Downtown San Jose is the city’s entertainment heartland and finding a parking spot in the area can be a sizeable challenge if you aren’t acquainted with the options.
A street view in Downtown San Jose (Photo: Travis Wise via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Teeming with watering holes, restaurants, theatres and cultural venues, Downtown San Jose attracts large numbers of visitors each day. Due to its appeal, parking in the district often represents a real challenge, but by planning your trip in advance you can normally find a spot. To give you a head start, we’ve created a brief guide to parking in Downtown San Jose, including all the key information you’ll need, as well as a few specific recommendations.
With around 2,600 on-street metred parking spaces dotted across the district, you can usually find somewhere to park in Downtown San Jose. Most metres are in operation from Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm, with rates starting at $2 per hour. Most of the area’s metred parking is limited to 2 hours and the maximum time limit is indicated on the meter and on street signs. Alternatively, if you’d rather park your car in a more secure setting, there are also a number of private parking lots and garages to be found downtown. Our number one pick would be Second and San Carlos Street Garage, which is free for the first 90 minutes and $1 for every additional 15 minutes thereafter. Another option we’d recommend is the ParkSJ Market & San Pedro Square Garage, which charges exactly the same rates.
You can book the above parking garages at Spothero.com, as well as several other parking lots in Downtown San Jose
Free parking in Downtown San Jose
Several of downtown’s garages, including our two suggestions above, offer free parking for the first 90 minutes, meaning that if you wanted to come into the area for a quick bit of shopping or a mooch around, you can do so with no charge, as long as you don’t overstay. There are also some that Additionally, as also mentioned above, metred street parking only operates from Monday to Saturday until 6pm, leaving all of Sundays free, as well as evenings throughout the week, meaning you can come into Downtown for dinner or to catch a show and park for free – so long as you can find a place. Other than that, your best bet for free parking is staying in one of the area’s hotels that has its own private car park.
Long-stay parking in Downtown San Jose
If you’re staying in Downtown San Jose and don’t have free parking at your hotel, or are intending to drive into the district several times while you’re here, the cheapest option is invariably long-term parking. This can save you a ton of money on day parking and is also just a lot less hassle than hunting for street parking each day or paying the often higher rates charged by private garages or parking lots. For example, at the ParkSJ Fourth Street Garage, you’ll pay $100 to park for a full month, compared with $25 a day, representing a huge saving overall.
For the best parking rates in Downtown San Jose, go to Spothero.com