Portsmouth is a very popular place to visit, both by train and by Car. But finding a free parking space can be challenging at times. But it can be done. Here is a quick summary of 10 great roads in Portsmouth that you can park on for free.
Free Parking in Portsmouth, UK
Where is the Free Parking in Portsmouth? Here are some streets with free parking in Portsmouth:
- Grove Road South
- Telephone Road
- Buriton Street
- Alverstone Road
- Bramshott Road
- Walsall Road
- Knowsley Road
- Sixth Avenue
- Cosham Parl Avenue
But don’t stop there. Read on as we have split Portsmouth into its most popular areas and individually hunted out the nearest parking to each of these locations for you too. There is also the option to save more time and let my bespoke Google map navigate you straight to Portsmouth’s Best Free Parking Spots.
Free Parking near Southsea & Portsmouth Hoverport
| Free On-Road Parking near Portsmouth Hoverport Southsea | Approx walk to the Hoverport |
| Grove Road South | 16 Mins |
| Merton Road | 17 mins |
| Nelson Road | 17 mins |
| Cavendish Road | 18 mins |
| Hamilton Road | 18 mins |
| Brandon Road | 18 mins |
| Taswell Road | 19 mins |
| Albany Road (one side only) | 21 mins |
| Wimbledon Park Road | 22 mins |
What is the nearest Car Park to Portsmouth Hoverport, Southsea?
If you are happy to pay for parking, the nearest Pay and Display car park to Southsea HoverPort is the Seafront, The Esplanade car park on the seafront. (Located in Orange on the map above) It is just a 1-minute walk from the Southsea Hoverport, where you can get your hovercraft to the Isle of Wright for the day.
| Seafront the Espalande Car Park Click the link above for Google map directions | Times | Prices |
| * 373 spaces + 7 bays for disabled badge holders | 1 hour | £1.80 |
| * RingGo code 1389 | 2 hours | £3.10 |
| * Charges apply 24 hours, seven days per week, including bank holidays | 3 hours | £4.10 |
| * CCTV surveillance in operation | 4 hours | £5.00 |
| * Height restriction of 2 meters | 6 hours | £6.50 |
| * Season tickets are available and can also be purchased directly from Hovertravel. | 8 hours | £8.50 |
| * Hovertravel offers their customers visitor scratchcards for two, four, and seven days of parking | All-day | £12.00 |
Free & Cheap Car Parking near Gunwharf Quays
It is possible if you insist on not paying for parking when visiting Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. But do be warned, it will be a 46-minute round trip from your car to the Shops and back again.
I have listed them below for you to choose from. Maybe though this might be a time, you would consider paying a little for a closer parking space. In this case, you could have as little as only 4 minutes to your destination.
Again I have listed below the best car parks in order of the cheapest for 4 and 8-hour stays.
Free Parking Near Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre, Portsmouth
| Free Parking Near Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre, Portsmouth | Approx walk to Gunwharf Quays |
| Grove Road South | 23 mins |
| Merton Road | 27 mins |
| Nelson Road | 27 mins |
| Cavendish Road | 26 mins |
| Exmouth Road | 30 mins |
| Saint Vincent Road | 31 mins |
| Hamilton Road | 32 mins |
| Brandon Road | 32 mins |
| Duncan Road | 33 mins |
Cheapest Car Parks near Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth
Taking distance, as well as price, into consideration, I would say the best 4-hour parking near Gunwharf Quay’s tobe either:
- Wickham Street Car Park, at £4 but a 10 minute
- Or Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre Car Park at a 4-minute walk, but £6
See the full comparison below
| Cheapest 4 hour Car Parks near to Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre Portsmouth | Approx walk to the Gunwharf Quays | Approx Walking Time |
| Richmond Place Car Park | £3.00 | 43 mins |
| Wickham Street | £4.00 | 10 mins |
| The Harbour | £4.50 | 8 mins |
| Broad Street | £4.50 | 11 mins |
| Guildhall Walk | £4.50 | 25 mins |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard | £5.00 | 16 mins |
| Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre | £6.00 | 4 mins |
| Clarence Pier | £5.00 | 25 mins |
| Seafront The Esplanade | £5.00 | 30 mins |
Also, with the 8 hours parking option, when considering distance as well as the price, the best 8-hour parking ends up being either:
- Wickham Street Car Park again, at £8 with a 10 minute
- Or Wightlink Portsmouth Ferry Terminal Car Park at an easier 5-minute walk, but £9
See the full comparison below
| Cheapest 8 hour Car Parks near to Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth | Approx walk to the Gunwharf Quays | Approx Walking Time |
| Station Street | £7.50 | 35 mins |
| Wickham Street | £8.00 | 10 mins |
| Clarence Pier | £8.50 | 25 mins |
| Seafront The Esplanade | £8.50 | 30 mins |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard | £9.00 | 10 mins |
| Wightlink Portsmouth Ferry Terminal | £9.00 | 5 mins |
| Gunwharf Quays Shopping Centre | £10.00 | 4 mins |
| The Fleet | £12.00 | 22 mins |
| Guildhall Walk | £12.00 | 25 mins |
Free Parking Near Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth
You don’t need to pay for parking as there are roads you can park on for free as close as 9 minutes away from Cascades shopping centre. See the list below for ten great options.
| Free Parking Near Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth | Approx walk to Cascades |
| Hale Street South | 12 mins |
| Railway View | 13 mins |
| Buriton Street | 13 mins |
| Cottage View (one side only) | 13 mins |
| Maitland Street | 17 mins |
| Clarendon Street | 18 mins |
| Foster Road | 19 mins |
| Church Road | 19 mins |
| Timpson Road | 20 mins |
Cheapest Car Parks near Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth
In all my time researching cheap parking in different towns and cities, I never thought I would ever say that the NCP car park is the cheapest. But in this scenario, this is the case.
