Parking in Playa del Carmen becomes a little more difficult because there are more and more hotels, restaurants and businesses opening in the city center. Here is a quick guide to parking in Playa del Carmen.
*** BE CAREFUL there is evolution in downtown Playa del Carmen. To give tourists the chance to have more parking spaces, they have started to define parking lots with painted spaces on the streets and there are paid parking meters for downtown streets only (from the beach to ‘at 30th Avenue and from Juares to CTM, see map). The parking meters are active since December 1st, 2019. The price is 10 pesos (+/- $ 0.50) per hour to park in these boxes from Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can pay directly in the parking meters and put the coupon visible in the vehicle or with the ¨Mueve Ciudad¨ mobile application directly with your cell. So do not forget to pay when you park in the city center because if you park in a box without paying, you will be fined between 500 and 800 pesos and they will put a shoe of denver to immobilize the vehicle! In this case, you will have to pay the fine and call the number on the ticket to have the Denver clog removed, such as: +52 1 984-224-0101 or +52 1 984-251-0600. So pay attention to parking !! *** For more info you can consult the website www.playaparq.com
Otherwise there are several paid parking lots that you will not have to worry about parking meters, here are some places;
Indoor parking
-Under Quinta Alegria Mall. The entrance is on avenue Constituyentes between 10th Avenue and 5th Avenue. You are almost in the center of 5th Avenue and you can go for a walk and visit each end of 5th Avenue, as well as Quinta Alegria Mall.
-Tendenza is a garage on 10th Avenue between calle 14 and 14 Bis. It is almost in the center of Playa del Carmen. It is a large garage with several floors and is never full. This garage is good if you go to the clubs on calle 12, Calle Corazon or to the nearby shops or restaurants on 5th Avenue. You might miss it because the outside has a lot of plants.
-There is an underground parking lot which is quite hidden and you might not notice it on the road south side of the airport between 15th Avenue and 10th Avenue. This garage is good for shopping at Paseo del Carmen, going to immigration or going to Cozumel. There is often space there when the other parking lots on 10th Avenue are full.
The other parking lots are located in downtown Playa and they are not expensive so you might as well take advantage of them.
There are also several outdoor parking lots where you can park in downtown Playa del Carmen, here are a few;
-On 10th avenue at the corner of calle 10 behind the Ahoro pharmacy.
-On 10th avenue opposite the entrance to Playacar 1.
-On 10th avenue at the corner of Bonito Juares avenue.
-On calle 20 between 10th and 5th avenue.
-On 10th avenue between calle 34 and 38.
General rules for parking at Playa Del Carmen
It might be a little intimidating at first if you’re driving around town looking for parking. There are a few general rules that will help you avoid having a ticket.
-The signs with a red crossed out “E” means that you are not allowed to park there. Parking in Spanish is written “Estacionamiento”.
-You are not allowed to park or the borders are yellow. However, you can sometimes see a few streets with yellow borders and there are still a lot of parked cars., This is sometimes a local tradition and there are exceptions. It is always best not to park the same if others do.
-Do not park near street corners. Parking near a corner is dangerous because it limits visibility. Try to leave two car lengths before a corner.
-For scooters and motorcycles there are several parking sections in the city center which are available just for them. In the evening it is also important to park in well-lit places, as mirrors and batteries can be stolen.
-If you illegally parked, if there is no parking meter in the area, you will get a ticket, but that’s not all. Usually, the police will also remove one of the two license plates. That way, you have to go pay for your ticket to collect your plate. Check your car to see if you have both plates.
-If you get a ticket, it is better to pay within the first 3 days otherwise the price increases.
Public parking lots are really reasonably priced. The prices are around 10-15 pesos an hour so it’s worth it to not break your head!
For more information, do not hesitate to contact me; playadreamrentals@gmail.com
