Here’s Where You Can Park for Free at Disneyland

Every little cost adds up at Disney parks, including parking. These days, parking at Disneyland costs anywhere between $35 and $55, depending on the size of your vehicle and whether you choose Preferred or Standard. However, there ARE loopholes available, including lesser-known areas where you can park for free at Disneyland.

Now, some people may say that parking off property is not worth the added effort, and sure, if $40-50ish bucks is nothing but pocket change to you, then that may be the case. But that amount of money can also be used for multiple meals on a Disney park day, or to skip long lines via Lightning Lane, so I feel that I must share how you can do so (legally and morally, of course):

Park in the Neighborhood

The only guaranteed way to park for free is to park off the property, but don’t worry – it’s only a 10-minute walk.

When you’re on Harbor Blvd. and Ball Rd., at the intersection (right before the entrance to the five freeway), you’ll see a Chevron station and a Starbucks. The address for that Starbucks is 1200 S. Harbor Blvd. Anaheim, CA 92805. Enter that addy into your GPS, and once you arrive, take a detour to Palm Street, which is located just behind Starbucks. Once you’re on Palms, you’ll be in the best neighborhood for street parking.

I used to park off of W. Berry Ave., but I’d advise browsing around in case there are street cleaning signs.

Don’t want to walk any more than you already have to? Four Points by Sheraton (the hotel that’s across the street from that Starbucks) offers $5 shuttle rides to and from Disneyland every 15-20 minutes. Technically not free, but significantly cheaper than paying for parking on-site.

Use Hotel Parking

All Disney-owned hotels are within walking distance of Disneyland, so if you’re staying at one, keep your car at the hotel and take a pleasant stroll to the parks.

If you’re staying at an off-property hotel, consider staying at a Disney Good Neighbor hotel, which offers almost all of the same perks as staying at a Disney-owned resort, but for much cheaper. This includes shuttles to the parks, and many of them are so close that you can walk up to the park gates. You can learn more about Good Neighbor hotels in my guide here.

Other Ways to Save On Parking

The following options aren’t necessarily free, BUT they are significantly cheaper, and every little thing counts, right?

Use gift cards – purchase a Disney gift card at a discounted rate (learn how to do that here) and use that to pay for parking.
Park in Standard instead of Preferred – I’ve always parked in standard when using a Disney lot and never thought it was worth the extra cost to pay for Preferred.
Use your Magic Key (if you have one) – depending on the pass level, Disneyland Magic Key Holders receive a discount of 25-100% off parking, so use it if you have it.
Get validated – if you park at Downtown Disney and plan to shop or dine out, you can get validated if you’ve purchased at least $20 worth of items.
Use the Anaheim Garden Walk – the Anaheim Garden Walk is within walking distance of the parks, and it’s free for the first hour (after that it’s $4 per hour and a total of $30 per day)