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DeutschVancouver does not have one parking price. It has four separate systems that happen to sit next to each other: the City's street meters, the Park Board's beach and park lots, Granville Island's own federal lots, and the private parkades. They charge differently, they are enforced at different hours, and the free window in one is the busiest hour in another. This page is the short version of all five of our parking guides, with the current rate beside each one.
City meters run 9 am to 10 pm, seven days a week including holidays. From 10 pm to 9 am, unless a sign says otherwise, metered street parking is free. If you are staying downtown and your hotel wants $40 a night for its garage, the street outside is free from 10 pm — you only need to be back at the car by 9 am.
What it costs, by area
| Where | Hourly | All day |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Park and the Park Board beaches Enforced 6 am to 11 pm. Same rate at every lot in the park. | $4.75/hour in summer, $4.25/hour in winter | $17.75 summer day maximum, $12.75 in winter |
| Kitsilano Beach For scale, Spanish Banks is $4.25/hour in the 2026 season. | Park Board pay parking — the kiosk shows the rate for that lot | Metered by the hour; no flat all-day ticket |
| Granville Island $1/hour after 6 pm. Run by CMHC, not the City — rates are their own. | $3/hour weekdays, $5/hour weekends in high season | Day pass $21 in summer, $14 in winter |
| Downtown street meters Meters run 9 am to 10 pm, seven days a week including holidays. Evening rate after 6 pm is lower on many streets. | $1.50–$8.00/hour, priced block by block | Free 10 pm to 9 am, unless a sign says otherwise |
| Canada Place — cruise parking EasyPark Lot 51 (Ballantyne): $20–$28/day with a free cruise-terminal shuttle. | $23/day pre-booked, about about $30/day driving up | $184 for a seven-day sailing if you book ahead |
Rates verified 2026-08-20 against the Park Board fee schedule, the Granville Island administration and current port guides. Where a lot's rate is not published — Kitsilano Beach is the main one — the kiosk shows it before you pay, and we would rather say so than print a number we cannot stand behind.
Where the free hours actually are
- Street meters, 10 pm to 9 am, unless a sign says otherwise. Citywide, unless the sign beside the meter says otherwise. Residential permit zones and rush-hour routes are a separate rule and are still enforced.
- Granville Island after 6 pm. $1 an hour until 10 pm — cheaper than the bus fare for two people, which is why dinner on the Island is a better deal than lunch.
- Park Board lots before 6 am and after 11 pm. Pay parking in Stanley Park and at the beaches is enforced 6 am to 11 pm; sunrise on the seawall is free, and so is a late walk.
- Nowhere on a July Saturday afternoon. Every beach lot in the city is full by about 11 am on a hot weekend. The honest advice is to take the bus or come early, not to circle.
The five guides in full
Parking in Vancouver — FAQ
Is street parking free at night in Vancouver?
Yes. City parking meters are in effect 9 am to 10 pm, seven days a week including holidays, and metered street parking is free from 10 pm to 9 am, unless a sign says otherwise. That is the single cheapest overnight parking downtown — if your hotel charges for its garage, moving the car onto the street at 10 pm costs nothing until 9 am. Read the sign next to the meter first: residential permit zones and rush-hour tow-away routes are signed separately and are enforced whatever the meter says.
How much is parking at Stanley Park?
Park Board pay parking is $4.75 an hour between April 1 to September 30 with a $17.75 daily maximum, and $4.25 an hour between October 1 to March 31 with a $12.75 maximum. It is enforced 6 am to 11 pm every day, and the rate is the same at every lot inside the park, so park at the lot nearest to what you came to see. Pay pay-by-plate at the kiosk or in the EasyPark app.
What is the cheapest way to park on Granville Island?
Two answers, depending on how long you are staying. Under about four hours, pay by the hour — $3 on a weekday in high season, $5 at the weekend. Longer than that, buy the all-day pass at the machine ($21 in high season, $14 in low season) rather than topping up twice. And if you are coming for dinner, arrive after 6 pm: the evening rate is $1 an hour until 10 pm.
Should I book cruise parking at Canada Place in advance?
Yes, and the reason is the price gap rather than the queue. Pre-booked parking in the terminal is about $23 a day or $184 for a seven-day sailing; driving up on the morning costs roughly about $30 a day, and on a two-ship morning between May and September the underground can be full. If you want it cheaper, EasyPark Lot 51 (Ballantyne) runs $20–$28 a day with a free cruise-terminal shuttle.
Do I need a Canadian credit card or coins?
Neither, in most places. Park Board and City machines are pay-by-plate and take tapped cards, and both EasyPark and PayByPhone work with a foreign card and a foreign phone number. Type the plate carefully — pay-by-plate means a typo is an unpaid stall, and enforcement reads plates, not windscreens.
Or leave the car
A day of downtown parking costs more than a day pass on the system. If you are staying in the city for the day, the transit guide is the cheaper plan, and getting around Vancouver covers the ferries, the SeaBus and when a car is genuinely worth it.