, 2.10 m, open 24/7: €2.85 the first hour, €14.30 for five, €25.95 for 24, or €21.95 a day through its P-App. Santa Bárbara (entrance Avenida Carlos III 13) is 24 hours and 2.05 m, price not published. The Saba car park at the station clears 2.30 m.
3. Skip San Antonio once fines start
San Antonio sits under the square in the middle of the old town: 442 spaces, 1.90 m, €2.75 an hour, €25.95 for 24. Getting there means crossing the camera line, and neither report says garage users are exempt. Until the first fines that's a warning letter; afterwards it could be €200 on top of the parking.
4. Pay €1 an hour at the blue kerb
Telpark's Cádiz page gives the blue zone at €1 an hour, three hours maximum (€3), and the orange zone at €1.20, maximum €3.60. Zone 1 charges Monday to Friday 09:00–14:00 and 17:00–21:00 and Saturday 09:00–14:00; Zone 2 only weekday mornings. From 1 June to 15 September it's 09:00–21:00 every day. The meters take your plate and won't sell it a second ticket after three hours. Three hours at the kerb is €3; five at Canalejas is €14.30.
5. Leave the green bays alone
Green means residents only, 24 hours a day. The zones rebuilt on 4 July 2026 gave extramuros 4,458 green bays and just 386 blue ones, says Vivir Ediciones. Orange is shared with residents, 09:00–21:00 Monday to Saturday in that July report; Telpark says every day. The sign wins.
The classic mistake here is following the sat nav to Plaza San Antonio.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canalejas (Interparking)Avenida del Puerto s/n, 11006; on the perimeter road by the port. 562 spaces, open 24/7 | €2.85 first hour, €14.30 five hours, €25.95 for 12 or 24 hours; P-App €2.58 / €11.95 / €21.95. Height 2.10 m. | 2.1 m | 15 charging spaces, €0.40 a kWh (€0.36 by P-App). |
| San Antonio (Interparking)Plaza San Antonio s/n, 11004; under the square in the middle of the old town. 442 spaces, open 24/7 | €2.75 first hour, €13.90 five hours, €25.95 for 12 or 24 hours; P-App €2.50 / €11.95 / €21.95. Height 1.90 m. | 1.9 m | 12 charging spaces, €0.40 a kWh (€0.36 by P-App). |
| Santa BárbaraPaseo Santa Bárbara s/n, entrance Avenida Carlos III 13; open 24 hours | No tariff published on the booking listings I could read. Height 2.05 m (two listings agree). | not published | One listing says no chargers. |
| Station car park (Saba)Plaza de Sevilla s/n, by the railway station; open 24 hours, plate-reading barrier | No tariff published on the listing; booking online is cheaper, says one guide. Height 2.30 m (Parclick). | not published | Not published. |
| Campo del SurUnderground, on the Campo del Sur sea road near the cathedral | No tariff or height published anywhere I could read. | 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 | Blue zone, 3-hour limit | €2 | €1 an hour, three hours maximum, from Telpark's Cádiz page; orange bays are €1.20 (max €3.60). The meter takes your plate and won't sell it a second ticket after three hours. Sundays and holidays are free outside summer. A ticket can be cancelled at the meter within an hour; the fee isn't published. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | San Antonio (Interparking) | €5.50 | height 1.90 m · Inside the ZBE: the drive in crosses the cameras |
| A full day (10 h) | Canalejas (Interparking) | €25.95 | height 2.10 m · Outside the ZBE, on the ring road |
| 24 hours | Canalejas (Interparking) | €25.95 | height 2.10 m · Outside the ZBE, on the ring road |
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Towed in Cádiz: The grúa without a published price list
1. Cancel a blue-zone ticket at the meter
Since the 2018 meters, you can cancel a parking ticket at the machine by typing in the code printed on it. You lose that chance one hour after the ticket was written. The fee isn't published.
2. Budget about €118 for one night
The latest tow figures I found are 2018 data, printed by two motoring sites: €104.20 for the tow and €13.60 a day in the pound. One night is €117.80 before any fine. The consumer group OCU gave €73.65 for the tow in 2012, so the number moves; I couldn't read the current ordinance.
3. Ring 112 if the car's gone
No pound address or phone is published anywhere I could reach, and the city parking company's site didn't open for me. If the car has vanished, ring 112 and report it.
