Southampton City Centre Car Parks
Locations, capacity, opening hours and details for 16 of Southampton's main city-centre car parks
Southampton's car parks split into two kinds: multi-storeys (mostly pay-on-return, take a ticket on the way in and pay when you leave - except West Park, which is pay-and-display) and long stay surface car parks (pay-and-display throughout). West Quay Retail Park is a separate, privately-run ANPR car park with its own rules (see its card below). All accept the PayByPhone app alongside ticket machines and, at most sites, contactless card readers - always check the machine or signage on site, since charges and hours can change. Click a car park's name below to zoom the map to it, or click a pin on the map to jump straight to that car park's card.
Map: Leaflet | © OpenStreetMap contributors
Click a car park's name below to zoom the map to it, or click a pin to jump to its card.
Off Harbour Parade, Southampton, SO15 1ST • Westquay / Above Bar
Spaces: ~1,487 (Podium car park) • Hours: Podium: Sun–Thu 9am–1am, Fri–Sat 9am–3am
Westquay's Multi-Storey and Podium car parks together form the city centre's biggest single parking option, serving the Westquay shopping centre directly via covered walkways. Entrance and exit are both via Harbour Parade, not Western Esplanade. Pay-on-return, with card/contactless machines on the way out. The Podium car park's own published hours are Sunday-Thursday 9am-1am and Friday-Saturday 9am-3am.
Pirelli Street, Southampton, SO15 1BA • Westquay / Pirelli Street
Spaces: 700 • Hours: Open 24 hours (fully ANPR-enforced 24/7)
Run by Britannia Parking for West Quay Retail Park (Pirelli Street), not by Westquay Shopping Centre itself. 700 spaces including allocated disabled bays. First hour is free with no ticket needed; longer stays need a ticket from the machine or via PayByPhone (location code 801767) - a day ticket stops covering you at 8pm, so a separate night-rate ticket is needed after that. Fully ANPR camera-enforced around the clock, including for Blue Badge holders, and payment must be made on arrival - vehicles left overnight are at the owner's own risk.
Harbour Parade, Southampton, SO15 1AG • Westquay / Central Station
Spaces: ~64 (reported) • Hours: Open 24 hours
Open-air, 24-hour surface car park with a designated oversized bay for motorhomes and campervans. Handy for Westquay, the Central Station and the Quays swimming complex. Can fill up quickly on weekends and during Boat Show/cruise-heavy periods.
West Park Road, Southampton, SO15 1FY (approx. location) • Central Station • Height limit: 1.88m
Spaces: ~506 (reported) • Hours: Pay-and-display - no barrier, so accessible whenever the surrounding street area is
West Park is the one Council multi-storey car park that's pay-and-display rather than pay-on-return - buy a ticket from the machine and display it, as you would at a surface car park, rather than taking a ticket on entry. Includes electric vehicle charging bays on the ground floor. Handy for Central Station, the Mayflower Theatre and SeaCity Museum.
Next to Asda, Southampton, SO15 2PU • Above Bar / Guildhall • Height limit: 1.95m
Spaces: 810 • Hours: Daily 5:30am–midnight
Pay-on-return multi-storey right next to Marlands Shopping Centre and Asda, a short walk from the Guildhall and Above Bar Street's shops and restaurants. 810 spaces, open daily 5:30am to midnight.
Off St Mary's Road, Southampton, SO15 1PG (approx. location) • St Mary's / Kingsland
Spaces: 35 • Hours: Open 24 hours
Open-air surface car park with around 35 pay-and-display bays, open 24 hours a day. A little further out than the other Council car parks listed here, off St Mary's Road.
Lower Banister Street, Southampton, SO15 2AF • Bedford Place / Cultural Quarter • Height limit: 2.06m
Spaces: not published • Hours: Typically 5:30am–midnight (same as the Council's other MSCPs; not individually confirmed)
Pay-on-return multi-storey serving Bedford Place's restaurant and bar strip and the Cultural Quarter. One of three Council multi-storeys (with Eastgate and Grosvenor Square) offering a discounted £4/day rate for cruise passengers and other visitors parking over 24 hours, after the normal first-day charge. Its own total space count wasn't published anywhere found in this research.
Grosvenor Square, Southampton, SO15 2BG • Bedford Place / Cultural Quarter • Height limit: 1.90m
Spaces: ~532 (reported) • Hours: Daily 5:30am–midnight
Pay-on-return multi-storey a short walk from Bedford Place, the Cultural Quarter and the Mayflower Theatre. One of three Council multi-storeys offering the £4/day cruise-passenger long-stay rate. Uses ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) with pay stations, the JPass app or QR-code payment.
Six Dials, Southampton, SO14 0BD • St Mary's • Height limit: 2.06m
Spaces: ~72 (reported) • Hours: Open 24 hours
Open-air surface car park at the Six Dials junction in St Mary's, north-east of the main shopping streets. Hourly, daily, weekly and monthly parking options available.
