Where to park in Canberra city centre

Location: Entry is on Knowles Place. Access this street from London Circuit via West Row.

Pedestrians access is from London Circuit.

Nearby: ACT Law Courts, Sydney and Melbourne Buildings, The Street Theatre, National Film and Sound Archive, New Acton.

Cost: From $5 (1 hour) to $24 (for a full day).

Nights and weekend rates are from $2 (0 – 30 minutes) to $10 (full day).

Opening hours: 24/7.

Handy to know: The westside southbound lane of Knowles Place will be closed from 13 September for 10 weeks. Only one-way access will be available during this period.

There are 79 parking bays available.

This car park is expected to close mid-October 2025.

Location: Entry is on Knowles Place. Access this street from London Circuit via West Row.

Pedestrians access is from London Circuit.

Nearby: ACT Law Courts, ANU, Melbourne Building, The Street Theatre, National Film and Sound Archive, New Acton.

Cost: From $7 (1 hour) to $25 (for a full day).

Opening hours: All week 5:30 am to 8:00 pm.

Handy to know: This is a secure covered car park. There is lift access to the street.

There are plenty of parking bays available including EV charging bays.

The westside southbound lane of Knowles Place will be closed from 13 September for 10 weeks. Only one-way access will be available during this period.

Location: Nangari Street off Rabaul Lane.

Nearby: Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Glebe Park, Casino Canberra, Government Offices.

Opening hours: Open 24/7.

Cost: From $3 (1 hour) to around $25 for a full day.

Handy to know: If you work in the city, they do offer early bird weekday parking for $20 if you enter before 9 am and exit after 5 pm.

This is a secure covered car park. There is a height restriction of 2.15 m for cars.

Location: Narellan Street off Genge Street.

Nearby: Braddon, Canberra Centre, Garema Place.

Opening hours: 24/7

Cost: From $3 (1 hour)

Handy to know: This open-air car park is located next to Canberra Centre.

There are around 333 parking bays available.

Location: Constitution Avenue.

Nearby: National Convention Centre, Glebe Park, Canberra Centre, New Acton, Commonwealth Park.

Opening hours: 24/7.

Cost: From $9 (2 hours) to $24.50 (for a full day) for entry before 5 pm.

Handy to know: There are 480 parking spots, with internal lift access from the top level.

If you enter after 5 pm and exit before 5 am parking is $7.50. Weekend and public holiday parking is $7.50 per day.

This is an undercover car park. There is a height restriction of 1.9 metres for cars.

Location: Access off London Circuit.

Nearby: Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Canberra Centre, Garema Place, Commonwealth Park, Lake Burley Griffin.

Opening hours: 24/7.

Cost: From $5 (hourly rate) to $20 (maximum rate).

Handy to know: Find this open-air car park next to the Canberra Theatre Centre and opposite the Sydney Building.

There are 261 parking bays available.

This is a short-stay (4 hour only) car park.

Refer to local signage for days and times when pay parking applies.

This car park is expected to close mid-October 2025.

The following public car parks have free parking Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 pm to 8:30 am:

• Theatre Lane car park

• City Hill car park

• Canberra Olympic Pool car park

• Hobart Place car park.

If you are parking at an ACT Government owned car park, always check ticket machines carefully to ensure you pay the correct fee.

Abide by the day and time restrictions displayed on the signs in the car park.

Ticket machine options to pay for parking are:

• coins ($2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c)

• Visa and Mastercard credit cards

• free phone application ‘EasyPark’ (no ticket needs to be displayed for this).

If paying for your parking using coins or credit card, always display your parking ticket face up on the dashboard of the vehicle, with details visible for the Parking Officer.

There are plenty of designated accessible parking bays in the city.

Always display your disability parking permit when parking in these spaces.

If you’re venturing out of the city centre. Here are some car parks available to the public in the National Triangle area:

• John Gorton Building car park

• Langton Crescent car parks (near Treasury)

• National Library of Australia car park

• Parkes Place car park (near Questacon)

• East Block car park, Kings Ave (near National Archives)

• West Block car park, 21 Queen Victoria Terrace.

If you can avoid driving, consider taking public transport.

This will save you money on parking and the hassle of finding somewhere to park.

Take advantage of:

• Park and Ride – park your car for free at one of 22 locations and catch public transport

• Fare free Friday – enjoy free travel on buses and light rail all day, every Friday.

If you’re new to Canberra, the easiest way to pay for your adult fare is by tapping your Mastercard or Visa (physical card or digital card stored on your smart phone or watch) at a bus or light rail validator.

MyWay+, Canberra’s public transport ticketing system, also offers a range of payment options for bus and light rail, you can choose the one that works best for you.

If you are driving to the event, please be aware there may be road closures and limited car park availability in the area due to construction.

To avoid this, consider taking the free Floriade Shuttle bus.

The bus is available every day of Floriade, operated by CDC Canberra.

There will also be a free Weekend Express from the Tuggeranong, Woden and Belconnen town centres, operated by CDC Canberra.

Other travel options include:

• regular Transport Canberra bus and light rail services

• bike and walking routes from the City Centre (15 minutes)

• bike and walking routes from the Parliamentary Triangle (20 – 30 minutes)