In brief
Downtown Long Beach parking is a choice between city-run garages with a daily maximum of $12 to $16, validated lots near the waterfront, and street meters at $1 to $2 an hour; the only dated change on those pages is City Place, which becomes “First 90 minutes free” and “$2.00 every 30 minutes” up to a $12.00 daily maximum. The city’s parking site is the source for every garage figure here, and it prints rates without a “last updated” date, so the October 2026 City Place notice is the only dated change.
- City Place A, B and C: “Effective October 1, 2026: First 90 minutes free. After 90 minutes, parking remains $2.00 every 30 minutes, with a $12.00 daily maximum”123.
- Civic Center Garage (332 W. Broadway): free up to 30 minutes, $2.00 every 30 minutes after, $12.00 daily maximum5.
- Pike Parking Garage (65 South Cedar Ave): free to 30 minutes, then $3 to $15 by the hour band, $16 daily maximum; retail validation is free to 2 hours6.
- Meters: Downtown Core $1.50 an hour (2-hour limit), Downtown $1 an hour, The Pike $2 an hour12.
- Aquarium parking is $8 for the day with the Aquarium’s validation716.
Where to park downtown depends on what the trip is: a ferry day, an Aquarium visit, a convention, an hour at a restaurant. This page lists the city-run structures and the lots near the waterfront by rate, clearance and validation, then the meter zones, as of October 2026. For the wider picture, including how to arrive without a car, see the section pillar, Getting In and Out of Long Beach.
The short answer
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Visiting the Aquarium | Park at the Aquarium/Queensway Bay garage (99 Aquarium Way) and validate at the Aquarium: $8 for the day716 |
| Catching a Catalina ferry | The terminal lot is run by ABM Parking Services: $24.95 or $26.95 a day, on a page that gives no year11 |
| Visiting the Queen Mary | The ship’s lot has a $25.00 daily maximum on both the ship’s and the city’s pages1019 |
| Running errands or lunch downtown | City Place from October 1: 90 minutes free, then $2.00 every 30 minutes123 |
| Parking all day on a budget | The posted daily maximum is $12.00 at City Place and the Civic Center Garage15 |
| Dining or shopping at The Pike | Pike Parking Garage with retail validation: free for the first 2 hours6 |
| Stopping at a meter | $1 to $2 an hour with 2-hour limits downtown; check the posted enforcement hours12 |
The structures
Facts below are as the city’s parking site prints them (as of October 2026). The City Place, Civic Center, Pike and Aquarium garages are listed as open 24 hours daily, including holidays; the Convention Center garage page prints no hours, and the 100 W. Broadway page says “Parking available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays; no overnight parking”4.
| Facility | Address | Clearance | Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Place A | 50 E. 6th St. | 7′ | From Oct. 1: first 90 minutes free, then $2.00 every 30 minutes; $12.00 daily max1 |
| City Place B | 50 E. 5th St. | 7′ | Same as City Place A2 |
| City Place C | 51 E. 3rd St. | 7′ | Same as City Place A3 |
| 100 W. Broadway Garage | 100 W. Broadway | 6’6″ | $2.00 every 30 minutes; $15.99 daily max4 |
| Civic Center Garage | 332 W. Broadway | 7’4″ | Free up to 30 minutes, then $2.00 every 30 minutes; $12.00 daily max; lost ticket $12.005 |
| Pike Parking Garage | 65 South Cedar Ave. | 6’10” | See below; $16.00 daily max6 |
| Aquarium/Queensway Bay Garage | 99 Aquarium Way | 8’2″ | See below; $16.00 for 8 to 24 hours7 |
| Convention Center Garage | 300 E. Ocean Blvd. | not stated | $10.00 flat rate during scheduled events only9 |
Sources as marked. The City Place, Pike and Aquarium garages accept cash, Visa and Mastercard (the Pike and Aquarium garages also Apple Pay and Google Pay), and all three City Place garages and the Civic Center, Pike and Aquarium garages list EV parking123567. The Convention Center Garage’s page says “Self-parking is available at a flat rate during scheduled events only.”; event-day parking for the center is in Long Beach Convention Center: Parking, Entrances and Getting There.
City Place and the October 1 change
All three City Place pages carry the same notice, headed “Parking Rate Update”: “Effective October 1, 2026: First 90 minutes free. After 90 minutes, parking remains $2.00 every 30 minutes, with a $12.00 daily maximum”123. The step table below that notice still shows the earlier two-hour structure: free “Up to 2 hours ( Effective October 1st, First 90 Minutes )”, then $2.00 up to 2 hours 30 minutes, $4.00 up to 3 hours, $6.00 up to 3 hours 30 minutes, $8.00 up to 4 hours, $10.00 up to 4 hours 30 minutes and $12.00 up to 5 hours1. The page prints no recalculated step table.
City Place C’s address is 51 E. 3rd St. on the city’s site3.
What you may have heard The tourism bureau’s parking guide says the three City Place lots give “first two hours free” and prints a different street number for City Place C, 185 E 3rd St13. From October 1, 2026 the city’s pages say 90 minutes, and they give 51 E. 3rd St.13.
