If you want to park for free in Santiago de Compostela, follow this guide. Most of the city has blue zones, resident green zones, or mixed zones…
It may seem difficult to park for free, but you’ll see that it’s actually very easy.
Table of contents
Free parking near the old town of Santiago
f your destination is the old town of Santiago de Compostela, here are some options. You will have to walk a bit, but don’t worry, everything in Santiago is close by.
Zona Santa Isabel – Pelamios – Salgueiriños
Around the Santa Isabel stadium/sports centre, there is free parking, although it is often quite full.
Head towards the stadium via the street behind Santa Isabel. If there’s no space, turn back and head towards Pedroso via Rúa do Campo de Santa Isabel. If you’re going too far, come back and continue your search on Calle Morón towards Pelamios.
Calle Tras Santa Isabel
This street runs alongside the sports centre. It’s a narrow street that ends with a right turn into a small open area and connects to Ruela das Salvadas and then to Rúa das Salvadas, which also has free parking
Rúa do Campo de Santa Isabel
As soon as you enter this street, there is a small free parking area on the left, although it’s often full.
If you continue straight, you’ll head towards the Pedroso park, and you can find parking spots as you move away. The only problem is that it’s all uphill, so the walk back to the car will be a bit tiring.
If you find you’re going too far without finding parking, turn around.
Don’t mind paying?
Compare private parking prices:
Calle de Morón
An odd street because it turns in an L-shape, it connects the previous two streets and turns right (if coming from the centre) towards Pelamios.
The entire street has free white zone parking, and at the end, you reach the next street where you can park for free.
Calle Pelamios
Known for its university residence and the Nariño bar, this street is entirely a free white zone.
At the end of the street, you’ll find a fork. On the right, you circle the Auditorio park, pass through a tunnel, and reach the “El Burgo de las Naciones” university residence. It may seem far from the centre, but you can reach the cathedral in less than 10 minutes. There is usually space and an interesting walk through parks and emblematic streets.
From Pelamios, if you take the fork to the left, you enter another good parking area:
Calle de Vista Alegre
Named because pilgrims arriving from this direction could see (or used to see) the cathedral from afar, this long street connects the Santa Isabel area with the Vite and Campus Norte area below.
The entire long street has free white zone parking.
North Campus – Vite
In this area, although there are some residential green zones in the Vite alleys, most of it is white zone with plenty of free parking.
El Burgo de las Naciones Residence
In the heart of Campus Norte, there is a large residence with plenty of parking where it’s almost impossible not to find a spot.
Auditorio de Galicia
Very close to the El Burgo residence is the Auditorio parking, which depending on the time of day may have spots or be full, usually depending on the academic schedule.
Avenida Castelao
This long avenue passes through Campus Norte and is the main artery of Vite. In its lower part, from Salgueiriños, there are plenty of spots in front of the faculties of philology and communication sciences.
If you continue up Vite, the entire Avenida Castelao is a free white zone with plenty of parking.
Avenida Xoan XXIII – Juan 23
This street doesn’t have much parking, but what it does have is free. If you go down Calle de Modesto Brocos, which is a right exit just after the curve, there are spots that are currently free but will soon become residential.
Facultad de económicas
My favourite because it’s the closest… I wasn’t sure whether to mention it because I always find a spot and don’t want to lose it.
Sar Area
In the southern part of Santiago, near the Sar river, there are also some free parking spots.
Rúa Ponte do Sar
Although the beginning of this street is a blue zone and loading/unloading area, which is free to park on weekends, further in towards Sar, it becomes a free white zone for parking.
This area is also useful if you want to park to go to the new area, as it is about the same distance from the old town as from the expansion area.
Fontiñas Area
In As Fontiñas, there are plenty of free parking spots. This is a residential area from which it’s easy to reach the Concheiros area, entering the city centre via the French Way.
San Lázaro Stadium
At the San Lázaro stadium, there is always parking available. The only downside is that it’s a 45-minute walk to the centre, but it’s close to the As Cancelas shopping centre and bus line 6, which takes you to the city.
Free parking near the new area of Santiago
Although the municipality has recently been expanding blue zones, taking away large areas that used to allow free parking, there are still good places to park for free in the southern part of Santiago.
Campus Sur
The part of Campus Sur closest to the city is a blue zone, but if you go a bit further, beyond the rugby field, near the faculties of mathematics and education, you’ll find free white zone parking.
This would be around the edges of Vicente Fraiz Andón street.
Hospital Clínico Universitario Area
Don’t park inside the hospital unless you are going there, out of respect for those who need it.
That said, there are good spots for free parking in the surroundings.
Avenida Barcelona y Avenida Bilbao
These parallel avenues have free white zone parking, and there is usually space available.
Rúa Sempre en Galiza
You can park for free on this street, and in the small house area between this street and Avenida Barcelona, you will almost always find a spot.
Xardín da Choupana
On the side of this small park, you will find battery parking, and I’ve never been there without finding a spot.
Santa Marta Area
Santa Marta is a residential area on the other side of the main Rúa da Choupana road.
In this whole area, parking is free, and there is a large free park-and-ride lot with bus connections.
Avenida da Liberdade
This entire street is a free white zone, and there is usually space. Additionally, there is a Mercadona and the well-known local restaurant La Bodeguilla de Santa Marta on this street.
The area between this avenue and Travesía da Poza is free parking, and you will surely find a spot.
Santa Marta Parking “Free Parking Area”
This parking lot is your last option if you can’t find a spot anywhere in the city.
It’s a huge parking lot where you can park only during the day, and three bus lines stop there.
It’s designed for workers commuting from nearby dormitory towns to leave their vehicles on the outskirts and avoid driving and parking in the centre.
Conxo Area
We continue around Santiago’s outskirts in a counter-clockwise direction, now reaching the Conxo area.
Avenida de Ferrol
The area closest to the city is now a blue zone, but if you go a bit further down from the intersection with Calle Doutor Maceira, all parking spots are free.
Check the side streets of Avenida de Ferrol, Calle Jose Ángel Valente, and Ricardo Bescansa.
Rúa de Manuel Beiras
Heading east from Avenida de Ferrol, you’ll find this street where there is usually parking, and it connects to the next area with free parking.
Restollal Area
Finally, we have the easternmost area of the city, where you can park for free almost anywhere.
Rúa do Escultor Camilo Otero
This street connects the Conxo-Cornes area with Restollal, running alongside the Eugenio Granell park.
The entire Rúa do Escultor Camilo Otero and its perpendicular streets have free parking.
Additionally, passing under the train bridge, you’ll find the Pontepedriña parking lot, where for 1 euro you can park all morning without worrying about the time. It’s designed for workers in the new area.
Calle de Amor Ruibal
Although this street doesn’t have parking, in the side area towards the train and bus stations, there are plenty of streets with free white zone parking (at least at the time of writing this, they will likely turn it into a blue or green zone soon).
Corte Inglés Area
Besides El Corte Inglés’s free parking, the entire area to the right of Restollal street is a free white zone.
Zona Restollal Este, opposite Corte Inglés
All these streets from Restollal street to the Sar river have plenty of free parking spaces, a good spot for long-term parking.
What do you think?
Thank you for visiting ¡Qué Santiago! Your guide to Santiago de Compostela.
If any of these spots change and are no longer free, please leave us a comment so we can update the information.
We hope you enjoy your stay in Compostela!