Best free parking in Edinburgh

With parking restrictions ever changing in Edinburgh, it is increasingly hard to find a complementary parking spot. Here we outline the best parking places we have found, but if you know of any more, we would be delighted to hear of them. Contact us via the website, email address or postal address in the panel at the foot of the page.

1 FETTES AVENUE

Amazingly enough, Fettes Avenue, close to the police headquarters, is perhaps the very last central (ish) free parking area in Edinburgh. In 2007, all of the Comely Bank, Inverleith and East Fettes Avenue areas were converted to restricted zones. This means that all parking areas became paid parking or residents zones with the exception of the area outside the police headquarters. Fettes Avenue seems to be the free parking beacon of the Capital!

2 ALBERT STREET

Located just off Easter Road, Albert Street offers on-street parking to anyone who can find a spot for the pricey sum of 0. Streets just off Albert Street, however, seem to be paid parking or residents-only parking.

3 JAMESON PLACE

This little parking heaven to the right off Leith Walk (if you are going down the Walk) is perhaps the easiest option for free "park and ride" in the city since the ever-present No 22 bus will take you straight to Princes Street for 1.

4 STAIR PARK

Stair Park is the first right off Murrayfield Road if you come in to Murrayfield on the Corstorphine Road. Although it seems a long way from the Castle, the bus routes are quite frequent and all the way to the West End are the Greenways that make the buses go faster and miss the shopping traffic heading towards the city car parks.

5 PRIMROSE STREET

Now we are really starting to head out of the city centre, but at least it has a cheerful and pretty name! This is located near Lochend Road and close to Claremont Park. In fact, once you have got your messages from town, you could take a stroll round the park. Take your time, you're not paying for parking!