Eastgate Street, Southampton, SO14 3HB • High Street / Oxford Street • Height limit: 1.95m
Spaces: ~709 (reported) • Hours: Daily 5:30am–midnight
Pay-on-return multi-storey for the High Street, the historic City Walls and the Oxford Street restaurant strip. One of three Council multi-storeys offering the £4/day cruise-passenger long-stay rate. Uses ANPR at the entry gate; standard charges apply Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm and Sunday/Bank Holidays 12pm-6pm, with an evening charge from 6pm to midnight every day.
College Street, Southampton, SO14 3EJ • Cultural Quarter • Height limit: 2.06m
Spaces: ~168 (reported) • Hours: Open 24 hours
Open-air surface car park in the Cultural Quarter, near SeaCity Museum and the Guildhall. This is the Council's own suggested alternative when Gloucester Square (below) is closed for the Southampton Boat Show. Pay-and-display via ticket machine or the PayByPhone app.
Gloucester Square, Southampton, SO14 2GH • Bargate / Cultural Quarter
Spaces: ~90 (reported) • Hours: Open 24 hours (standard tariff 8am–midnight)
Surface car park near the Bargate and Cultural Quarter. Closed for around 30 days a year during the Southampton Boat Show - College Street is the Council's own suggested alternative during that closure. Blue Badge holders can park free with no time limit here, as at all the Council's open-air surface car parks.
Near the Quays swimming & diving complex, Southampton, SO15 1GY • The Quays / Ferry Terminal
Spaces: not published • Hours: Operated by BH Live (since March 2026) - free short-stay window for leisure-centre visitors, otherwise standard pay-and-display
By the Quays swimming and diving complex, close to the Isle of Wight ferry terminal. Since 1 March 2026 this car park (alongside the adjacent Quays North) is operated by BH Live as part of the Quays Leisure Centre site, with a free short-stay window for leisure-centre visitors. The Council's designated motorhome/campervan bay near the ferry terminal is also sited in this area. No published total space count was found for this specific car park.
Town Quay Road, Southampton, SO14 2AQ • Town Quay / Waterfront
Spaces: ~185 (reported) • Hours: Open 24 hours (standard tariff 8am–10pm)
Open-air waterfront car park at Mayflower Park, next to Town Quay and the ferry terminals - a genuine front-row spot to watch cruise ships depart down the River Test. Uses ANPR at the entrance (no paper ticket needed on the way in); pay via cash, card or contactless at the machine, or via the JPass app or PayByPhone. Can fill up quickly on sunny weekends or during a big cruise departure.
Town Quay, Southampton, SO14 2AQ (approx. location) • Town Quay / Ferry Terminal
Spaces: not published • Hours: Open 24 hours - public bays (Car Park 1) Monday–Friday, extending into Car Park 2 on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays
Car parking at Town Quay is managed by ParkingEye Car Park Management on behalf of Associated British Ports. Public paid parking is in Car Park 1 (from the start of the quay up to the mini roundabout) Monday to Friday; on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays it extends into Car Park 2 as well, which is otherwise reserved for office tenants on weekdays. Right by the Hythe Ferry and Red Funnel Red Jet terminals, and the Quay Connect bus stop to the city centre and Central Station - a handy spot for ferry passengers as well as marina visitors.
4 Ocean Way, Ocean Village Marina, Southampton, SO14 3TL • Ocean Village • Height limit: 2.0m
Spaces: ~776 (across six floors) • Hours: Open 24 hours, every day
Run by MDL for Ocean Village Marina - open 24 hours a day, every day, across six floors. Card payment only (no cash). Serves the marina itself, the Harbour Hotel, Harbour Lights Picturehouse cinema and the waterside restaurants around Ocean Village.
Parking basics
The City Centre Pay and Display Zone runs Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm, and Sundays/Bank Holidays, 1pm to 6pm - the same hours apply to single yellow line "No Waiting" restrictions in the zone. Overnight parking is allowed in any long-stay car park; the pay-on-return multi-storeys are the easiest option for an overnight stay since you pay the full amount once on the way out rather than buying several pay-and-display tickets in advance. Cruise passengers and other visitors parking over 24 hours get a discounted £4/day rate (after the normal first-24-hour charge) at three Council multi-storeys: Bedford Place, Eastgate and Grosvenor Square.
Where this data comes from: locations, postcodes and height restrictions for the Council-run car parks are from Southampton City Council's own published car park list. Space counts and opening hours are drawn from each operator's own site where available, and from parking directories otherwise, so treat them as a helpful guide rather than a live official figure. A few pins (marked "approx. location" above) use the nearest available postcode or listing rather than an exact address, and a couple of space counts aren't published anywhere and are left blank. Charges, exact hours and restrictions can change, so always check on-site signage or the Council's own interactive parking map for the latest picture. "Get Directions" opens Google Maps with real turn-by-turn navigation to each car park, using your current location if you allow it.
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