Where to Park in Savannah’s Historic District (Including Free Options)
Parking in Savannah isn’t expensive by big-city standards. It’s confusing. Meter rules change depending on which side of Liberty Street you’re on, garages charge differently on weekends, a few streets are free and most aren’t, and the rules that get visitors ticketed aren’t the ones they expect.
This guide covers Savannah Historic District parking from a local point of view: the city garages, how the meters work, where to find free parking in Savannah, GA, the best places to park near River Street, and the handful of rules worth knowing before you leave the car.
Quick answer: For a full day downtown, park in a city garage (Bryan Street, Robinson, State Street, Whitaker Street, Liberty Street or Eastern Wharf) or buy a $15 Visitor Day Pass. Street meters are free on Sundays, on city holidays, and after enforcement hours. South of Liberty Street, meters are free on weekends and after 5 PM on weekdays, and many streets south of Gaston Street have no meters at all.
Rates and rules change. Everything below was checked in September 2026, but always read the posted signs and the meter before you walk away.
How street meters work in Savannah
The City of Savannah splits the Historic District into two meter zones, and the rule that matters most is where you are relative to Liberty Street.
| North of Liberty Street | South of Liberty Street | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | River Street, City Market, Broughton Street, the northern squares | Forsyth Park area, Monterey and Calhoun squares, the southern half of the district |
| Enforcement | Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 8 PM | Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM |
| Free | Sundays, city holidays, after 8 PM | Weekends, city holidays, after 5 PM on weekdays |
| Typical rate | Up to $2 per hour (Zone 1) | Up to $1 per hour (Zone 2) |
You can pay at the meter or pay station, or use the ParkSavannah app, which sends a reminder before your time runs out and lets you add time from your phone. That alone saves a lot of visitors from a ticket while they’re lingering over lunch.
Check each meter for a time limit. Some spaces in the busiest blocks turn over faster than others.
Savannah parking garages
If you’re staying more than an hour or two, a garage is usually easier than circling for a meter. The city runs six garages in and around the Historic District:
| Garage | Address | Closest to |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Street Garage | 100 E Bryan St | City Market, Reynolds Square, River Street (via Bull St elevator) |
| Robinson Garage | 132 Montgomery St | Broughton Street, Ellis Square, City Market |
| Whitaker Street Garage | 7 Whitaker St | Ellis Square, River Street, Bay Street |
| State Street Garage | 100 E State St | Broughton Street, Wright Square, the Civic Center |
| Liberty Street Garage | 301 W Liberty St | Visitor Center, Chippewa Square, Madison Square |
| Eastern Wharf Garage | 301 Passage Way | East River Street, Eastern Wharf |
What to expect on price: weekday rates run about $1 to $2 an hour, with a daily maximum. Weekends usually have a flat day rate, around $5 at most city garages and about $10 at Whitaker Street and Eastern Wharf. During big events such as St. Patrick’s Day, flat special-event rates apply instead, and they’re considerably higher. The city lists current rates on its parking garages page.
Two garage rules catch people out:
- Don’t back into a space. City garages post a rule against it, and they do ticket for it.
- Keep your ticket or receipt. Some garages have attendants overnight and some don’t, so you may need to pay at the exit kiosk.
Most city garages are open 24 hours, and you can leave a car overnight.
The Visitor Day Pass: the best value for a full day
If you’re spending the whole day downtown, the city’s Visitor Day Pass is hard to beat. It costs $15 for one day or $24 for two, and covers unlimited parking in city-owned garages and at meters with a time limit over an hour. It isn’t valid in privately owned lots and garages, and it may not apply during special events.
The catch is where you buy it: the Mobility & Parking Services office on the ground floor of the Bryan Street Garage, 100 E Bryan St, open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. If you’re arriving on a Saturday, buy it on Friday or plan on paying garage rates. Full details are on the city’s visitor parking pass page.
On weekends the garage flat rate is often cheaper than the pass anyway, so do the sum before you buy.
Free parking in Savannah, GA
Free parking right downtown is rare on weekdays. It does exist, though, if you know when and where to look.
When street parking is free
- Sundays. Meters across the Historic District aren’t enforced.
- Evenings. After 8 PM north of Liberty Street and after 5 PM south of it.
- Saturdays south of Liberty. The southern half of the district, including the streets around Forsyth Park, is free all weekend.
- City holidays. Meters aren’t enforced on official city holidays. The city publishes the list each year; for the rest of 2026 it includes Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Where street parking is free
- South of Gaston Street. Once you’re below Forsyth Park’s northern edge and into the Victorian District, most streets have no meters. From there it’s a pleasant walk or a short shuttle ride back up to the squares.
