The Cheapest & Most Expensive Attraction Car Parks [UK/EU Report]

Whether you’re on holiday abroad or vacationing closer to home, costs can add up fast. Before you realise it you could end up spending hundreds on surprise costs like transport tickets, checking baggage and parking your car.

Visiting attractions closer to home could be some Europeans’ answer to a summer vacation in the uncertain travel climate.

However, it could cost more than you expect to park at some of the UK and Europe’s top attractions. We’ve researched the price of an all-day parking ticket at top tourist attractions in the UK and Europe, to reveal the cheapest and most expensive places to park.

The most expensive attraction parking in Europe:

1. Tivoli Gardens, Denmark | 400kr | €54 | £46

Denmark’s biggest theme park Tivoli Gardens is the most expensive attraction to park at, costing £46 for a day ticket!

The Copenhagen theme park isn’t one to be missed – as one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, its rich history draws in thousands of visitors each year.

2. Schönbrunn Palace | €39 | £33

Austria’s most frequently visited tourist attraction, Schönbrunn Palace, was the Habsburg rulers’ summer residence until their extinction around the 1740s. Today, it is a Cultural World Heritage site and symbolises the old imperial lifestyle.

Visitors to the Palace must pay €39 to park at the attraction all day.

3. Fisherman’s Bastion | €34 | £29

The Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest has some of the best views in the country. Vacationers can enjoy panoramic views of the city while enjoying a coffee from the terrace café.

However, the cost of parking isn’t quite as romantic – at a whopping €34 for all-day parking!

The cheapest attraction parking in Europe:

1. Astrid Lindgrens Värld | 60 SEK | €6 | £5 | A$ 9 | $7

One of Sweden’s largest theme parks, Astrid Lindgrens Värld in Vimmerby is a top tourist attraction. Home to characters and settings from Lindgrens’ books, the theme park is a Fairytale Village for fans of the writer.

All-day parking at the attraction costs 60SEK, or €6.

2. Europa-Park | €7 | £6 | A$11 | $8

One of the most visited theme parks in all of Europe, Europa-Park in Germany is home to exhilarating roller coasters like Silver Star which has a 67-metre drop!

To use the car park all day at Europa-Park, it costs visitors €7.

3. L’Oceanogràfic | €7 | £6 | A$11 | $8

Valencia’s world-famous oceanarium is one of the most iconic buildings in Spain.

Although accessible via metro, those travelling by car must pay €7 to park at the attraction,

Attractions with free parking in Europe

Some of Europe’s top attractions let visitors park for free. At the Kadriorg Art Museum in Estonia and Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, parking spaces are available for free on-site!

The most expensive attraction parking in the UK:

1. Whipsnade Zoo | £25 | €29

Whipsnade Zoo has the most expensive all-day parking of all UK attractions. It would cost £25 for visitors to use the official car park!

2. Pleasure Beach Blackpool | £18 | €21

Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach is famous for being one of the top destinations for a vacation closer to home. The family-friendly amusement park is home to the tallest roller coaster in the UK!

However, parking at the Pleasure Beach is one of the most expensive in all of the UK at £18 for an all-day ticket.

3. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum | £15 | €18

The Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucester is the perfect place to get closer to nature. Home to 2,500 tree species and covering 3 miles of land, the arboretum is listed as a Grade I site and top UK tourist attraction.

The cheapest attraction parking in the UK:

1. Blue Planet Aquarium | £2.75 | €3

The Blue Planet Aquarium has the cheapest of all paid attraction parking rates in the UK!

Visitors can park all day for just £2.75 while visiting the underwater aquarium.

2. Cannon Hall Museum | £5 | €6

Cannon Hall Museum used to be home to the Spencer-Stanhope family. Today, it is one of the UK’s top attractions as a country house museum.

All-day parking costs £5 for visitors to the museum.

3. Windermere Lake Cruises | £5 | €6

Windermere Lake Cruises offers trips on the largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria.

Those using the customer car park are charged £5 for an all-day ticket.

Attractions with free parking in the UK

In the UK, free parking is available at a range of attractions, from the Tate St Ives to Chester Zoo. We found seven UK attractions with free parking, more than any other location!

Attraction Parking Across the UK and Europe

Methodology:

Google search results for ‘top attractions in Europe’ and ‘top attractions in UK’ were used to form a list of 20 attractions in the UK and Europe.

Each attraction’s official website was used to find the cost of a full-day ticket at the attraction’s official car park. Where tariffs differed between weekdays and weekends, the higher price was taken.

XE was used to find currency exchange rates as of 05/11/2021.