Palma de Mallorca's whole old centre is a 24-hour low-emission zone, and a foreign-registered car must be registered online at least five days before it drives in. Without that, the cameras post you a €200 fine. A Spanish hire car just needs the right label.
How I'd park in Palma: leave the car free at the Son Fuster or Son Moix park and ride and take the metro. If I need the car in town, Parc de sa Riera is €1.30 an hour and €5 for the day.
Parking in Palma: A camera ring, blue lines and €5 garages
1. Register a foreign plate five days ahead
The ZBE Centre Ciutat covers everything inside the old-wall avenues, from Gabriel Roca on the seafront round to Plaça d'Espanya. It runs around the clock. Since March 2026 a foreign plate can get an authorisation for up to 30 days, applied for on mobipalma.mobi at least 5 days before you arrive. You'll need ID, the registration papers, the Euro-standard technical sheet and proof of when the car reached the island.
2. Ask the hire desk for the label
Spanish-plated hire cars carry a DGT label the cameras read. In 2026 labels B, C, ECO and 0 get in. From 1 January 2027 B is out. The driver pays the fine, so I'd ask which sticker the car has before signing.
3. Drive straight into a garage
The ordinance lets a car without a valid label head directly to a public underground car park inside the zone, as long as it gets there within 30 minutes on the authorised route. A hotel inside the zone can register your plate, but only for unloading luggage.
4. Treat blue lines as 90 minutes
ORA bays are marked in blue. The city's own page says Monday to Friday 09:00–14:00 and 16:30–20:00, Saturday 09:00–14:00, and a stay that "shall in no case exceed 90 minutes". 2023 guides say 09:00–14:30 and two hours. The sign wins. Pay at the machine or with the mobiAPParc app (Palma's ORA payment app). I found no published tariff; a 2026 guide says €1.25–2.00 an hour.
5. Pay €5 at Sa Riera, not €24
SMAP, the city's car park company, charges €1.30 an hour at Parc de sa Riera, Carrer Manacor and Santa Pagesa, capped at €5 a day from the fourth hour. Parc de la Mar, under the cathedral, last published a summer daytime rate of €3 an hour (2016). Eight hours there at that rate is €24; Sa Riera is €5. No garage near the cathedral prints a height limit; Sa Gerreria is the one I found, at 2.20 m.
The classic mistake is driving a foreign car into the ring unregistered. No barrier stops you; a letter follows.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Parc de la Mar (SMAP)Under the park in front of the cathedral, Avinguda d'Antoni Maura; tel. 971 727 703 | No current tariff online. The last published one (BOIB, 2016): €3.00 an hour 10:00–18:00 from April to October, €1.93 an hour otherwise, by the minute. A 2026 guide gives SMAP's range as €1.30–3.15 an hour. Height not published. | 5 charging points in 2019; price not published. |
| Plaça Major (concession)Under Plaça Major in the old town; 508 spaces; tel. 971 722 225 | No tariff online. The 2018 legal cap was €0.027037 a minute before VAT, about €1.96 an hour with 21% VAT. Height not published. | Not published. |
| Plaça de l'Olivar (SMAP)Under the Olivar market square; 380 spaces; tel. 971 720 315 | No tariff online; inside SMAP's €1.30–3.15 range according to a 2026 guide. Height not published. | Not published. |
| Parc de sa Riera (SMAP)West edge of the centre, by the Sa Riera torrent; also a car pound site in 2019 | €1.30 an hour, €5 a day from the fourth hour (cut from €15 in September 2023; still listed at €1.30 in 2026). Height not published. | 1 charging point in 2019; price not published. |
| Carrer Manacor (SMAP)East of the centre, on Carrer de Manacor | €1.30 an hour, €5 a day from the fourth hour, same scheme as Sa Riera and Santa Pagesa. Height not published. | 2 charging points in 2019; price not published. |
| Sa Gerreria (SABA)Plaça de Sant Antoni, east side of the old town; open 24 hours | Bookable on Parclick; no walk-up tariff published. Height 2.20 m. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Son Fuster park and ride (free) | Free | Free parking; the bus or metro ticket is not included (about €2 on EMT according to a 2023 report). 900 spaces, metro 6 minutes, bus 10. Overnight rules not published. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Plaça Major (concession) | €3.92 | 2018 maximum incl. VAT; current price not published |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | ORA blue zone (price unconfirmed) | €4 | No ORA tariff is published online; a 2026 guide gives €1.25–2.00 an hour and I use the top figure. The city page caps a stay at 90 minutes, guides say 2 hours; the sign wins. Overstay: €6 at the machine within an hour, otherwise €60 (€30 within 15 days). |
| A full day (10 h) | Son Fuster park and ride (free) | Free | Free parking; the bus or metro ticket is not included (about €2 on EMT according to a 2023 report). 900 spaces, metro 6 minutes, bus 10. Overnight rules not published. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Plaça Major (concession) | €19.60 | 2018 maximum incl. VAT; current price not published |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | ORA blue zone (price unconfirmed) | €20 | No ORA tariff is published online; a 2026 guide gives €1.25–2.00 an hour and I use the top figure. The city page caps a stay at 90 minutes, guides say 2 hours; the sign wins. Overstay: €6 at the machine within an hour, otherwise €60 (€30 within 15 days). |
| 24 hours | Parc de sa Riera (SMAP) | €5 | €5 cap from the fourth hour |
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Towed in Palma: Tows go to Son Toells or Sa Riera
1. Ring 092 and ask which depot
The Policía Local orders tows; SETEX-Aparki has run the contract since 2019, when the depots were Son Toells and the Sa Riera car park. No current address or hours are published, so phone first.
