In 2018, Elon Musk strapped a Tesla Roadster to a rocket and flew it into space. After studying parking prices at the O2 Arena, it’s reasonable to believe that he was simply looking for the closest affordable parking on event day. Located right on the northernmost tip of the Greenwich Peninsula on the southern banks of the River Thames, the O2 Arena is part of a larger entertainment complex referred to as ‘The O2’. It’s well-known around the globe as a must-visit when you’re in London and boasts world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment experiences in addition to the varied international events hosted in the O2 Arena. The O2’s popularity on both event and non-event days, coupled with the fact that it sits on some of the most valuable and desirable real estate in the world, means that parking at the O2 can be pricey. While The O2 has multiple car parks on site, there are other considerations to make when travelling there by car. Have you factored in ULEZ and Congestion Zone charges depending on your route? Did you remember to pre-book your parking for a hefty discount? Have you considered making use of the excellent public transport infrastructure to make your way to The O2?
In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at the parking situation at The O2, as well as other parking options nearby that could save you a couple of pounds.
O2 Arena Parking
Table of Contents
Parking at the O2 Arena
Before looking at parking at The O2, it’s important to check two things that this guide cannot pre-cover for you. If you’re approaching on the main throughways like the A12, A13, A1261, or A102, roadworks or accidents can dramatically increase your travel time, especially on big event days. Check local sources, such as Twitter threads, for last-minute updates. If you’re set on driving to the O2, the rest of this section is dedicated to breaking down their parking options and pricing in an easy-to-understand manner. If you’re approaching The O2 from the west, make sure that your route doesn’t take you through the central congestion zone, roughly bounded by the inner ring road. Drivers entering the Congestion Charge zone will end up paying an extra £15 for the privilege of driving to The O2, depending on the time of day. Since The O2 is located in the ULEZ zone, driving an older vehicle or one that doesn’t meet ULEZ standards will add another £12.50 to the bill. Feel free to check out our Congestion Charge and ULEZ guide for more on the topic.
Event day parking at the O2
If you’re attending an event held at the O2 or Indigo at The O2, a 2750-capacity live music club, ParkingScout recommends pre-booking your parking spot on the official O2 website. You can compare prices for pre-booked and on-the-day parking at The O2 below.
| Pre-booked | On-the-day | Motorcycle |
The O2
| £30* | £37 | Free |
The O2 Valet Parking | £50 | £60 | Not Available |
Indigo at The O2
| £20 | £20 | Free |
* Pre-booking more than 3 weeks in advance brings the price down to £25.
Non-event day parking at The O2
Car parks 2 through 4 are designated regular-ol’ car parks with an hourly rate. While motorcycles can park for free, car drivers will have to cough up:
0-2 hrs | 2-4 hrs | 4-6 hrs | 6-9 hrs | 9-12 hrs | 12-14 hrs | 14-18 hrs | 18-24 hrs |
£6 | £10 | £14 | £16 | £19 | £19 | £26 | £50 |
Fortunately, there are some discounts that might apply. If you’re visiting Cineworld, you get 4 hours free provided you take your unpaid ticket and cinema stub to the parking office located opposite car park 2; and if you spend £35 or more at Icon Outlet shopping centre, you qualify for the same free 4 hours by taking your receipt from retail stores to The O2 Welcome Desk. This neatly summarises the parking situation at The O2. As you can easily see, parking at The O2 might be convenient, but you certainly wouldn’t call it cheap. From here on, we’ll investigate other solutions that don’t involve parking in official O2 car parks.
Parking within walking distance of The O2
Streetside parking
‘Walking distance’ is of course relative, but it’s reasonable to assume that visitors to The O2 are going to spend more than just a few minutes exploring. This, combined with the high cost of parking, makes a lot of people agreeable to parking a bit further away, either for less or for free, and then making their way to The O2 on foot. These solutions probably won’t work if you’re accompanying a cohort of small children or plan on making heavy purchases, but if you’re OK with a bit of a walk, check these out.
Believe it or not, there are actually a small handful of places in Greenwich where you can find free and unrestricted streetside parking spaces. When using these, please make sure to remove valuables from sight and park in a way that doesn’t affect the flow of traffic. You can look for free parking spots, any time of the day or year, at:
- Lombard Wall SE7 7SW // 1.4 miles
- Vanbrugh Park Road SE3 7NJ // 2 miles
From 6:30pm until 9:00am the next morning, you can park for free on the following streets. Outside of those hours, these streets operate on a pay-and-display basis.