- The edges of the district. The eastern and southern borders of the Historic District have more unmetered spaces than the center.
Before you walk away from any free space, check the signs for time limits, residential permit zones and street-sweeping days. “Free” is only free if you’re allowed to be there.
Free parking when you take our tour
Guests on our Savannah Historic District Open-Air Cruiser Tour can park free in the grass lot across the street from Ganem’s at 405 E Gaston St while they’re on the tour. Pull into the grass lot, not the paved Ganem’s lot next door, which belongs to the business. There are only five spaces, and they’re for guests currently on a tour, so please move your car when you get back. If you’re staying downtown afterwards, head to a garage or one of the free streets south of Gaston.
Parking near River Street, Savannah
River Street is the hardest place in Savannah to park. It sits at the bottom of a bluff, the street is one-way and cobbled, and on a spring Saturday every space is gone by late morning.
Your options, from easiest to hardest:
- Whitaker Street or Bryan Street Garage. Both are a few minutes’ walk from the top of the bluff. From Bay Street, use the public outdoor elevator between the Hyatt Regency and City Hall to get down to the riverfront without the steep stairs.
- Eastern Wharf Garage (301 Passage Way). Handy for the east end of River Street and the newer Eastern Wharf development.
- Plant Riverside Garage (500 W River St). A private garage at the west end, convenient for the Plant Riverside District. Private garages set their own rates and don’t accept the Visitor Day Pass.
- River Street lots. The city has lots at the Barnard, Abercorn and Lincoln ramps and at the east end near Morrell Park. They’re metered, close to the water, and fill up quickly.
- Street meters on River Street. Rare and short-stay. Don’t count on one.
Our advice: don’t drive down onto River Street at all on a busy day. Park on the bluff, take the elevator, and walk the riverwalk.
Where to park, by destination
| Heading to | Best bet |
|---|---|
| River Street | Whitaker Street or Bryan Street Garage, then the Bull Street elevator |
| City Market and Ellis Square | Bryan Street, Robinson or Whitaker Street Garage |
| Broughton Street shopping | Robinson or State Street Garage |
| Forsyth Park | Metered streets around the park (free on weekends) or free streets south of Gaston |
| Visitor Center and Savannah History Museum | Visitor Center lot on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, or Liberty Street Garage |
| Our open-air tour | Free grass lot at 405 E Gaston St during your tour |
For more on the park itself, see our Forsyth Park guide.
Savannah parking rules that get visitors ticketed
Most parking tickets in Savannah come from the same few mistakes:
- Street sweeping. Every street has a red-and-white sign showing its sweeping schedule. Park on the wrong side during those hours and you’ll get a ticket. Read the sign even on streets where parking is otherwise free.
- Backing into garage spaces. It’s against the rules in city garages.
- Letting a meter run out. Enforcement is active in the busy blocks. The ParkSavannah app’s reminder is the easy fix.
- Fire hydrants, yellow curbs and crosswalks. These are enforced around the clock, including Sundays and evenings when meters are free.
- Blocking driveways and lanes. Savannah’s historic service lanes are narrow, and residents use them.
- Private lots. Many lots downtown belong to businesses and tow quickly. If it isn’t clearly public, don’t risk it.
Skip the car altogether
If you’re staying downtown, you may not need to drive at all once you arrive.
- The dot Express Shuttle. Chatham Area Transit runs a fare-free shuttle around the Historic District that connects the city garages, visitor centers and main sights. Check CAT’s current schedule before you plan around it.
- The Savannah Belles Ferry. Free, between River Street and Hutchinson Island, handy if you’re staying at the convention center hotels.
- A guided tour. A 75-minute seated tour covers the whole district, so you can see everything in one go and only move the car once. If you’re deciding which kind, we’ve compared trolley and open-air tours.
Special events and busy days
Parking gets harder and more expensive during the big events. St. Patrick’s Day week in March is the busiest; expect special-event garage rates, street closures and full lots early in the morning. Big weekends in Forsyth Park, graduation weekends and festival dates have a similar, smaller effect. On those days, arrive early, use a garage outside the busiest blocks, and walk or take the shuttle in. Our month-by-month guide flags the busiest times of year.
Frequently asked questions
See it all without moving the car
The easiest way to beat Savannah parking is to park once and let someone else do the driving. Our 75-minute open-air tour covers about ten landmarks, from Forsyth Park to River Street, and tour guests park free at the meeting point while they ride.
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