Free parking in Dubai – Save Time & Money on Sundays and Public Holidays
Dubai glows the most on weekends, and that is the ideal time for all the people to go out and enjoy the night. The enjoyment is not expensive; all you need to know is how you can save money, especially on public holidays and Sundays with free parking.
As per Dubai’s traffic rules, all kinds of parking are free on public holidays and Sundays. The previous policy included that the parking was free on Fridays as well. The rule has changed where only Sunday is a Free Parking Dubai day. You do not need to worry as we will tell you about some of the best spots where you can enjoy free parking.
Where to park and highlight your supercar like a pro?
RTA treats luxury cars the same as other cars, but here are some locations where these cars are given priority. People love to see Lamborghini and Ferrari during their busy schedules. To please the passerby’s eyes, you can park outside the Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, and Jumeirah Beach Residence. These are the areas where these cars get free parking in Dubai and get the attention they want. If you wish to drive in the city in luxurious cars you can hire these cars from luxury car rental in Dubai.
Get to know the ideal spots to enjoy free parking in Dubai
There are multiple places where you can enjoy your free parking. As per the RTA, they have allotted some locations for people to park their cars for free. Here is a list of some of these places:
Dubai shopping malls
RTA parking provides people with free parking in some of the famous malls.
Mall of the Emirates
Free parking spots on weekends
Free parking for four hours (in case the time exceeds then a fee of Dh20 must be paid)
Dubai Mall
- Free parking without any limitations or restrictions
- It has around 13,000 parking spaces for visitors
Tourist and leisure attractions
Dubai is very popular for having the highest rate of tourism. People prefer to visit because of the city’s multiple leisure attractions. There are many different amusement parks and tourist locations that provide free parking in Dubai.
Here is a list of some locations where you don’t have to pay for parking.
- Al Seef
- City Walk
- IMG World
- Downtown Dubai
- Dubai Frame
- Dubai Parks & Resorts
Natural open places
If you are a nature lover and want to visit parks, then here is a list of parks where you can get free parking:
- Safa Park
- Burj Park
- Zabeel Park
Also, you can visit any small park in the neighborhood and find free parking.
Commercial zones
Dubai is referred to as the central business hub with thousands of business setups and offices. It is a significant reason for a lot of traffic, especially during office hours. For this reason, parking in commercial zones is challenging. The free parking space in commercial zones can only be found in Dubai Design District. Apart from this, commercial parking space costs AED 4 per hour.
Metro stations
Metro is very convenient for your daily travel as it’s cheap, always on time, and takes you to your location at high speed. Here are some metro stations that provide the ‘park with a ride’ option. You can park your car for free, take a metro and visit any place you want without the hustle.
Remember, not all the stations have free parking. Here is a list of free metro parking stations:
- Tower Station and Nakheel Harbour (Red Line)
- Rashidiya Station (Red Line)
- Etisalat Station (Green Line)
Dubai parking timings for 2022
There are three types of parking that you can find in Dubai; each has its distinct location, timings, and costs. Here is a list to help you understand the types:
Commercial
There are two zones in commercial parking
Zone A
Location: Roadside parking
Tariff: 4 AED = per hours
Timing: 8 am to 10 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Zone B
Location: Parking lots in a commercial zone
Tariff: 3 AED = per hour
Timing: 8 am to 10 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Non-commercial:
Non-commercial parking covers two zones:
Zone C
Location: Roadside parking in non-commercial areas
Tariff: 2 AED in the first hour then half-hour = 2 AED
Timing: 8 am to 10 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Zone D
Location: Parking lots in non-commercial areas
Tariff: 2 AED per hour, 5 AED for two hours, 8 AED for three hours, 10 AED for 24 hours
Special areas:
Three zones for parking are covered in particular areas:
Zone E
Location: Waterfront market
Tariff: Underground parking free, public parking charged
Timing: 8 am to 10 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Zone F
Location: Tecom areas
Tariff: 2 AED per hour, 5 AED for two hours. 11 AED for four hours
Timing: 8 am to 6 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Zone G
Location: Downtown Dubai
Tariff: Free parking spots
Timing: 8 am to 10 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm
Paid parking options to consider when the free areas run out
If there is no space for any free parking, you need to look for the cheapest alternative. You can park your car in any non-commercial area for the lowest rate. You can also make your payment with the most accessible following options:
- Nol cards
- mparking
- Prepaid card
- SMS
- Seasonal parking cards
- Smart parking
The 5 most common parking fines for watching when you park in Dubai
Parking in the city does get very confusing and it is common for people to get parking fines because they were unaware of it. Be cautious with these fines as they cost a lot. Look at the following penalties and try to avoid them as much as possible:
- Parking in any loading and unloading areas = 200 AED
- Parking without securing a car = 500 AED
- Parking behind cars that block the movement of other vehicles = 500 AED
- Parking on the left-hand side of the road in prohibited areas = 1000 AED
- Parking in the space allotted for special needs people and ambulance = 1000 AED
How to identify the parking zone my car is in?
There is a system of SMS parking in Dubai which is known as mParking. This helps people with a lot of queries. For example, if you are confused about the zone where you are parking your car, do not worry. The process gets easy with Dubai parking SMS. Send an SMS to 7275. Write your message in this format: number plate-space-area code-number of hours. This service is provided by RTA so that it is feasible for people to identify their zone and park accordingly.
