Absolutely soaked in history, as well as its own legendary ‘Worcestershire Sauce,’ sits the city of Worcester, on the banks of the River Severn. The 9th century cathedral gives it full city status, and it has an average sized population of 101,000. It’s only a 35 miles drive south west from Birmingham Airport, and a 27 mile drive straight north from Gloucester.
On the 3rd of September 1651, the battle of Worcester decided the outcome of the English Civil War. It was the site where the hugely outnumbered royalist forces, mostly of Scottish origins, met their end at the hands of Oliver Cromwell’s 28,000 strong ‘New Model Army.’
Worcester Cathedral is an extremely popular tourist attraction, and its crypt dates back to the 10th century. Its construction began in 1084, making it almost 1,000 years old. You can also visit the tomb of King John, buried in 1216, and like all cathedrals from that period, there is some truly breathtaking architecture. It’s possible to hear organ recitals, and attend sermons for free, and it’s always free entry. Why not stop off for a scone and a cream tea in their cafe, and please feel free to donate to the cathedral’s maintenance fund.
Only a few minutes walk away from the cathedral you can find a lot of beautiful spots to have lunch along the river, like the Diglis House Hotel, or Gheluvelt Park, with its beautiful lake, bridges and bandstand, right in the centre of Worcester.
Worcester also boasts of the £60,000,000 Hive Library and history centre, which was first opened by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2012. It has some truly unique modern architecture, and is free to visit. There’s free internet access, 250 public computers, a café, tonnes of study spaces and an extensive children’s library. Students from the University of Worcester are extremely fortunate to have such a great facility, just up the road from the cathedral. There’s an entire floor dedicated to British history, and it should be at the top of your list to see this informative well designed interactive space if you’re a history student, or even the slightest bit interested in British history. Visiting the Hive is more of an experience, rather than a simple tourist attraction.
The Malvern hills are only a 20 minute drive westwards towards Wales, and there are some really beautiful walks to be had. There’s also the remains of an iron age fort, and a picturesque lake. If you are in Worcester, you should definitely consider taking a little trip there. The views from the top are spectacular.
Worcester is really underrated and well worth visiting, but isn’t especially popular with tourists, only attracting 213,000 tourists a year. Parking isn’t difficult, but there aren’t a massive amount of free residential options. Luckily for you, we’ve found and listed all of them, as well as all paid or free overnight options, so keep reading to save yourself time and money.
Free Parking in Worcester
Table of Contents
Free, unrestricted residential street parking
Be smart, save yourself money, and make full use of free residential street parking. There’s nothing wrong with it, and if you know where to go, you can figure out the most time efficient parking spot in relation to your destination. The following addresses reference the distances to the High Street Market, which is only a stone’s throw away from Worcester Cathedral. We’ve covered the east, south and the west of the city and also given some tips for nice things and places to see on the way.
Obviously, using free unrestricted residential street parking does demand that you act like one of the local residents, i.e no loud noises, park in a respectful manner, and have a look out for any warning signs from the locals, or any new parking restriction signs that may have been enforced. If you are really worried about break ins, or general parking or road safety, paying for car parks will give you safety guarantees. Using residential street parking is totally at your own discretion.
Free Overnight Streetside Parking
There is no free parking anywhere on Sundays, and the time limits on streetside options and car parks aren’t great – between 9pm and 7am. Make sure you get out of there before the traffic wardens come, or buy a parking ticket at the metre. Here are very few streetside parking options in the town centre, listed below.
- College Precincts WR1 2LG – 0.2 miles
- Silver Street Car Park WR1 2PL – 0.3 miles
- Severn Street WR1 2NE – 0.4 miles
East
If you’re driving in from the north east, from the Coventry or Birmingham direction, there are some good parking options listed below. You might want to take a little detour to the Perry Wood Nature Reserve before you head west, crossing the train tracks on your way to the river. You’ll pass the canal, where you can stop off for some classy fish n chips in Mother Hubbard’s Fish n Chips restaurant.
- Carden Street WR1 2AT – 0.2 miles
- Hamilton Road WR5 1AG – 0.2 miles
- Stanley Road WR5 1BB – 0.6 miles
- Wyld’s Lane WR5 1DX – 0.7 miles
- Medway Road WR5 1 SB – 1 mile
- Mersey Road WR5 1LP – 1.1 miles
South
If you’re driving up from the Gloucester or Cheltenham direction it will take you right past Cheeky Monkey’s play centre, where you can let your kids burn off some energy. For some tranquillity you can take a walk around Battenhall Park, as well as Fort Royal Park, with its epic view of the cathedral. We recommend skipping the roads altogether, and have a relaxing walk towards the city centre down the canal towpath.
- Woolhope Road WR5 2AS – 0.7 miles
- The Hill Avenue WR5 2AN – 0.7 miles
- Athelstan Road WR5 2BW – 0.7 miles
- Timberdine Avenue WR5 2BD – 1 mile
- Battenhall Road WR5 2DB – 1 mile
West
If you’re driving in from the west on the A44, from Hereford, or somewhere in Wales, you might want to consider stopping off at the Laugherne Brook nature reserve. We could only find 2 residential streets with free parking, but they’re only a 30 minute walk to the cathedral. You could also pass through Cripplegate park on your way to the main bridge across the river. We recommend parking in the south or the east over than in the west, because it’s much more scenic, and closer to the centre.
- Knight Street WR2 5DF – 1 mile
- Laugherne Road WR2 5LY – 1.3 miles
Cheapest Paid Car Parks
Here’s a full list of the best and cheapest car parks, run by Worcester city council. They are free from 9pm until 7am.
- Croft Road Car Park WR1 3NZ – £1.20 for 2 hours
- Tallow Hill Car Park WR5 1BL – £1.20 for 2 hours
- Pitchcroft Car Park WR2 2WD – £1.20 for 2 hours
- Clare Street Car Park WR1 2AT – £1.80 for 2 hours
- St Martins Gate Car Park WR1 2BS – £1.80 for 2 hours
- Newport Street Car Park WR1 3NG – £1.80 for 2 hours
- King Street (Sidbury) Car Park WR1 2NX – £1.80 for 2 hours
- Cattle Market Car Park WR1 3NZ – £1.80 for 2 hours
- Commandery Road Car Park WR1 2HY – £1.20 for 2 hours
Free short-term parking (2h or less)
If you only need a few hours or less, you can also make use of these commercial car parks, but make sure you get out before your time is up to avoid penalties.
- Hylton Road Retail Park Parking WR2 5JW
- Sainsbury’s Swanpool Walk WR2 4BF
- Tesco St Peters Parking WR5 3SQ
- Sainsbury’s Windermere Drive WR4 9JN
- Tesco Warndon Car Park WR4 0PA
- Blackpole Retail Park WR3 8PQ
Free and Paid Parking Near Popular Worcester Locations
Free & paid parking near High Street Market and Worcester Cathedral
