Parking isn't always easy, especially in the cities. Here are some things to watch for as you pull up by the kerbside.

Parking (estacionamiento/aparcamiento) in most Spanish towns and cities is a nightmare, although it isn’t usually as expensive as in many other European countries. However, there’s restricted parking in all cities and towns and parking is prohibited altogether in certain areas.

Note that in many small towns and villages it’s advisable to park on the edge of town and walk to the centre, as many towns are difficult to navigate with narrow and dead-end streets commonplace.

When buying a property in Spain, it’s important to investigate the parking facilities as few older Spanish apartment and townhouse developments have underground or lock-up garages, or even adequate off-road parking facilities, particularly in towns.

Parking regulations vary depending on the area of a city, the time of day, the day of the week, and whether the date is odd or even. In many towns, parking is permitted on one side of the street for the first half of the month (blue and red parking restriction sign marked ‘1-15’) and on the other side for the second half of the month (sign marked ‘16-31’).

In one-way streets, parking may be permitted on the side with even numbers on even-numbered days and on the side with odd numbers on odd-numbered days.

Parking should be in the same direction as the traffic flow in one-way streets or on the right-hand side of roads with two-way traffic.

Some cities have on-street resident parking areas, marked with black bands on telephone and street lighting posts. Residents must buy a parking card from the town hall (proof of residence is required) and display it in their windscreen. Some towns have zones where parking is regulated during working hours (horas laborables), when you need a permit covering the period you intend to stay.

Meters and ticket machines

In most Spanish cities, individual parking meters (parquímetros) have been replaced by ticket machines (expendedor de tickets de estacionamiento). These are often located in areas designated as blue zones (zonas azules), indicated by blue street markings with blue ticket machines.

Parking must usually be paid for from 9 or 9.30am until 2pm and from around 4 until 9pm, Mondays to Fridays, and from 9.30am until 2pm on Saturdays. Parking is free on Sundays and public holidays. Parking costs from around EUR 0.70 to EUR 1 per hour, depending on the town. You can usually park from 30 minutes up to a maximum period of two hours. Buy a ticket for the period required and place it behind your windscreen where it can be seen by the parking attendant.

If you exceed your time, you can often cancel it out by paying a penalty (anulación aviso de sanción) of around EUR 3 (purchased in ticket form from a ticket machine) and either ‘posting’ it in a special slot in the ticket machine, displaying it in your car window or giving it to the parking attendant. This must, however, be done within a limited period, otherwise you must pay a fine of up to EUR 40.

In some towns an ORA ZONA system is operated, whereby parking tickets for 30, 60 and 90 minutes, costing EUR 0.30, EUR 0.60 and EUR 1 respectively, are sold by tobacconists (estancos) and other retail outlets. Look out for the ORA ZONA signs. You punch holes in the ticket indicating the date and time you parked and display it in your car window.

Some towns operate a monthly card system (e.g. multi-parking in Malaga) costing around EUR 15 a month.

Car parks

Apart from on-street parking, there are off-road car parks in cities and towns, although these are rarely adequate. Parking rates vary considerably and are usually from around EUR 1 an hour or EUR 15 for 24 hours. Spaces available in a multi-storey or underground car park (aparcamiento subterráneo) are indicated by a ‘free’ (libre) sign at the entrance, while completo indicates that it’s full.

Many multi-storey car parks have video security. If you park in a multi-storey car park, make a note of the level and space number where you park your car (it can take a long time to find your car if you have no idea where to start looking!).

On entering most car parks you take a ticket from an automatic dispenser, usually by pressing a button. You must usually pay before collecting your car, either at a cash desk (cajero) or in a machine. You cannot usually pay at the exit. After paying you usually have around 15 minutes to find the exit, where you insert your ticket in the slot of the exit machine in the direction shown by the arrow on the ticket.

Fines

Parking fines (multas) have skyrocketed in recent years and there have been many reports of bogus fines where previous free parking zones are changed almost overnight without warning (or streets become temporary ‘no-parking’ zones after you’ve parked). Many town halls have allegedly targeted the motorist as a way of buying their way out of bankruptcy, particularly through extortionate parking fines.

Residents are allowed 15 days to pay or formally protest a fine. A fine may be drastically increased if you don’t pay within the prescribed period.

If your car is towed away, you must pay a towing fee of around EUR 70 in addition to the parking fine (around EUR 20 per day or part of). Non-residents must first pay the fine (in cash) before paying the towing (grúa) charge, usually at two different places. A large number of cars are towed away in Spain, particularly as most Spaniards don’t pay parking fines (in Madrid, only a fraction of parking fines are paid).

If your car is towed away, there may be an adhesive sticker by the side of the road indicating this. You will need to ask a policeman or parking warden where the car pound is.

Wheel clamps (cepos) have been introduced in recent years in some cities. When they were first used in Madrid they almost caused a riot and many motorists attacked them with sledgehammers! They aren’t, however, used to prevent illegal parking in private parking areas or on private land, as in some other countries.

Parking signs

On-street parking is forbidden in many streets in the centre of main cities. Estacionamiento Prohibido means parking is forbidden or restricted and may be accompanied by the sign of a red circle with a blue background and a red line through it. No parking may also be indicated by yellow, red or white kerb or road markings. A blue and white curb stone indicates that you can stop briefly but cannot park.

No parking signs also indicate the direction (shown by an arrow), i.e. left or right of the sign, where it’s illegal to park. If parking is illegal in both directions, a sign will have two arrows. A tow-away zone is usually shown by a sign of a hoist on the back of a truck and the words retirada grúa. 

Some no parking signs have a large ‘E’ (for estacionamiento) with a diagonal line through it (any sign with a diagonal line means something is prohibited). In many towns, private entrances and garage doors have a ‘no parking’ (prohibido estacionar or vado permanente) sign accompanied by a police permit number enforcing the parking restriction. Parking in front of this sign may mean a fine or that your car is towed away or clamped.

Many streets in Spanish villages and towns are very narrow and cars are invariably parked opposite garages making access even tighter. If someone blocks your car in a town, they will usually be shopping or working locally. You should ask around the local shops and businesses or ask a parking attendant for help before calling the police. Failing that, leaning on your horn (although illegal) may help. Some people leave their cars in neutral and the handbrake off when they double park, so that drivers of other parked cars can move it if necessary.

Spaniards are parking anarchists and are champions at the art of ‘creative’ parking. They will park on pedestrian crossings, corners, in front of entrances and exits, in fact, almost anywhere it’s illegal. Double parking is commonplace, although triple parking or completely blocking the road is frowned upon.

In some cities you may encounter unofficial parking ‘attendants’ who will demand a fee to ‘look after’ your car. This may simply be a protection racket as if you refuse to pay they may damage your car. However, they usually only want around EUR 1 and although there’s no guarantee that your car will be safe, it may reduce the risk of having it broken into.

In some areas (e.g. outside Gibraltar) there are parking touts, who will demand a parking fee (e.g. EUR 10) and take your money and run. Note that official parking attendants (guardacoches) are usually uniformed.

This article is an extract from Living and Working in Spain, by David Hampshire. Published by Survival Books.