Here is where to park in Charleston - Parking in Charleston's downtown Historic District is relatively easy if you know where to look.
- Parking in Downtown Charleston & Historic District
- Free Parking in Charleston
- Visitor Center Parking
- Parking Near our Tour Starting Points
Parking advice is among the most common questions on our daily walking tours of Charleston.
Since we also have to drive into the historic downtown area to lead these tours, below are the parking garages we recommend in the historic city center.
Parking in Charleston Historic District
If you want to reserve a spot in advance and get a concession on parking spots, the parking app SpotHero has a few lots that offer reserved hourly parking.
- 18 Henrietta Street - Lot (In & Out Access)
- 125 Calhoun Street - Lot (In & Out Access)
- 415 Meeting Street - Valet (NO In & Out Access, standard sized vehicles only)
- 560 King Street - Valet (NO In & Out Access, standard sized vehicles only)
BOOK A PARKING SPOT WITH SPOTHERO
Metered Street Parking
There are over 1000 metered street parking spots around Charleston for convenient places to base your operations.
However, most street parking is limited to 2 hours, so don't plan on using this if you want to leave your car for the day.
All street meters require payment from Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (excluding Sunday and official city holidays)
- $1 = 30 minutes
- .25c = 7.5 minutes
- .10c = 3 minutes
- .05c = 1.5 minutes
If you are coming and going a lot and plan on using street-metered parking a few times, you can save your coins by getting a SmartCard.
The card itself has a one-time fee of $5, and then you put the amount you want to pay on the card.
This won't save you money, but if you plan on using meters frequently and don't have much change lying around, it may be more convenient.
You can get these at the Visitor Center Gift Shop at 375 Meeting Street.
What's the benefit of using a SmartCard? While there is no upfront price cut, you can get a refund for any unused parking minutes!
So if you put two hours on the meter but only stayed for 30 minutes, you can reinsert the card to get the 1.5 hours back - you cannot do that with coins!
Street parking downtown south of Broad Street requires residential parking permits. Be sure not to park in these areas, as you will likely get a ticket.
Parking Garages
Many City Parking Garages around downtown Charleston are located near more significant attractions.
These parking garages accept cash or credit cards; some are staffed 24/7.
Parking Garage Rates: $1/half hour with a $18 Daily Max
For additional parking information, including an interactive map, please download the ParkMe parking application on your iPhone or Android. https://www.parkme.com/
Free Parking in Charleston
Unless you're staying at a centrally located hotel/inn with free parking, you won't find much free parking for a day trip to the city.
Some restaurants offer parking for their guests, but you won't be able to stay there for the entire day.
But, these are often occupied early in the day and are so few that it's usually not worth the risk of planning to park here.
Visitor Center Parking
The best place to park is the Visitor Center at 375 Meeting Street, which is centrally located and has many public transportation options.
The parking garage offers easy access to the Visitor Center, where you can start your day in Charleston.
The center has restrooms, a gift shop, and an information center where you can get advice and maps to walk around the city.
The Visitor Center Parking Garage is also one of the few places with spots for RVs and electric plug-ins.
Parking Near Our Tour Starting Points
There are parking garages near all of our tour starting points.
We recommend using parking garages rather than street parking. Street parking is limited to 2 hours!
- City Parking Garage - Charleston Place - 85 Hasell St - open 24/7
- Two private run garages are located on Cumberland Street - one at the corner of Church St and another at the corner of State Street.
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