- Hoskins Street SE10 9LU // 1.6 miles
- Chevening Road SE10 0LB // 1.5 miles
- Pelton Road SE10 0AA // 1.6 miles
Car parks
If streetside parking isn’t for you but you don’t mind the walk, consider one of the other car parks within walking distance of the O2. Please note maximum stay times or customer-only designations. It’s up to you to risk it and park at Millennium Leisure Park and walk to The O2. Remember to keep your receipt as proof of purchase if you buy anything, as it might be requested.
- Park Row Car Park SE10 9NL // £3.60/h // Free after 6:30pm // 1.8 miles
- The Royal Standard SE3 7JQ // £1/h // 3h Max Stay // 2.3 miles
- Millennium Leisure Park // 5h Free // Max 5h // Customers Only // 1.3 miles
Parking near metro stations
A good option when trying to save some money on parking is to look for convenient and affordable parking options near public transport hubs such as metro, rail, or bus stations. Even with the price of a ticket factored in, you’re still likely to save a bit on parking when heading to places such as The O2, or airports. This method saves not only money but time as well. Imagine completely skipping the traffic outside The O2 after a big event, hopping onto , and getting to your car and on the way home in no more than 10 or 15 minutes; all while paying less for parking. This alone is reason enough to consider it, even when it doesn’t represent huge savings.
Canary Wharf is the closest metro station that has convenient and affordable parking options. It has around 2500 public parking spaces, split into a handful of underground car parks. This really isn’t all that much considering that you won’t be the only ones thinking of parking here and taking the metro to The O2 on a busy event day, so consider coming early or maybe looking at other metro stops with more parking available. Canary Wharf is a 3-minute ride from North Greenwich Metro. If you’re coming from the west and Canary Wharf is the right option for you, consider parking at these car parks:
- Canada Square Car Park E14 5EW
- Jubilee Place Car Park E14 5NY
0-2 hrs | 2-3 hrs | 3-4 hrs | 4-5 hrs | 5-6 hrs | 6-24 hrs |
£4.80 | £6.50 | £9.00 | £13.00 | £14 | £24 |
- Westferry Circus Car Park E14 4HD
0-2 hrs | 2-3 hrs | 3-4 hrs | 4-5 hrs | 5-24 hrs |
£4.80 | £6.50 | £9.00 | £13.00 | £18 |
While other metro stops on the Jubilee Line are active and working at the moment, both Canning Town and West Ham are seeing significant construction projects near the metro stations at the time of writing. This makes providing reliable information about parking near these stops difficult. The same is true for Canada Water.
Stratford Metro is another good option to consider, especially if you’re approaching from the north on the A12. Stratford to North Greenwich will take roughly 14 minutes, and there are good parking options available within a 5-minute walk of the metro. You can find good parking spots here:
- Stratford multi-storey car park E15 1BB
0-2 hrs | 2-3 hrs | 3-4 hrs | 4-6 hrs | 6-10 hrs | 10-24 hrs |
£4.60 | £5.80 | £9.20 | £17.30 | £23 | £28.80 |
- Stratford International Car Park E20 1YY
0-4 hrs | 4-24 hrs |
£7 | £8.45 |
Woolwich Arsenal is the last option we’re looking at today. The nearby APCOA station offers very reasonable parking at a daily rate of only £6.40, going down to £3.50 on Sundays. It can be found at SE18 8EU using your satnav. Other similar parking options might be found at other stations throughout London. It might even be worth your while to check out options along the Thames Clippers route.
What would the best term here be? the metro? the tube? I’m not sure what the best ‘local’ word is tube 🙂
JustPark on the Isle of Dogs
One last option to consider is searching JustPark for privately rented parking spots, such as driveways. While you can expect a short walk to Canary Wharf Metro, there are plenty of options available, starting from around £6.00 for a 4-hour stay. There are other options available in Greenwich closer to The O2, but their prices go up significantly to the point where there really aren’t any savings to be had. If you’re willing to walk to Canary Wharf and take a 2-minute metro, this method can save you quite a bit.
This concludes our guide to finding cheaper and alternative parking options when heading to The O2 by car. Remember to check out this article’s companion map to help you quickly locate all the options discussed above, as well as our map of Free and Paid parking options in Greenwich.