2. Budget about €200 for one night
The city publishes no tow fees. The last figures I found are from a 2018 national survey: €132.61 for the tow and €8.49 a day. Add the ORA fine of €60 and one night comes to €201.10, at 2018 prices.
3. Pay €6 within the hour
Overstayed a blue bay? A 2026 guide says you can cancel the ticket for €6 at the machine within an hour. After that it's €60, or €30 if paid within 15 days.
4. Stay out of the ACIRE streets
The ACIRE streets of the old town sit behind retractable bollards, separate from the ZBE. A 2026 guide puts the fine at about €90. I'd park outside and walk.
Palma doesn't tell visitors much about towing. I'd read that as a reason not to find out.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Palma's Policía Local orders tows, validated electronically by officers; the towing and depot contract went to SETEX-Aparki in 2019 (four years, extendable by two). The city publishes no visitor guide to towing
- Phone
- Policía Local (local police), Spain-wide short number: 092
Emergency, if the car is gone and you think it was stolen: 112 - Collect it at
- In 2019 the depots were Son Toells and the Parc de sa Riera car park. No current address is published.
- Hours
- Not published.
- What it costs
- Not published by the city. A national motorists' survey gave Palma's tow as €132.61 for a 1,300 kg car plus €8.49 a day (2018 data). Add the parking fine: €60, or €30 within 15 days.
- Bring
- Not published. I'd bring my passport, driving licence and the hire contract, and ring 092 first to ask which depot.
EV charging in Palma: 26 plugs in the city's own garages
1. Charge under the cathedral
In 2019 SMAP counted 26 charging points across eight car parks: 5 at Parc de la Mar, 5 at Via Roma, 5 at Marquès de la Sènia, 4 at Comtat del Rosselló and the rest at Manacor, Santa Pagesa, Comte d'Empúries and Sa Riera. No price or power has been published since.
2. Expect several apps, not one
Palma's public chargers belong to several operators, each with its own app or card, and a 2026 guide finds no official count or common price. The mayor has promised over 2,000 public points before 2030.
3. Read the screen before you plug in
With nothing published, the charger's own price is the only one that counts.
My pick is Parc de la Mar: five plugs and the cathedral above your head.
Where to charge
- SMAP municipal car parks — 26 points (2019) — Parc de la Mar 5, Via Roma 5, Marquès de la Sènia 5, Comtat del Rosselló 4, Manacor 2, Santa Pagesa 2, Comte d'Empúries 2, Parc de sa Riera 1. Count from 2019; no power or price published since
- Other public chargers — Several operators across Palma; each bills by its own app or card. A 2026 guide says there is no reliable official count or unified price. The mayor promised over 2,000 public points before 2030
Free parking in Palma: Four free park and rides on the ring
1. Take the metro from Son Fuster
Son Fuster has 900 free spaces; the metro reaches the centre in about 6 minutes, bus 10 in about 10. The ticket isn't included; a 2023 report put the EMT bus at about €2.
2. Use Son Moix, Son Sardina or Son Gibert
Son Moix has 348 spaces by the sports centre, with buses 6 and 8. Son Sardina is open 24 hours with the metro and bus 12. Son Gibert has 124 spaces. All four are free, says EMT.
3. Park free on Sunday
The city's page says blue bays need no ticket on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. The city also lists free outdoor car parks such as Son Gotleu and Son Roca.
4. Don't count on a free hotel space
I found no Palma hotel whose own site promises free parking. Budget for a garage.
Two people sharing a day at Son Fuster pay two bus fares, about €8 return, against €24 at Parc de la Mar. Every price on this page was checked on 13 October 2026; where Palma publishes nothing, I've said so.
Free or nearly-free spots
Son Fuster park and ride
Free, 900 spaces; metro to the centre in about 6 minutes or bus 10 in 10. Ticket not included.
Son Moix park and ride
Free, 348 spaces by the sports centre; buses 6 and 8, about 10 minutes. Ticket not included.
Son Sardina park and ride
Free, open 24 hours; metro about 10 minutes, bus 12 about 20. Ticket not included.
Son Gibert park and ride
Free, 124 spaces, open 24 hours; buses take about 20 minutes. Ticket not included.
ORA bays outside paid hours
Blue bays are free on Saturday afternoon and all Sunday, says the city's page. Check the sign.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The ZBE is enforced 24/7 by plate cameras (16 at the access points, according to a 2026 guide). A foreign plate must be registered on mobipalma.mobi at least 5 days before you drive in; the authorisation covers up to 30 days.
- From 1 January 2027 the ZBE drops label B, and the ORA blue zone roughly doubles to about 24,000 spaces in eight more districts.
- A car without a valid label may still drive straight to a public underground car park inside the zone, if it gets there within 30 minutes on the authorised route. That's the ordinance's exception, not general access.
- A hotel inside the zone can register your plate, but only for unloading luggage; it doesn't cover parking on the street.
- The ACIRE zones in the old town are a separate system with retractable bollards; a 2026 guide puts the fine at about €90.
- No car park near the cathedral publishes a height limit; the only one I found is Sa Gerreria at 2.20 m.
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.