Parking in Savannah

The strategy is pleasantly boring: park once, ride the free DOT, and walk. A garage removes the posted time limit that turns a meter into a small source of dread.

The wrinkles are event rates, hotel valet and the completely separate systems at the airport and Tybee. The tables below use the city's garage page where its publications disagree; the price at the gate still wins.

The whole downtown system on one screen

Garages are for a day, meters for an errand, and lots for the awkward gaps.

Rates are the City of Savannah's published 2026 figures as of September 1, 2026. Where the city's garages page and its Revenue Ordinance print different daily maximums, this table uses the garages page, and the rate posted at the gate governs.

Pick a garage and stop comparing

All six are open around the clock and take cards. Bryan, State and Robinson share the central rate; Liberty is cheaper on weekdays; Whitaker is convenient for the river. Eastern Wharf works when you intend to ride the DOT back to the center.

Every garage charges $42 for a lost ticket and $25 on declared special-event days. EV charging is free for three hours while parking is charged normally. No downtown garage publishes a height clearance, so drivers of tall vans or cars with roof boxes should call the garage first.

Meters: read the block, not just the zone

Zone 1 at the north end costs $2.50 an hour; Zone 2 costs $1.50. North of Liberty Street, enforcement runs Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. South of Liberty, it runs weekdays from 8 to 5. Sundays and city holidays are free, but garages keep charging.

Individual blocks set their own limits, including 15- and 30-minute spaces. Start the session as soon as you park using coin, card, ParkSavannah or Flowbird. Enforcement reads your plate, so there is no receipt to display—and no useful argument about starting late.

The Visitor Day Pass costs $15 for 24 hours or $24 for 48 and allows overtime parking in eligible spaces. It is sold on weekdays at 100 East Bryan Street and does not cover sweeping zones. For disabled-parking rules, call the city at 912-651-6470 rather than assume a placard waives payment.

Free parking exists in hours, not lots

Meters are free overnight, Sunday and city holidays; south of Liberty, the free window begins at 5 p.m. on weekdays and includes Saturday. The Visitor Center gives you one hour. For a full weekend day, a $5 garage is usually easier than hunting for a free curb.

Small lots fill specific gaps

The Visitor Center is $1 an hour after its free first hour and has 14 RV spaces, but no overnight parking. The Civic Center is 50 cents an hour. River Street has small city lots at $2 an hour, while Plant Riverside charges its own higher rates. The riverfront guide explains which options avoid the bluff.

Event days change the answer

Garages switch to $25 and surface lots may close. St. Patrick's week is the obvious example: park once and walk, or stay outside the district and ride in. The timing guide flags other crowded dates.

Tickets, boots and tows

A ticket gains $17 after seven days and another $22 after 30. Pay online, by mail or at 100 East Bryan Street; street-sweeping tickets go to Sanitation at 912-651-6579. The fee table above is the useful part. If a car has been towed, use the city's current instructions rather than trying to calculate the release from an article.

Hotel valet can reverse a room-rate bargain

Published downtown valet runs $43 to $60 a night. Add it before comparing rooms, then ask whether the hotel permits a city garage. Valet buys in-and-out access; a garage charges each new stay.

Do you need the car at all?

Not for the squares and river. The free DOT reaches 18 district stops, and the free ferry handles the river view. Check CAT's alerts and hours directly before relying on a particular stop or landing.

Bring the car back out for Tybee, Fort Pulaski or Wormsloe. Otherwise, let it have a quiet day in the garage.

RVs and coaches need a separate plan

The Visitor Center has the city's 14 RV spaces, with no overnight parking. Motor coaches over 34 feet need a city permit. Downtown garages publish no useful oversized-vehicle clearance, so call before arrival.

Airport parking

Pay at the exit plaza and check the airport's page the week you fly: its economy closure notice can change. The trip planner covers the ride into town.

Tybee starts from zero

Downtown rules do not follow you to the island. Tybee charges $4 an hour or $25 for the day, digitally, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Expired time costs $65, disabled drivers pay too, and RVs cannot use city lots. Buy the day pass before leaving the car; the Tybee guide handles the beaches.

The no-thinking version

River Street: Whitaker garage. A whole day: Liberty on a weekday or any $5 central garage on a weekend, then the DOT. Dinner or a ghost tour: use an evening flat rate. Forsyth: a Zone 2 meter. Tybee: the $25 day pass. A flight: choose from the airport table above.