Edinburgh Overnight Parking?

My girlfriend and I are traveling to Edinburgh for a couple days in mid-June and we're wondering what the options are for parking? We'll be staying at the St. Christopher's Inn there and they don't have any parking space. I know that parking in the city is exceedingly difficult but I have heard rumor of free parking lots outside of the city center that are well tended by police and safe, etc... Can anybody substantiate these rumors? And can anybody give me directions on how to get to the one closest to central Edinburgh? It would be a huge help!

Any help?

There are several park & rides around Edinburgh BUT they don't allow overnight parking.

So you either pay for parking or park on the street somewhere outside the permit parking zones

Edinburgh Parking

Edited by: alanR

I honestly can't think of any free parking lots that are watched over by police/security.

Obviously some areas are better than others, but if you want to be on the safe side then you are better to pay. At least you then have someone to take it up with in the unlikely event that something bad happens.

Thanks for the advice. Any decent for-pay parking lots anybody can recommend?

Can't really speak for Edinburgh, but I live in Glasgow and I don't imagine it'll be massively different...

There's a lot of places (by which I mean streets and small car parks) which are 'Pay and Display'- just feed enough money into the meter for an overnight stay (this is about £3.50 round my neck of the woods- or you could park your car after the traffic wardens have stopped patrolling!) and make sure you're back in time the next morning to either get another ticket or move the car before the traffic wardens come back on shift. Or you may find a street where you don't have to pay to park there (beware of areas that are 'Permit Holders Only' though- although they will be well sign-posted.

Alternatively, is there anything to stop you parking your (rented, I assume) car anywhere you damn well please and then just not paying the parking fines? (Actually, there probably is- forget I said that last bit.)

Thanks for the advice but after looking around I found out that there are six park-and-rides located just outside of Edinburgh with very good bus service. Most of them allow overnight parking and are in safe areas. Hopefully that will work out well for me and my friends...

Try parking somewhere like Blackhall and get the bus in. Nice area, no permit needed.

PM me if you want to look up a couple of street suggestions on google maps

http://edinburghlove.wordpress.com/ is my blog for ideas of things to do, you're staying very central, so everything is walkable pretty much

Enjoy !