Whether it’s short or long term, covered or outdoors, there are plenty of places to leave your car in downtown Los Angeles.
(Photo: Channone Arif via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Short-stay parking in downtown Los Angeles
With LA’s downtown district home to many of the city’s most popular attractions, most visitors tend to be based here or at the very least pass through the area during their stay. If you’re visiting Los Angeles and have your own transport, then it’s fair to say that parking in downtown isn’t the most attractive option. But for those who need to leave their car for short periods and can handle the expense, there are plenty of options available.
When considering short term parking in downtown, toue decision should depend on what your plans are. If you’re going to Santee Alley to shop for bargain clothes, you can find reasonably priced parking in a number of cheap parking lots nearby. If you’re heading for ramen in little Tokyo, an hour’s worth of parking won’t hit you too hard in the pocket, though these places are more on the fringe of downtown rather than central. If you’re going to the theatre or an upscale restaurant you’re going to have to spend $10–20 because your parking options shrink near these venues.
The options for short-term parking, in downtown LA essentially come down to metred street parking or garages. There are a large number of metered street parking spaces available, with enforcement beginning at 8am and usually ending at 4pm or 6pm. After those listed times, parking will be free. Prices for metered street parking varies from $0.50 up to $6.00 per hour, depending on the time of day (higher prices are charged during the busiest hours in the afternoon).
Alternatively, if you prefer the security of covered parking and don’t mind paying that bit extra, there are several multi-storey car parks and covered garages in downtown offering short term parking. Our top suggestion is the Pershing Square Garage, where you’ll pay $3 for each 15 minutes for a maximum of 7 hours. As an alternative, we’d also recommend 606 South Olive Street Garage, where you’ll find almost exactly the same rates. There are also “early bird” rates available at these garages.
You can book both garages on Spothero.com, as well as at several other parking lots in downtown Los Angeles.
Free parking in downtown Los Angeles
While downtown LA doesn’t have any designated free parking garages, certain street parking areas are free after 6pm. So if you’re heading into downtown to enjoy some evening entertainment, you can usually find a free parking spot relatively easily. Additionally, for those staying in a downtown hotel, unlike the Vegas Strip, where many of the hotels charge for parking, the hotels in downtown usually offer free parking. In fact, the Plaza on North Main Street even offers free valet for its guests and 90 minutes of free parking for non-hotel guests.
Long-stay parking in downtown Los Angeles
If you’re based in downtown LA for longer than, say, a couple of weeks, but don’t have any private parking at your accommodation, it may be cheaper for you to find a long-term parking spot, rather than searching around for metred parking each day or paying daily rates in a garage. So, for example, at the BLOC Garage in the heart of downtown, day rates are $21, but monthly rooftop parking starts at $230 per month – a saving of around $13 per day. Or an even cheaper option can be found at one of Joe’s Auto Parks downtown lots, where you’ll pay $160 for a month’s parking.
For the best parking rates in downtown Los Angeles, go to Spothero.com.