Airport parking in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Palma, Alicante and Valencia

The six kinds of official car park at a Spanish airport

Every airport in this guide is run by Aena, the state operator, and Aena uses the same family of car parks everywhere. The names change slightly from one airport to another, but once you know the logic you can read any of them at a glance.

Two points save most of the mistakes. First, Aena’s parking FAQ guarantees entry without a booking only in the General, Express and motorbike car parks; for any other car park, the Aena page of that car park says whether a booking is compulsory. Second, a long stay car park that requires a booking will simply not let you in without one, and Aena then sends you to the General car park.

Prices: what Aena actually publishes

On 5 October 2026 the Aena pages of these car parks did not list a price per minute or a daily maximum. The price for your dates is calculated by Aena’s booking engine on parking.aena.es and in the Aena app. What Aena does publish are “from” prices on its offer pages, each with precise conditions:

Read the small print before you compare. Each of these prices assumes a booking, membership of Aena Club (you can join during the booking) and a vehicle with the Spanish DGT “0 emisiones” label, which gets an extra 10% off. These figures are the best case Aena advertises, not a typical bill.

Booking: the rules that matter

• How far ahead: the FAQ asks for at least 3 hours before you enter the car park. The offer pages mention 30 minutes. Plan on the longer one.
• No numbered space: a booking guarantees entry, not a particular spot. Park in any free space of the car park you booked.
• Early arrival: you can enter up to 3 hours before the time on your booking.
• Late return: you get 2 hours of grace at no cost. After that, the extra time is charged by the minute, up to a daily maximum shown in your confirmation email.
• Aena Club discounts: from 5% to 25% with a booking in any car park; from 5% to 20% without a booking, in the General and Preferente car parks only.

Dropping off and picking up: the Express car parks

Stopping on the kerb outside departures is not the plan Aena offers. Each airport has an Express car park for that job, with a free window and a hard limit. Overrun the free minutes and you pay for the whole stay from the moment you drove in, not just the extra time.

Inside the free window, drive straight to the exit without going to the pay machine. Beyond the 2 hour limit, Aena charges the full daily maximum and the car may be towed away, with the tow and the stay both payable by the driver. At Madrid, the pages for the T1 Express and the T2 arrivals Express do not mention any free minutes, so do not count on them there.

Airport by airport

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas

Madrid splits its car parks between two areas: T1, T2 and T3 on one side, T4 on the other. Check your terminal before you leave, because each area has its own car parks. P1 serves T1, P2 serves T2 and P4 serves T4, all billed by the minute. At T4 the Preferente spaces sit in modules C and D of P4.

Parking P1 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

12.3 km from the centre Underground

Directions

Parking P2 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

12.5 km from the centre Underground

Directions

Parking P4 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

12.3 km from the centre Underground

Directions

Parking Exprés Salidas T2 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

12.7 km from the centre Underground

Directions

For longer trips there are two Larga Estancia car parks, one for T1, T2 and T3 and one for T4. Their free bus runs every 20 minutes from 6:00 to 1:00; between 1:00 and 6:00 it comes on request by phone. The Bajo coste car park, for T1, T2 and T3, accepts only drivers who booked, and the booked stay must be at least 5 days. Its free bus reaches T1 in 3 minutes and T2 and T3 in 5.

Parking Larga Estancia T1-T2-T3 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

11.6 km from the centre Underground

Directions

Parking Larga Estancia T4 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

12.9 km from the centre Underground

Directions

Parking Bajo Coste T1-T2-T3 Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas Paid

11.7 km from the centre Underground

Directions

© IGN España

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat

The T1 General car park is a building attached to the terminal; the T2 General spaces are spread in front of T2 A, B and C. If you booked, do not press the ticket button at the barrier: the ticket comes out on its own once the car stops.

The catch in Barcelona is the long stay. Both the Larga Estancia and the Low Cost car parks admit only cars with a booking and a flight leaving from T1. Flying from T2 means the T2 General car park. The free shuttle runs every 20 minutes to both terminals, on a seasonal timetable: from 5:00 to 0:00 between October and March, from 4:30 to 0:30 in April and May, and from 4:30 to 1:00 between June and September. At night it runs on request.

