Exeter is a great little coastal city in the south west of England. It’s only an hour’s drive up the A38 from Devon’s largest city, Plymouth, and a 40 minute drive up from the fictional Basil Fawlty’s picturesque home town, Torquay. Devon is a wonderfully lovely county in England, and like Cornwall, has always been extremely popular with British tourists because of its warm climate and incredible beaches. Although Exeter only has a population of 132,000, it actually has its own airport with flights around the British Isles, Amsterdam and Tenerife.
Extremely rich in history, Exeter sits on the river Exe, and its location was a natural crossing point for the pre Roman Dumnonii tribe that first settled there. Exeter still has a Roman wall dating back to the 2nd century and the remains of the 11th century Rougemont Castle, which even got a mention in Shakespeare’s Richard III. It was bombed heavily with incendiary bombs during world war II and most of the city centre was totally flattened. If you’re a history buff, you really must try one of Exeter’s free ‘red coat walking tours’ to get a real feel of its historical significance.
Exeter cathedral is a popular tourist attraction, and was completed around the year 1400. It has the world’s largest mediaeval stone vaulted ceiling in the world, which looks a little bit like an inverted rib cage. The other really interesting feature is the truly original looking astronomical clock, which tells the time, as well as the positions of the planets in our solar system and the zodiac signs. If you really fancy an original adventure, you can go on the underground 14th century passages tour where the secrets of the city will be revealed. It’s a unique experience, but we really wouldn’t recommend it if you’re claustrophobic!
If history isn’t your cup of tea, why not check out the vibrant Quays, and stop off for a cup of coffee in one of the many cafes there. The whole area has a really relaxed feel along the waterfront, and you can get some really nice pictures on the pedestrian double suspension bridge. There are loads of museums, art galleries and cultural events happening in Exeter, and it’s even been described as the 3rd most aesthetic city in the UK.
There’s no shortage of entertainment, whatever you’re into: Exeter has 4 theatres, loads of fun clubs, bars and a climbing centre. There are parks galore, and the beautiful sandy Dawlish Warren Beach is only a 30 minute drive south. As you can imagine, Exeter is a pretty popular place and has 120,000 visitors annually, so parking can be annoying if you are new to the city. Luckily for you, we’ve listed every single parking option in every part of the city, including free residential parking and all other paid or short free parking options.
Free Parking in Exeter
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Free, unrestricted residential street parking
With the high cost of living these days, we all need to be more careful with our cash flow situations. Why not help yourself to save you money with parking by using free residential street parking? It all adds up in the end, so every pound matters! Exeter’s residential street parking is tightly controlled, but we’ve found all of the available options to save you time. There’s nothing risky about it, and by using the addresses below you won’t be breaking any rules, and you won’t waste time looking around the city for free parking either.
When using free residential street parking, be conscious about the locals. Please remember to park properly, and don’t block anyone’s driveway. Keep noise to a minimum, and if it doesn’t feel safe, try to find a better location. If you have any highly valuable items we recommend that you don’t leave them in the car, or consider parking in a secure car park. Keep noise to a minimum and remember to look around for any notices the locals may have left, or any new parking restrictions that may have been enforced. As you’ll see on our other pages, we always cover different areas of each city, but in this case we could only find free residential street parking in the south of Exeter.
South
If you’ll be heading up from Plymouth in the south on the A38, or from the west along the M5, the following locations are all really easy to get to. We highly recommend walking along the Exeter Ship Canal, or along the river Exe as a lovely detour on your way to the centre. There are two road bridges that you can cross on foot, and you’ll also walk past the Exeter St.Thomas train station. If you have kids, pets, or fancy a quick kick around, you could also take another detour to Cowick Barton Playing Fields which is close by, and well worth a visit. These locations are ordered by their distances from the cathedral in the centre of Exeter.
● Duckworth Road EX2 9BP – 1.1 miles
● Parkhouse Road EX2 9DB – 1.1 miles
● Coleridge Road EX2 9BZ – 1.1 miles
● Larch Road EX2 9DG – 1.3 miles
● Cowick Lane EX2 9RA – 1.5 miles
● Wardrew Road EX4 1HA – 1.1 miles
● Maple Road EX4 1BN – 0.9 miles
● Water Lane EX2 8EE – 1.2 miles
● Marsh Green Road North EX2 8LT – 1.6 miles
● Shaftesbury Road EX2 9BR – 1.1 miles
Free after 6pm/Overnight car parks
The following list of car parks are only free between the hours of 18:00-06:00, so as long as you get out of there before the parking police come looking for tickets, it will be fine. Please be aware that the other council-run car parks that aren’t on this list lock their gates between the hours of 18:00-06:00. You have been warned!
● Smythen Street Car Park EX1 1BN
● Haven Banks Car Park EX2 8GP
● Magdalen Street Car Park EX2 4HZ
Free after 6pm/Overnight/Sunday streetside parking
These addresses are great if you only need an overnight parking spot, but make sure you double check any street signs regarding parking rules, and get out before 08:00. Parking is free on Sundays.
● Cowick Street EX4 1HS – 0.8 miles
● Barnfield Hill EX1 1SR – 0.5 miles
● Richmond Road EX4 4JA – 0.5 miles
● Sidwell Street EX4 6NS – 0.5 miles
● Victoria Park Road EX2 4NX – 1.0 mile
● Thurlow Road EX4 7AB – 1.1 miles
Park and Ride Services
● Sowton Park and Ride EX2 5GL – east of Exeter
● Matford Park & Ride Car Park EX2 8FD – south of Exeter
● Wonford Hospital Park and Ride EX2 7PZ – east of Exeter
● Honiton Road Park and Ride Ex2 7JF – east of Exeter
Cheapest Paid Car Parks
● Devon & Exeter Squash Club EX4 4PR – £1.00 for 2 hours
● Flowerpot Lane Car Park EX4 1DJ – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Gordon’s Place EX1 2RF – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Haven Banks Car Park – Two EX2 8DP – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Holman Way Car Park EX3 0EN – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Okehampton Street Car Park EX4 1DY – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Station Road Car Park EX4 2AB – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Tappers Close Car Park EX3 0EQ – £2.00 for 2 hours
● Belmont Road Car Park EX1 2DE – £3.40 for 2 hours
● Cathedral & Quay Car Park EX1 1DE – £3.40 for 2 hours
● Howell Road Car Park EX4 4LZ – £3.40 for 2 hours
● Parr Street Car Park EX1 2BE – £3.40 for 2 hours
Free short-term parking (2h or less)
If you just need to have a flying visit, these commercial options are all great. As long as you get out before your 2 hours are up you won’t have any problems. Keep an eye on the time to avoid any unwanted stress, as they do have cameras in place and penalties are possible.
● Waitrose EX1 2ED
● Alphington Road Retail Park EX2 8HG
Free and Paid Parking Near Popular Exeter Locations
Free & paid parking near Exeter Cathedral and Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Gallery