I couldn't find the car pound's address anywhere public, which is reason enough not to test the grúa.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Spanish towing is ordered by the local police; in Cádiz I found no current page naming the grúa operator, its car pound or its hours. The city parking company, Emasa, runs the meters
- Phone
- Emergency number, if the car is gone: 112
- Collect it at
- No car pound address is published on any page I could reach (the Emasa site would not open). Ask through 112.
- Hours
- Not published.
- What it costs
- Last figures found, 2018 data printed by two motoring sites in 2019 and 2020: €104.20 tow, €13.60 a day in storage, so €117.80 for one night. OCU gave €73.65 for the tow in 2012. ZBE fine: €200, €260 for a repeat within a year.
- Bring
- Nothing is listed for visitors. I would bring my driving licence, passport, the registration document and the rental agreement.
EV charging in Cádiz: 27 plugs under Canalejas and San Antonio
1. Charge at Canalejas for €0.40 a kWh
Interparking lists 15 charging spaces at Canalejas and 12 at San Antonio, both at €0.40 a kWh, or €0.36 through the P-App. Forty kWh is €16, or €14.40 with the app.
2. Check the free blue-zone rule
When the meters were replaced in 2018, electric cars could park free in the blue zone. They still needed a ticket and still had to move after three hours. I found nothing newer, so I'd take the free ticket and keep the time.
3. Don't count on Santa Bárbara
One booking listing says Santa Bárbara has no chargers; the station car park publishes nothing. An electric car with foreign plates still has no DGT label either, so the ZBE question doesn't go away.
My pick is Canalejas: most plugs, the tallest roof, and outside the ring.
Where to charge
- Canalejas — 15 points — Parking Canalejas, open 24/7. €0.40 a kWh, €0.36 with Interparking's P-App; outside the ZBE
- San Antonio — 12 points — Parking San Antonio, open 24/7. Same €0.40 a kWh, but inside the camera zone
- Blue zone: free for EVs (2018 rule) — Blue-zone bays across the city. Reported in 2018: free, but take a ticket and move after three hours. No newer rule found
Free parking in Cádiz: San Felipe's free lot and the Sunday kerb
1. Try Punta de San Felipe first
Two guides (2025 and 2026) name the open ground at Punta de San Felipe by the pier as free. There's no attendant and no marked bays, it fills fast in summer and at weekends, and it can close for works or events. I couldn't confirm which side of the camera line its access road falls.
2. Park free on the blue kerb on Sundays
Outside summer, Zone 1 blue bays are free on Sundays and holidays, and Zone 2 is free all weekend. From 1 June to 15 September that ends: it's paid every day.
3. Don't look for park and ride
Cádiz publishes no park and ride. Telpark lists Varela–Playa near the beach from €1.75, unit not stated. A 2014 port tender put the Muelle Reina Sofía lot at €1 an hour; no current price is published.
4. Don't expect a hotel to include it
I found no Cádiz hotel whose own site says parking is free.
Every price here was checked on 12 October 2026; kerb rates come from Telpark.
Free or nearly-free spots
Punta de San Felipe
Open ground by the pier, free according to two guides (2025, 2026). No attendant, no marked bays; full in summer and at weekends; closes for works or events.
Blue kerb on Sundays, outside summer
Zone 1 blue bays are free on Sundays and holidays and Zone 2 all weekend, except 1 June–15 September, when every day is paid (Telpark).
No park and ride published
Cádiz publishes no park and ride. Telpark lists Varela–Playa near the beach from €1.75 (unit not stated).
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- ZBE: in force since the ordinance was published in the BOP on 27 May 2026 (Merca2); 33 cameras; fines from mid-November 2026 (Merca2) or December (Motor16). Merca2: outside cars need Cero, Eco or C in 2026, Cero or Eco from 2027. Motor16: the test is where road tax is paid. I could not read the ordinance; neither report gives a route for foreign plates.
- San Antonio garage (1.90 m) is under the old town's main square, inside the zone. Canalejas (2.10 m) and Santa Bárbara (2.05 m) are on the perimeter road, which both reports leave outside.
- Since 4 July 2026 most regulated kerb outside the walls is green, residents only: 4,458 green bays against 386 blue.
- Orange-zone hours disagree: Mon–Sat 09:00–21:00 in a July 2026 report, every day 09:00–21:00 on Telpark. The sign wins.
- The Emasa site and the city portal would not open for me on 12 October 2026; kerb prices here come from Telpark, garage prices from Interparking.
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.