Parking General T1 Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat Paid

13.7 km from the centre

Directions

Parking T2 express Car Park Paid

Surface

Directions

Parking Llarga estància Paid

Surface

Directions

Parking Low Cost T1 Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat Paid

12.9 km from the centre

Directions

Parking VIP T1 Aeropuerto de Barcelona-El Prat Paid

13.6 km from the centre

Directions

© IGN España

Málaga-Costa del Sol

The General car park is the one for short trips. For meeting a flight, the Llegadas car park has the most direct access to arrivals, and the Express is the stop for departures. The Larga Estancia is linked by a free bus that takes about 5 minutes: every 15 minutes from 7:00 to 0:00, and on request from 0:00 to 7:00. On your return it collects you from the arrivals area.

Parking Express Aeropuerto de Málaga Paid

8 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Llegadas Paid

7.9 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Larga Estancia Aeropuerto de Málaga Paid

8.4 km from the centre

Directions

Parking VIP Aeropuerto de Málaga Paid

8 km from the centre

Directions

Palma de Mallorca

Palma is the one airport here with a more generous kiss and fly. The arrivals Express gives 15 free minutes. The departures Express works differently: each vehicle gets 2 free stops a day of up to 10 minutes each, and the third stop is paid from minute 0. The General car park faces the terminal and connects to it through a tunnel from its fourth floor.

The Larga Estancia minibus takes about 4 minutes. It runs every 15 minutes from 6:00 to 1:00 and every 20 minutes from 1:00 to 6:00. It stops at the terminal inside the arrivals Express car park, and it is reserved for long stay customers, so keep your ticket or booking proof at hand.

Parking General Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca Paid

7.1 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Express Llegadas Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca Paid

7.2 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Express Salidas Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca Paid

7.3 km from the centre

Directions

Parking llarga estada Paid

6.7 km from the centre Surface

Directions

Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández

Alicante keeps things compact. The General P1 is one minute from the terminal, and its fourth floor holds the Preferente spaces, linked to the check in hall. The Larga Estancia is three minutes from the terminal but accepts only cars with a booking; without one, use the General. Motorbikes are not allowed in either; there is a free motorbike area next to the long stay car park.

Parking General P1 Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Paid

8.6 km from the centre 2.10 m

Directions

Parking Express Salidas Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Paid

8.6 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Express Llegadas Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Paid

8.7 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Larga Estancia PL Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Paid

8.9 km from the centre 2.10 m

Directions

Valencia

The airport sits in the town of Manises. The P1 General is a minute from the terminal. The Larga Estancia is a 5 minute walk away and is open only to cars with a booking. The Express faces the terminal on the arrivals side.

Parking Express Aeropuerto de Valencia Paid

1.3 km from the centre

Directions

Parking Larga Estancia Paid

1.6 km from the centre Surface

Directions

The cards come from our database: verdict, known details and buttons to start directions in Waze, Google Maps or Apple Maps. Where a card and an Aena page disagree, trust the Aena page and the signs at the entrance.

Low emission zones on the way to the airport

Madrid. The low emission zone covers the urban streets of the whole municipality, and Barajas lies inside the municipality. Cars without a DGT label (class A) that are not registered in Madrid may not drive there, and foreign plates are subject to the same rules. The fine is €200, or €100 if paid promptly. The city’s own FAQ gives the safe route: stay on national or regional roads that are not part of the zone as far as the M-40, then reach the airport from the M-40 by the M-11, M-12, M-13, M-14 or R2. Any stretch on city streets puts you inside the zone.

Barcelona. The ZBE Rondas de Barcelona applies on working days, Monday to Friday, from 7:00 to 20:00, in Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs and parts of Esplugues de Llobregat and Cornellà de Llobregat. The airport is in El Prat de Llobregat, which is not on that list. Drive through the city to get there, though, and the zone applies, including the prior registration that the metropolitan authority requires for foreign vehicles, with fines from €200. We could not confirm whether El Prat applies rules of its own, so check the AMB website if your car has no label. Our guide to DGT labels and low emission zones covers the details.

Before you leave: a short check list

1. Check your terminal, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, where the long stay options depend on it.
2. Book early on parking.aena.es or in the Aena app if you want a Larga Estancia or low cost space, and note whether booking is compulsory there.
3. Note the shuttle times if your flight leaves early in the morning or lands late at night, and save the on request number from the Aena page.
4. For a drop off, use the Express, watch the clock and leave within the free minutes.
5. Plan the route around the low emission zones if your car has no DGT label.