Parking in Lisbon: How and Where to Park

If you decide to drive in central Lisbon, you’ll have to worry not only with traffic but also with available parking space.

Many hotels in the historic centre, especially if they’re set in ancient buildings, don’t have parking for guests, so you may have to use parking meters or public garages in Lisbon.

Here’s what you need to know about parking in the city.

Parking Meters

Red zone parking meter

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There are parking meters throughout central Lisbon, operated by the municipal company Emel. The rates for the meters are based on zone pricing, with a maximum allowable parking time limit. Parking is charged in 15-minute slots.

Green fare: €0.80 per hour with a four-hour time limit
Yellow fare: €1.20 per hour with a four-hour time limit
Red fare: €1.60 per hour with a two-hour time limit
Brown fare: €2 per hour with a two-hour time limit
Black fare: €3 per hour with a two-hour time limit

Red, brown and black fares apply to areas of the city with greater demand for parking spaces, including downtown Lisbon.

Depending on the zone, parking meters in Lisbon are in effect from 9am to 7pm / 1am on week days. Black and brown may have meters in force on Saturday (Sábado in Portuguese) from 9am to 1pm. On Sunday and public holidays, they are generally not in effect. Enforcement times are usually posted on the meters.

After you park your car on the street in a metered zone, find the closest meter (coins only). Confirm the parking time limit by pressing the green button. The printed ticket should be placed visible on the dashboard, inside the vehicle. You can also pay by card using the ePark app (via your phone’s app store).

Note that there may be parking spaces for residents only in some parts of the historic Lisbon, or a reserved spot for a person with disabilities. To avoid the hassle of a parking ticket and getting towed, always check for any signs before you park your car.

Parking Garages

There are a series of city- and private-owned public parking garages in Lisbon (Empark, Emel, Bragaparques, etc.) open 24/7. Prices vary according to the zone, but in central Lisbon you may expect anything from €1.80 to €2.40 for the first hour, charged in 15-minute slots. Some parking garages have a €10-15 maximum flat fee per day.

Here are some centrally located car parks.

Calçada do Combro (Bairro Alto / Chiado)
Praça Luís de Camões (Chiado)
Baixa-Chiado, Largo da Boa Hora
Praça do Município (Baixa)
Praça da Figueira (Baixa)
Martim Moniz (Baixa)
Chão do Loureiro (Baixa)
Alexandre Herculano, Rua Mouzinho da Silveira (Marquês de Pombal)
Marquês de Pombal

If your car has a Via Verde transponder (the device used to pay for tolls), you can use it to pay for the parking garage as well. Check if there’s a green Via Verde button that you can press to get access, rather than pulling a ticket. When leaving the garage, the exit gate will raise automatically as you approach, and you’ll be able to see the applicable parking fare.

Otherwise, pull a ticket and keep it with you to pay using cash (coins and banknotes) or credit card at the automatic machines before returning to your car.