Carlton is a timeless Melbourne suburb with rich culture, delicious food and art to explore. Whether you’re visiting Little Italy at Lygon St, heading into uni or checking out Melbourne Museum, we know that parking in Carlton can be difficult to find. Luckily, we’ve prepared a handy guide on where to find parking in Carlton at the cheapest rates.
On-street parking in Carlton is mostly limited to 1 or 2 hours, costing $4/hour during the day. However, In Carlton’s busiest streets, you’ll only be able to find 1 hour parking spots. In less popular streets, you might find 3 hour parking spots at $2.50/hour and 4 hour parking spots at $2.20/hour. Given that Carlton is famous for its dining scene and Melbourne University, parking spots fill up quickly.
There are a few car parks in Carlton to choose from. The best value for all day parking in Carlton is early bird parking at a car park, however is restrictive because of its strict entry and exit times.
Lygon Street Car Park offers a casual hourly fee of $5 below 1 hour, $ 10.00 between 1-2 hours, $15.00 between 2-3 hours and $ 18.00 for parking more than 3 hours and all day parking. With their early bird option, you’ll pay $13, but you must enter the car park before 9:30 am and exit by 6pm.
Another option is Clocktower car park, operated by Care Park, on Drummond St. This car park offers a casual rate of $8 per hour, $16.50 for parking between 1 and 2 hours, $22 between 2 and 3 hours and $28.50 for more than 3 hours. Their early bird pricing is $14.50/day.
If you don’t want to have to try your luck finding parking in Carlton, Share with Oscar has got you covered with cheap all day parking rates and evening rates starting from just $12/day at the locations below:
Evening parking rates vary depending on the car park. Clocktower car park offers a flat rate of $12.50, when entering after 5pm and leaving before 6am. Lygon St car park offers a $10 flat rate, but you must leave before 9pm Monday-Thursday and on Fridays and Sundays before midnight. If you stay overnight, the cost would be $64 per 24 hour period.
You may prefer to lock in a permanent parking spot and save yourself the trouble of having to think about parking every day. Arranging monthly parking (whether it’s 24/7, just Monday to Friday, or for a few days a week) is also something Share with Oscar can help with. Monthly parking is also generally cheaper than booking daily as you are locking yourself in for the month.
Share with Oscar now also offers monthly parking across Melbourne CBD. If you’re looking for a secure and undercover space with unlimited parking access to your spot, then you’re in the right place!
Check out our range of cheap monthly parking options here.
Free street parking is available in some of the quieter streets of Carlton, but it isn’t abundant as these are taken up by the residents in the area. Most free parking spots are limited to 1 hour.
You can also access free parking places at Lygon Court’s car park, located at 333 Drummond St. Your first hour of stay would be free given that you spend $30 at Woolworths. You’d get the 2nd hour for free if you spend over $60 at Woolworths. Also, buying a ticket for Cinema Nova gives you 2 hours of free parking. Their normal hourly rate is $4.
This is always a convenient option and one that would allow you to see Carlton’s surroundings while you ride. If you’re heading in from Melbourne CBD, take tram number 1 or 8 from Swanston Street or buses 200, 201, 203, 205, 207 and 253 from Melbourne Central to head into Carlton.
There’s so much to explore in this vibrant and historical suburb. If you’re into good traditional italian food, art and history, Carlton is most certainly worth visiting. Here is a list of our favorite attractions in the area.
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