Manchester Parking

Parking in Manchester City centre can be difficult, due to the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), which operates in the area of Manchester within the inner relief road between 8am – 8pm Monday to Sunday. Within the CPZ, generally, you can find Pay and Display parking with varied time restrictions.

Parking restrictions to look out for are:

Pay and Display bays where you can stay for 1,2, 4 or 10 hours. In Zones 1 and 2 you can park for two hours max. In zone three you can park for three hours max. In Zone 4 you can park for 10 hours max. 

Single yellow lines, where you can only park at some times. Be sure to check the signs when parking on these

Kerb flashes showing loading restrictions

Double yellow lines where you cannot park

On-street parking is provided by pay and display bays which operate between 8am – 8pm, Monday – Sunday in all Zones. In Zone 4, you can pay for parking for the entire weekend.

In the rest of the Manchester City Council Area, parking restrictions are mostly found on bus routes and main roads to keep the traffic moving at the busiest times, as well as around shopping areas to provide parking for shops. Restrictions in residential areas make schools, junctions and crossings safer.

On the YourParkingSpace map, we make sure that we only offer parking spaces that you are entitled to park in! This way you’ll encounter no restrictions, no permits, and most importantly no unexpected fines!

Parking around Manchester Airport is highly desirable. For cheap, safe and convenient parking spaces, both long stay and short stay, visit our Manchester airport page.

Manchester is known as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, and today the city’s character is vibrant, diverse and rich in history. While the centre is full of bars, shops, museums, galleries and theatres, the surrounding areas of Manchester offer market towns, pubs and pretty green spaces. It is the ideal destination to be explored by car, on foot or by bike. City highlights include the arenas: Old Trafford and The Etihad, as well as Chester Zoo, and the shopping near Manchester Piccadilly. Beyond the city, day trips can be taken to rolling fells of The Peak District and Lake District, to Liverpool City or to Yorkshire.

Other popular attractions in the city centre include Manchester Art Gallery, Showcasing internationally renowned exhibitions of fine art, design and costume; Manchester Arndale, with all the latest high street fashion; and The Science and Industry Museum, housing the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station.

Find great and convenient parking spaces in short walking distances to these unmissable attractions on our search results page.

Car

Manchester is easily accessible from London area from the M1, and then north on the M6 just before reaching Birmingham. If you carry on the M6 you can reach Scotland and the North in a few hours from Manchester.

Manchester has plenty of Park and Ride options across the city, including access by Train, Tram and Bus.

Train

Northern Railway operates from Manchester Piccadilly, and there are trains to Manchester Airport from the station every 10 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly. Manchester Piccadilly is the busiest station, and there are also popular services that run from Manchester Victoria Station, which hosts local and regional services, and Oxford Road which serves the southern part of the city centre.

There are charging ports for electric vehicles across the centre of Manchester, and the primary network is GMEV and their site provides a map of the places for charging.

A network of all electric vehicle charging points in the UK can be found on the government's Go Ultra low website.

As you may already know, that Blue Badge allows you to park in more places, for longer, and often free of charge!

Many off-street car parks in Manchester will offer disabled spaces, but these may be limited and all car parks are different, so check the signs before parking. 

With a valid Blue Badge, you can park on:

Any on-street pay and display space, no maximum stay and free of charge. This also applies to resident parking permit restricted areas.

Any on-street space labelled with the Blue Badge sign. Check signs as some spaces may be limited to 3 hours.

Double and single yellow lines for up to three hours, unless there is a ban on loading or unloading. Again, check local signs for any additional local restrictions.

Any on-street limited waiting bay, all day.

Don’t panic, many overnight off-street car parks in Manchester run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Enter your dates and times into our search results page and find a space fast, before it gets dark.

On Bank holidays and Sundays, parking is free in any on-street pay and display space within the Central Parking Zone.

Have you considered making a bit of extra cash from your empty Manchester parking space? Anyone who lives in Manchester in a location that is relatively close to the city centre, or near one of the stadiums, will be able to make money easily from hiring their private parking space. It takes only moments to register with YourParkingSpace and you could be earning an easy extra income in no time.

Where can I park my car in Manchester overnight?

A recommended place to park is Medlock Street in Manchester. The spaces are available 24 hours on all days. Medlock Street offers excellent short term parking for anyone travelling from Deansgate or Manchester Oxford Road both located a 5 minute walk away. 1.2 miles from Manchester Piccadilly station and 0.8 miles from the city's Opera House. It's also a 10-minute drive from the Trafford Centre shopping and leisure complex. The spaces are suitable for vehicles up to the size of a Large - (4x4). On-site there is CCTV and Security Lighting.

Is there free parking in Manchester City Centre?

On-street parking is provided in pay and display bays which operate between 8am – 8pm Monday to Sunday in all Controlled Parking Zones of the city centre, which operates in the area of Manchester within the inner relief road. There are no charges for using the bays on Bank Holidays. If you are a Blue Badge Holder all on-street parking in the city centre is free.

Is pay and display free on Sunday?

In Manchester there is controlled on-street parking between 8am – 8pm Monday to Sunday, so there is no free parking on a Sunday. Pay and display bays have time restrictions, depending on the Zone. In Zones 1 and 2 you can park for two hours max. In zone three you can park for three hours max. In Zone 4 you can park for 10 hours max, and you can pay for parking for the entire weekend.

Where can I park near Old Trafford Stadium?

Parking on Warwick Court in Stretford is available for daily or monthly use and is a 15 minute walk to Old Trafford & Manchester United FC. There are also convenient spaces near Old Trafford Cricket Ground. Parking spaces are located on Furniture Warehouse in Manchester. The spaces are suitable for vehicles up to the size of a Large - (4x4). The car park is always manned for up to 4 hours prior to any event, and there is a Coffee Shop and toilet facilities on site.