Pike Parking Garage
The city’s page for the Pike Parking Garage lists these self-park bands: free from 0 to 30 minutes, $3.00 to 1:30 hours, $6.00 to 2:30, $9.00 to 4 hours, $12.00 to 5 hours, $15.00 to 8 hours and $16.00 as the daily maximum6. Validation changes the bottom end: with Cinemark validation the first 3:30 hours are free, and with retail validation the first 2 hours are free, then $3.00 to 3 hours and $6.00 to 4 hours6. The page says validated parking is available for the Aquarium of the Pacific, Cinemark, Pier Point, yacht cruises and nearby restaurants and retail shops, and lists valet at Pine Circle, on Lower Pine, at Shoreline Drive and Pine Avenue6. The ship’s October 4 and 17 parking move for day visitors goes to this garage; see The Queen Mary in 2026.
Aquarium/Queensway Bay Garage
Self-park without validation: first 30 minutes free, $3.00 to 1.5 hours, $6.00 to 2.5 hours, $8.00 to 4 hours, $12.00 to 5 hours, $15.00 to 8 hours and $16.00 for 8 to 24 hours; “Aquarium Parking (with Validation)” is $8.00, and Pier Point and yacht cruise validations are “All Day @ $8.00”7. The Aquarium says its validation happens at “a scanner inside the Aquarium”16. The full picture is in Aquarium of the Pacific: Parking, Validation, Timed Entry and Tickets.
Lots on the waterfront
| Lot | Address | Rates and rules |
|---|---|---|
| Shoreline Village Lot | 401-435 Shoreline Village Dr. | “$2.00 Every 20 Minutes”; up to 2 hours with validation $2.00; up to 6 hours $10.00; daily max $16.00; lost ticket $24.008 |
| Queen Mary Lot | 1126 Queens Hwy. | 0-20 minutes $0; 21-59 minutes $10.00; daily max $25.00 on the city’s page; the ship’s own page gives different short-stay figures1019 |
| Catalina Landing lot | 320 Golden Shore | “Through April 7, $24.95 daily max per 24hr period. Starting on April 8, $26.95 daily max per 24hr period”; no year given11 |
Source: as marked. Shoreline Village’s lot is “for patrons of Shoreline Village only”, with “no special event, overnight, or oversized parking allowed” and towing at the owner’s expense; a validation stamp requires “a minimum purchase of $10” at a Shoreline Village restaurant or shop8. The Queen Mary’s own parking page and the Catalina terminal page are covered in The Queen Mary in 2026 and Catalina Express From Long Beach.
Meters
The city’s meter page lists five zones under a “New Rates” column that carries no effective date12:
| Zone | Rate | Enforced | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Core | $1.50 per hour | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, including holidays | 2 hours |
| Downtown | $1 per hour | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and holidays | 2 hours |
| The Pike | $2 per hour | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, including holidays | 2 hours |
| Belmont Shore (2nd Street) | $3 per hour | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, excluding holidays | 3 hours |
| Retro Row (4th Street) | $1.75 per hour | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, excluding holidays | 3 hours |
Source:12. The meters are “smart meters” that “accept coins, credit cards and debit cards”; you can pay by phone with the Passport Parking app, and “You can add two hours in advance of enforcement” (the example given: for a 9 a.m. start, add money between 7 a.m. and 8:59 a.m.)12.
The same page lists Parking Enforcement at 562.570.2866 (after hours 562.435.6711), the Citation Office at 562.570.6822 and Public Parking Information at 562.570.805512.
Beach lots
For a beach trip, the Alamitos Beach lot (380 E. Shoreline Dr.) and the Granada Beach lot (5100 E Ocean Blvd) are open daily one hour before sunrise to 10 p.m., with payment required daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. “(including holidays)”, and are listed at $2.00 every hour or $0.50 every 15 minutes; cars, motorcycles, pickups and SUVs only, with no overnight or oversized parking1415. The other beach lots and any seasonal rates are in Long Beach Beach Parking Lots.
Before you leave the car
The city’s page says permits are for residents of designated parking-impacted areas and “are only valid for the district shown on the permit”, and that a vehicle with a permit not displayed correctly “may be issued a valid citation”17. The city’s meters page gives a street sweeping line at 562.570.289012, and its parking page links a “Parking Meter and Street Sweeping holiday calendar”18; neither prints sweeping days and times. How to check both before you leave the car is in Street Sweeping and Permit Parking in Long Beach.
Airport parking and cruise terminal parking are covered in Long Beach Airport for Visitors and the cruise pages linked from the pillar. The site earns a commission on some hotel, ticket, transfer and parking links, which does not affect what is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is parking in downtown Long Beach?
What changes at City Place on October 1, 2026?
Where is the cheapest all-day parking downtown?
Is parking validated at the Aquarium?
What are the meter hours downtown?
Downtown Core meters are enforced 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily including holidays; Downtown meters 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday12.
Can I pay for a meter by phone?
Yes, with the Passport Parking app; smart meters also accept coins, credit cards and debit cards12.
How tall a vehicle fits in the downtown garages?
Related Articles
Sources
- City Place A (50 E. 6th St.) — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- City Place B (50 E. 5th St.) — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- City Place C (51 E. 3rd St.) — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- 100 W. Broadway Parking Garage — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Civic Center Garage — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Pike Parking Garage — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Aquarium/Queensway Bay Parking Garage — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Shoreline Village Lot — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Long Beach Convention Center Parking Garage — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Queen Mary Lot — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Long Beach Port (Catalina Landing) — Catalina Express. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Parking Meters — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Long Beach Parking Pro Tips — Visit Long Beach, the tourism bureau (its own statement; undated). Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Alamitos Beach Parking — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Granada Beach Parking — City of Long Beach parking. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Parking — Aquarium of the Pacific. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Preferential Parking Permits — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Parking — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-01.
- Hours & Parking — The Queen Mary. Accessed 2026-10-01.