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| Aparcamiento del Intercambiador Santa Cruz de Tenerife Image by Jose Mesa Some rights reserved |
Traffic in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has always been one of the main problems for those who visit the capital, either for work or leisure, but more than the density of vehicles, the lack of parking is the real headache for drivers in this area of the island. Exploding prices too make grown people tremble each time they come to the city. Fortunately, there are car parks where you can park in Santa Cruz without the need to donate a kidney [to pay for it] or, in the best case, free.
Diario de Avisos made a compilation of some of these:
1. Parking Santa Rosalía
Located in the central street of Santa Rosalia, number 87, very close to the Plaza del Parque Bulevar (Shopping Centre). The first hour of parking costs 1.45 euros, while the remaining hours cost 1.50 euros. 10.90 euros is the full day rate.
2. Parking Intercambiador (Transport Interchange - Bus & Tram Hub)
Located on Víctor Zurita Soler Avenue, this car park is open 24 hours every day with cheaper rates during the weekend. Parking for one hour costs 1.50 euros, while on Saturdays and Sundays it's only 0.75 euros. Full day is 15 euros.
3. Aparcamientos del Centro Comercial Nivaria
The parking areas of this shopping precinct, located on Tres de Mayo Avenue, are completely free for the first two hours, regardless of whether customers spend or not on the premises. From the third hour, the rate is three cents per minute (1.80 euros per hour).
4. Aparcamientos del Centro Comercial Meridiano
The Meridiano Shopping Center, located on Avenida Manuel Hermoso Rojas, has free parking open to the public during its opening hours. However, in recent weeks it has been reported that this car park could cease to be free or become only free for customers.
1. Parking Santa Rosalía
Located in the central street of Santa Rosalia, number 87, very close to the Plaza del Parque Bulevar (Shopping Centre). The first hour of parking costs 1.45 euros, while the remaining hours cost 1.50 euros. 10.90 euros is the full day rate.
2. Parking Intercambiador (Transport Interchange - Bus & Tram Hub)
Located on Víctor Zurita Soler Avenue, this car park is open 24 hours every day with cheaper rates during the weekend. Parking for one hour costs 1.50 euros, while on Saturdays and Sundays it's only 0.75 euros. Full day is 15 euros.
3. Aparcamientos del Centro Comercial Nivaria
The parking areas of this shopping precinct, located on Tres de Mayo Avenue, are completely free for the first two hours, regardless of whether customers spend or not on the premises. From the third hour, the rate is three cents per minute (1.80 euros per hour).
4. Aparcamientos del Centro Comercial Meridiano
The Meridiano Shopping Center, located on Avenida Manuel Hermoso Rojas, has free parking open to the public during its opening hours. However, in recent weeks it has been reported that this car park could cease to be free or become only free for customers.
NOTE: All prices quoted were correct in 2019.
HOWEVER: If you're reading this, looking to find a place to park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife while carnival is on, then the advice changes: Just. Don't. Try. It. The combination of the interminable traffic queues and the lack of parking places make it almost an impossibility. It is far better to use public transport.
UPDATE: 4 Mar 2025: Getting a parking pass in Santa Cruz, an almost impossible challenge for drivers. The demand for parking in the car parks of the capital of Santa Cruz has grown in recent months.
It is becoming more and more difficult to park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and with the implementation of green and blue zones and the arrival of the bike lane, the situation is even more complicated.
Anyone who works in the capital of Santa Cruz and goes to work by car knows that they can spend up to an hour looking for where to park their vehicle.
Therefore, the option of car parks with their offer of passes is a more than satisfactory solution. But now it is an added problem, since in most of those located in the central area there are almost no passes available, especially daytime ones.
"Thank goodness I got it years ago". Andrea has been working in Santa Cruz since 2020, when she got a daytime pass in one of the car parks located in the centre of the capital. Although she sometimes goes by public transport, she says she doesn't want to cancel her pass for fear of not being able to get a new one. "I have co-workers who are on waiting lists to get a pass," she says.
On the other hand, Sandra has just started working in the El Toscal area. A resident of the north of Tenerife, she goes to work by car. "I started looking for parking in Santa Cruz in February because I got a job in the centre and I found that all the car parks I called had all the spaces occupied and some had not been freed up since the summer of 2023," she says. In her case, as she urgently needed parking, she called a large number of car parks both near and far from her work and they all had the same problem with spaces. "It's true that in some they gave me the option of putting myself on a waiting list and others told me that sometimes, after the carnivals, some spaces were usually freed up," she says.
As a last option, she got a multi-pass for a car park. "Although it is not a reserved space, it is useful to me because there are quite a few spaces when I arrive in the morning. It is complicated if you arrive late," she says. She has also considered leaving her car in La Laguna and going down by tram.
The manager of one of the car parks in the centre of Santa Cruz confirmed to Atlántico Hoy an increase in demand in the central area for parking, motivated especially by the bicycle lane. Although at peak times his car park is full, he says that they always have availability for all those who want to park. However, he has noticed an increase in demand for passes. "We still have the same prices as five years ago, and in addition the rates for parking with a ticket have been lowered. We are doing everything possible so that people who want to park, both with a ticket and with a pass, can do so," he says.