- NCP Crasswell Street car park is the cheapest 8-hour car park to the Cascades shopping centre in Portsmouth. It is also one of the closest at just a 5-minute walk.
- Clarence Street car park wins the nearest and cheapest at a 6-minute walk and £4.10 for a 4-hour stay.
See the lists below for more options.
| Cheapest 4 hour Car Parks near to Cascades Shopping Centre Portsmouth | Approx walk to the Cascades | Approx Walking Time |
| Clarence Street | £4.10 | 6 mins |
| Isambard Brunel | £4.50 | 12 mins |
| All Saints | £4.50 | 14 mins |
| The Fleet | £4.50 | 15 mins |
| Guildhall Walk | £4.50 | 16 mins |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard | £5.00 | 26 mins |
| Station Street | £6.00 | 6 mins |
| Crasswell Street | £6.20 | 5 mins |
| Market Way | £8.70 | 5 mins |
| Cheapest 8 hour Car Parks near to Cascades Shopping Centre Portsmouth | Approx walk to the Cascades | Approx Walking Time |
| NCP Crasswell Street | £6.20 | 5 mins |
| Old Commercial Road | £8 | 16 mins |
| Clarence Street | £8.10 | 7 mins |
| Market Way | £8.70 | 5 mins |
| Isambard Brunel | £12.00 | 13 mins |
| All Saints | £12.00 | 13 mins |
| The Fleet | £12.00 | 15 mins |
| Guildhall Walk | £12.00 | 16 mins |
| Cascades | £13.00 | 5 mins |
Free Parking near St Mary’s Hospital Portsmouth
| Free Parking Near St Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth | Approx walk to the hospital |
| Alverstone Road (One side only) | 6 mins |
| A2030 | 7 mins |
| Kimbolton Road | 7 mins |
| Bonchurch Road | 8 mins |
| Lichfield Road | 8 mins |
| Walsall Road | 9 mins |
| Sunningdale Road | 11 mins |
| Ascot Road | 12 mins |
| Stride Avenue | 14 mins |
Free Parking near the University of Portsmouth
| Free Parking Near University of Portsmouth | Approx walk to the University |
| Cottage View (one side only) | 18 mins |
| Railway View | 19 mins |
| Buriton Street | 19 mins |
| Grove Road South | 22 mins |
| Britannia Road North | 24 mins |
| Britannia Road | 24 mins |
| Albany Road (one side only) | 24 mins |
| Livingstone Road | 27 mins |
| Nelson Road | 26 mins |
Free Parking near Fratton Football Club, Portsmouth
| Free Parking Near Fratton Football Club, Portsmouth | Approx walk to Fratton F.C. |
| Frogmore Road (One side only) | 1 min |
| Ruskin Road (One side only) | 1 min |
| Carisbrooke Road (One side only) | 2 mins |
| Claydon Avenue | 3 mins |
| Maylands Avenue | 5 mins |
| Church View | 6 mins |
| Posbrooke Road | 8 mins |
| Edgeware Road | 9 mins |
| Meon Road | 9 mins |
Free Parking near Fratton Railways Station, Portsmouth
| Free Parking Near Fratton Railways Station, Portsmouth | Approx walk to Fratton Train Station |
| Manners Road | 6 mins |
| Percy Road | 7 mins |
| Talbot Road | 7 mins |
| Rugby Road | 7 mins |
| Jessie Road (One side only) | 8 mins |
| Harrow Road | 8 mins |
| Cleveland Road | 8 mins |
| Heidelberg Road | 8 mins |
| Britannia Road North | 9 mins |
Free Parking near Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, Portsmouth
Below is a list of roads in Cosham by the Queen Alexandra hospital that allows free on-street parking.
| Free Parking near Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, Portsmouth | Approx walk to the Hospital |
| Ashurst Road | 14 mins |
| Fourth Avenue | 12 mins |
| First Avenue | 14 mins |
| Fifth Avenue | 12 mins |
| Sixth Avenue | 8 mins |
| Sudbury Road | 10 mins |
| Tunstall Road | 10 mins |
| Harleston Road | 10 mins |
| Braintree Road (On Curb Parking) | 10 mins |
Free Parking near Cosham Railway Station Portsmouth
See above and see navy blue drops that mark the free roads near Cosham train station (indicated in navy blue). Below are the roads with google links and approximate walking distance to Cosham Station.
| Free Parking near Cosham Railway Station Portsmouth | Approx walk to Cosham Station |
| Cosham Park Avenue | 2 mins |
| Knowsley Road | 4 mins |
| The Old Road | 5 mins |
| Albert Road | 6 mins |
| Magdala Road (One side only) | 6 mins |
| Pitreavie Road | 8 mins |
| Lonsdale Avenue | 9 mins |
| Rosebery Avenue | 10 mins |
| Dovercourt Road | 11 mins |
Portsmouth is a young and buzzing city in the county of Hampshire with lots of things to keep you entertained. But, if you do fancy a day trip away to a nearby place, may we suggest Southampton, Winchester, Alton, Worthing or Salisbury as we have also visited and found the best free parking in these spots too.
That leaves me wishing you a safe trip. I hope these articles see you parked up well and nearby your desired destination. Keep safe and think of Road Trip heroes the next time you need free parking.
