Central Park is no stranger to visitors, and with an expected turnout of nearly 42 million visitors every year, Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States. Central Park is also the most filmed location globally, and by now, you would have realized that finding parking near Central Park is never easy. What’s even more ironic is that there is no onsite parking in Central Park. However, there is plenty of parking near Central Park, located in and around the area. What’s even better is that most of these parking garages near Central Park, along with numerous other NYC parking spots, are all available for pre-booking through websites like Way.com. There are also plenty of parking apps like the Way App that lets you reserve a spot, check parking availability, compare prices, and get the absolute best rates at the click of a button. Finding affordable parking options for Central Park is always a challenge, and that’s why we have you covered. With our detailed guide, you’ll be able to find the best parking near Central Park without breaking a sweat. Most of these parking garages are located right next to Central Park and provide modern facilities like contactless parking and 24-hour security. Let’s dive into the parking guide without any further ado and explore some of the parking hacks to find the best spots for parking near Central Park!
The best spots for parking near Central Park, NYC
Central Park is located right in the middle of the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, making parking garages on East Side and West Side the most popular choice for parking near Central Park. There are plenty of NYC parking garages spread across both sides of Central Park that offer excellent facilities like contactless parking and COVID-19 compliances. Way.com also offers easy booking for most parking garages in and around Upper East Side and Upper West Side.
Upper East Side and Upper West Side parking areas are pretty popular and highly recommended. As a result, you could find it challenging to get access to some of these parking garages. If you are ok with a brisk walk, there are plenty of parking garages near Central Park located next to Times Square, Midtown, and Harlem, all of which provide equally affordable NYC parking deals for secure parking near Central Park.
Street Parking Guidelines
New York City has one of the highest numbers of parking options in the country. A good percentage of these are metered parking spots that offer some of the cheapest deals for parking near Central Park. If you want to park close to Central Park, you need to check out the street parking spots on the side streets between major avenues bordering Central Park. The majority of the metered parking zones have varying time restrictions ranging from 1 hour to 12 hours. If you plan to park at metered parking near Central Park, always check the signage before leaving your car at a metered parking spot. Metered parking spots are also pretty budget-friendly and come for rates as low as $1.50 to $2 per hour. However, most of these Central Park spots get sold out as soon as they become available. Metered parking is free on Sundays throughout the city. Most of the metered parking options near Central Park accept coins, and a few of them also accept credit cards.
Don’t Forget About Alternate Side Parking
Similar to how it is across NYC, Alternate Side Parking (ASP) rules are also applicable across all street parking zones near Central Park. Make sure to have your vehicle moved from areas with Alternate Side Parking signage for 3 hours when alternate side parking rules are in effect. The fine for ignoring alternate side parking across the Central Park area was also recently increased back in February and now comes in at $65. The newly increased fine is now $20 more than it was previously – $45. Going for pre-booking of parking near Central Park through Way.com ensures that you end up saving more money and getting access to secure parking lots.
Tips for Finding the Best Spots in East Side and West Side
Upper East Side and Upper West Side are the two most sought-after zones for parking near Central Park. If you can always find a parking space near East Side or West Side, you would probably have no trouble getting that perfect Central Park parking space. However, this is not easy as driving into a parking lot. Unless you are a regular, you would not know that locations like 96th Street and Lower East 60th Street are places where it’s impossible to find parking without pre-reservation. Alternatively, you can head towards locations like the East 70 through 80, and 90 Streets provide more accessible parking options. The same can also be said about Upper West Side as parking near Central Park is the easiest across 82nd to 96th Street between Central Park and Columbus Avenue.
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