Public Parking in Washington DC: Mall, Garages, Free Spots

Step 1: Decide whether to drive at all

The National Park Service says public transportation is the best way to reach the National Mall sites. Its directions page also says parking in the park can be difficult at times. Read the guide to public transport washington dc before you decide to bring the car downtown.

Parking is tight at the biggest sights. The Washington Monument page says parking near the Mall is limited and often fills quickly, especially in spring and summer. The Capitol Visitor Center says there is very little public parking near the Capitol. Its nearest public garage is at Union Station.

Key Takeaway The only free parking the National Park Service lists on the Mall is at Hains Point, about 520 spaces. Every metered space costs $2.30 an hour, every day until 8 pm.

Step 2: Find public parking in Washington DC near the Mall

A meter on the Mall costs $2.30 an hour, every day from 7 am to 8 pm, says the National Park Service parking page. The meters run on weekends and holidays. The only day off is December 25. The park has over 1,400 metered spaces.

The metered streets are Constitution Avenue NW between 15th and 23rd Streets, Independence Avenue SW, Jefferson Drive SW, Madison Drive NW and Ohio Drive SW. Lot D on Buckeye Drive is metered too. Lots A, B and C on Ohio Drive SW are closed until 2030 for construction.

Plan your time before you pay. Most meter sessions end after 3 hours, and you cannot add time at the same spot. The lots and Ohio Drive SW allow 6 hours. The pay stations take credit and debit cards only. You can also pay with the ParkMobile app or website.

Pro Tip Keep a card or the ParkMobile app ready before you park, because the Mall pay stations take no cash or coins.

Parking at the Lincoln Memorial is limited. The Lincoln Memorial directions page lists some metered street parking along Ohio Drive SW, between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Lots south of the Jefferson Memorial are listed too. A few accessible spots sit on Daniel French Drive SW, just south of the memorial.

The two pages give different time limits. The Lincoln page says most parking in that area has a two-hour limit. The main parking page says three hours, or six on Ohio Drive SW and in the lots. Read the sign on the meter for your spot. The memorial page adds that ticketing and towing are enforced.

Parking near the Lincoln Memorial costs $2.30 an hour at the Mall meters, from 7 am to 8 pm every day. Sunday is not a free day on the Mall. The meters are enforced every day except December 25. On other city streets, the DDOT meter page lists a rate of $2.30 an hour and says the District does not require meter fees on District holidays. It does not list hours or Sunday rules, so read the days and hours posted on the meter and the curb sign.

Residential zones are a separate matter. The DDOT parking menu lists Residential Permit Parking and Visitor Permit Parking as their own programs, but no official page read gives the rules for a visitor in a residential zone. Treat any curb sign that names a permit as a no-park spot for you until you have checked it with DDOT at (202) 671-2700. In short, rules can differ by zone, and DDOT publishes no visitor rule for them on the page read.

Visitors can avoid high fees in three ways. Park at a Metro station lot, which is free on weekends and federal holidays for riders. Use the free spaces at Hains Point. Or take a paid loop or guided tour, so the car stays parked and you pay once.

The park has 150 accessible metered spaces near the memorials. Drivers with disability permits still pay the meter there, in line with the city's rules for the downtown business district.

The Mall museums are not covered in detail. The National Air and Space Museum's address is 650 Jefferson Drive SW, and Jefferson Drive SW is on the park's metered list. The museum's visit page says nothing about parking, so check the meter sign on the street.

If the Lincoln Memorial area is your goal, a short guided ride can save you the search. The day and night e-cart tour is from €39 per person, with a 4.8 rating from 209 reviews. The 2-hour tour is run by Hello DC Tours and meets at 500 5th St NW. The group is limited to 9 people. Free cancellation applies, and food, drinks and tips are not included. The listing says the tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. On the question of cost against value, the tour is worth it if you would rather not hunt for a space; on your own, you pay $2.30 an hour for up to 3 hours at one spot.

Step 3: Pick a garage or a free lot

The nearest big garage to the Capitol is Union Station, which is open 24 hours a day. Union Station's parking page lists its standard rates. You get a 10-minute grace period.

The one big free choice is Hains Point. The National Park Service says the East Potomac Park area offers about 520 free spaces. Its page does not give the walk from Hains Point to the memorials. Look at a map before you count on it.

A garage also helps when the weather is bad or the day is long. The Union Station garage has a daily maximum of $26. That beats feeding a meter that stops after 3 hours. Union Station is the only garage with a published rate here: $13 up to 1 hour and $18 for 1 to 2 hours. No official page read lists an hourly rate for any other garage near the Mall, so no other garage can be named as cheaper. The Mall meter at $2.30 an hour is the lowest hourly rate on this page, and it suits a short stop.

The Udvar-Hazy Center is the big Air and Space hangar in Chantilly, Virginia, not on the Mall. The Smithsonian page says entry is free and parking is $15. The center is open 10 am to 5:30 pm every day except December 25.

Hotel parking is not covered here. Each hotel sets its own nightly fee, and no official page lists them. Ask the hotel for the rate before you book. The where to stay page lists areas that suit a first visit.

Step 4: Park once and ride between the sights

Park once, then ride. The cheapest way is a Metro station lot. WMATA's parking page says Metro has parking at 51 stations. WMATA also says parking is free on weekends and federal holidays for Metro riders. Prices on weekdays vary by station, and a higher fee may apply if you are not a rider.

Pay with SmarTrip, or tap the same contactless card that you used for your Metro ride. WMATA says that gets you the lower rider rate at some stations. To leave the lot at the rider rate, you must exit within two hours of the start of your return ride. The Metro map guide shows how to pay and which station serves each sight.

Here is the park-once day in one picture.

A sightseeing loop is the other way to park once. For a paid loop, see the Old Town Trolley and DC Duck Tours on our hop-on hop-off page. The Old Town Trolley city tour is from €49 per person, with a 4.2 rating from 735 reviews. It shows free cancellation and is run by Historic Tours of America. The tour meets at 50 Massachusetts Ave NE.

You can buy a 1-day or 2-day ticket with unlimited on and off at its popular stops. Per the listing, parking is available near the Washington Welcome Center stop at 10th and E St. The listing adds that paid parking is available at Union Station and Arlington National Cemetery. Tips are not included.

If you would rather glide past the Mall, the Segway tour is from €62 per person, with a 4.8 rating from 461 reviews. The 2.5-hour tour is run by Capital Segway and meets at 818 Connecticut Ave NW. Helmet and radio headset are included. The tour is not suitable for children under 16 or for pregnant women, and free cancellation applies.

Things to Do in Washington DC's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 5 e-cart and golf cart tours out of 207 bookable DC-area experiences, from €39.

A free alternative is to walk the memorials once you are parked. The page on National Mall and monuments shows what stands along the route, and most of those sights are free. For the Capitol, the capitol building tour page shows how to book a free visit.

One honest limit. A tour or loop is worth it for a Mall-only day, and doing it on your own makes sense only if you want to roam far beyond the Mall. Driving is the wrong choice if your day is only the Mall, the Capitol and the memorials. Parking there is limited, the meters stop at 3 hours, and Metro or a loop costs less than a day of meters. Hotel rates, Sunday rules on District streets and garage prices near the museums are not published on the pages read, so check them before you go.

The best parking spot in a busy city is the one you only use once.