The Cheapest and Most Expensive Car Parking at European Tourist Attractions

Nothing disturbs the restful atmosphere of a long-awaited break like driving around in circles, on unrecognisable roads, while trying to read directions and find an appropriate parking space.

Travel is at the heart of any holiday, and while time away is often a relaxed and happy occasion, organising travel arrangements can add an element of stress.

Whether on a road trip at home or in a rental car abroad, you’ll want to factor car parking locations and costs into your planning to avoid any nasty shocks when you arrive at your destination.

To stop you from wasting hours trawling through destination FAQ pages or worse (arriving to find unexpected fees), Lotus Car Rental has compiled a list of the cheapest and most expensive car parking spots at Europe’s most popular tourist attractions.

The most expensive attraction parking in Europe

Buckingham Palace - £64.99/€76.09

Perhaps unsurprisingly, parking like a royal doesn’t come cheap. Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the UK’s monarch, takes the title of the most expensive attraction to park in Europe.

Nestled at the heart of London in the City of Westminster, Buckingham Palace is a tourist haven with the closest car park costing the princely sum of £64.99 (€76.09) for all-day parking.

The busy, central location makes it particularly difficult to find on-street parking, with the palace having no public spaces.

Tivoli Gardens - £51.69/€60.37

Danish amusement park Tivoli Gardens is famed for inspiring fairytales, making it fitting to follow Buckingham Palace as the second most expensive attraction to park in Europe.

The 19th-century amusement park, consisting of manicured gardens and rides, has welcomed guests for over 100 years - among them Hans Christian Andersen who was famously influenced by the park.

Stepping into the world of wonder with a full day of parking at Tivoli Gardens will set you back £51.69 (€60.37).

The Van Gogh Museum £51.25/€60.00

Van Gogh is one of the world’s most esteemed and celebrated artists. So, it will be no shock that The Van Gogh Museum is one of Amsterdam's most famous tourist spots.

Home to the largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh’s work, the museum welcomes millions of visitors each year. And, with all that traffic, it is the third most expensive attraction to park in Europe, with the max day tariff of £51.25 (€60.00).

The cheapest attraction parking in Europe

Gardaland - £5.12/€6.00

On the other end of the scale, the cheapest attraction to park in Europe is Italy’s Gardaland.

One of the largest amusement parks in Europe, Gardaland has activities for the whole family with rides, a water park, a sea life centre and on-site hotels, all against the backdrop of Lake Garda.

A full day’s parking at Gardaland costs just £5.12 (€6.00)

Drottningholm Palace - £5.68/€6.65

Swedish UNESCO world heritage site, Drottningholm Palace, is an official residence of the Swedish royal family and a major attraction situated in Stockholm.

While parking is free for visitors who have purchased tickets for the palace, tourists can also pay £5.68 (€6.65) to park without a ticket and explore the beautiful grounds for free!

Siam Park - £5.98 /€7.00

Located on the vibrant island of Tenerife, water park Siam Park is a firm family favourite and comes in as the third cheapest tourist attraction to park in Europe.

Dubbed the Water Kingdom you don’t need to be royal to park at this splashy attraction with all-day parking costing just £5.98 (€7.00).

The most expensive attraction parking in the UK

Looking at just the UK, the most expensive attractions to park at are the regal Buckingham Palace, Edinburgh Castle and the cultural British Museum and National Museum of Scotland, all with day rates exceeding £35.00 (€42.00)!

The cheapest attraction parking in the UK

The UK attractions with the most affordable parking were the theme parks Alton Towers, Legoland, and the historical Titanic Belfast whose parking rates range from just £7.00 to £9.00.

The priciest parking at amusement parks in Europe

Many thrill-seekers wanting to spend their holidays in a land of fantasy will be travelling to one of Europe’s famed theme parks this year. But, parking at amusement parks doesn’t come cheap!
Tivoli Gardens, the second most expensive attraction to park at in Europe, tops the list for the priciest parking at an amusement park on the continent. Parking your car at this Danish attraction will set you back £51.69 (€60.37).

Disneyland Paris is the second most expensive amusement park for parking with the magical destination having a day rate of £25.67 (€30).
And, Mini Europe takes third place for the most expensive parking at an amusement park in Europe. While everything at the attraction is miniature the same can’t be said for parking costs with a full day costing £20.54 (€24).

Ready to set off on your next trip?

As we approach the holiday season more attractions will re-open or extend their hours making tourist hotspots even busier.

To make sure you see all your desired sites and have the smoothest journey getting there, check ahead of time to research routes and car park pricing.

And, if you are venturing abroad without your vehicle and want a reliable way to get around try checking out the local offering of hire vehicles. 

For car rental in Iceland with the highest level of customer service and a huge fleet of vehicles to choose from, look no further than Lotus Car Rental. And if you’re thinking of visiting our beautiful capital, Reykjavik, we have created this handy guide to parking in Reykjavik to help you find the best spots at the best price. And if you're unsure where to start with money when you get here, check out our complete guide to currency in Iceland.

Methodology

The data was gathered by collecting car parking prices listed on the official websites of European tourist attractions. When this wasn’t provided the geographically closest car park pricing was used. 

Car park prices were then collated and ranked for the cost of a full day's parking, using the price for 8 hours on a Saturday. In the instances when an 8-hour option wasn’t available the longest available time was selected, in some instances this resulted in a full-days parking.

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