Tourists and locals descending on downtown Annapolis are ready to enjoy the beautiful sights, the al fresco dining, and fruitful shopping trips…but they have to get there first. Did your blood pressure go up a bit just thinking about driving and parking downtown? Yeah, mine too, and I cut my teeth parallel parking on those narrow streets. 

So let’s take the hassle out of planning and give you all the options in each area of town. I dug into all the confusing apps and their rates to try to make sense of the system. And I got on the road myself to check out the best locations for where you want to spend the day. 

Know Before You Go

The Free Options

Let’s start with the locations, days, and times that you can park for free in Annapolis. Because when in doubt, choose the place that costs free-99.

• Calvert Garage: Free on weekday evenings after 6 PM and on weekends all day. 
• Whitmore Garage: Free on Sundays from 4 AM to 4 PM.
• Mills Hillman, Knighton, Gott’s Court, and Park Place Garages: Free on Sundays if you enter after 6 AM and exit before 2 PM.
• St. John’s Street and King George Street: Free on-street parking next to St. John’s College for up to 9 hours, according to the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.
• Eastport: Free on-street parking. It’s walkable to City Dock, or you can take a water taxi for about $4 (plus a tip to the captain).
• West Annapolis: Free on-street parking in the business area north of Rowe Boulevard, but it’s not a practical walk to City Dock. If it’s a weekday, you can take a shuttle from the Navy Stadium. 

Companies and Apps

If it seems like parking management changes all the time, it’s because it probably does. And some of them even own each other. Here are their names and the smartphone apps to use:

• Metropolis: Runs the garages at Park Place, Knighton, and Gott’s Court. Once you sign up and add your car’s information, you simply drive in and drive out. Like all of these options, you’re charged for the full hour even if it’s only a minute over.
• ParkMobile: Used for on-street parking, lots, and the Mills Hillman Garage. You can subscribe to their ParkMobile Go plan for $3.99 per month, and you won’t have to pay the transaction fee for parking. It will charge $0.00 and/or remind you to double-check the time if it is outside of paid parking hours.
• Premium Parking: Manages Mills Hillman Garage, Basil Lot, Donner Lot, South Street Lot. It will take your money even if you are parking outside of paid parking hours. I tested this myself and I have the receipts (literally).
• Annapolis Parking SP+: This is the AnnapolisParking.com company. They are owned by Metropolis. 
• Parking MGT/PMC: Manages some lots including one on Cathedral Street and at 75 Franklin Street. 
• Joyce Parking: Manages monthly parking at 275 W. Amos Garrett Boulevard garage. 

Tips

• Embrace parallel parking. It’s not as difficult as you think. OK…maybe it is. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. Try the suggestions from this website on your next trip.
• Roll down your windows. Doing so makes it easier to hear any pedestrians who might be in a blind spot and to communicate with other drivers.
• Take advantage of the Park, Shop, Dine. Annapolis Parking has a list of businesses that offer free parking for up to four hours at Mills Hillman, Gott’s Court, and Knighton Garages when you request validation.
• Park farther out. It’s cheaper and you can take advantage of buses and shuttles, including the free Magenta Bus (strollers are OK) and the free Annapolis Current ten-minute trolleys (too small for strollers).

Parking Options by Location

City Dock Area

Mills Hillman Garage

Location: 150 Gorman Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 or enter on Duke of Gloucester (link to approximate address).
App: Premium Parking (P4902) or ParkMobile (8926)
Open: 24 hours
Prices: 1 hour – $3.25. 2 hours – $6.50. 3 hours – $11.75. 4 hours – $17. 24 hours – $23.75. Plus transaction fee of $0.45.
Our Two Cents: This is a good option when you want to park close but don’t want to spend time circling the smaller lots or streets. If you decide to use this garage, I recommend driving in and out from Duke of Gloucester Street rather than from Main and Gorman streets. 

Calvert Street Garage

Donner Lot

Location: 120 Compromise Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: Premium Parking (P4924) and ParkMobile (8924)
Open: 24 hours. Payment required Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7:30 PM, and Sunday, noon to 7:30 PM.
Prices: On ParkMobile, you can pay for every 12 minutes. 12 minutes – $0.65, up to 3 hours for a total of $9.75. On Premium Parking, you can pay by the hour. 1 hour – $3.25. 2 hours – $6.50. 3 hours – $9.75. Plus transaction fee of $0.45.
Our Two Cents: It’s the closest you can get to City Dock on wheels. But there aren’t many spaces.

Basil Lot

Street Parking

Most metered parking around the City Dock area (from College Creek in the north to Spa Creek in the south, and east of Church Circle) is limited to two or three hours maximum. And some metered spots directly outside of businesses might have a 30-minute maximum. And there is no re-feeding the meter.

The costs range from $1.10 for 12 minutes (if using ParkMobile) or $3.25 per hour, to $4.50 per hour. And don’t forget the $0.45 transaction fee!

The zones around Duke of Gloucester Street (8902) and King George Street (8901) are more expensive at $4.50 per hour and have a two-hour limit. The zones around Main Street allow up to three hours at $3.25 per hour.

West Street and Arts District

Gott’s Court Garage

John Whitmore Garage

Location: 25 Clay Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: None.
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: Monday 4 AM to Friday 4 PM, hourly rate of $1.25 with a daily maximum of $10. Flat rate parking: $2 from 4 PM on Friday to 4 AM on Saturday. $4 from 4 PM on Saturday to 4 AM on Sunday. Free on Sunday from 4 AM to 4 PM. And $2 from 4 PM on Sunday to 4 AM on Monday.
Our Two Cents: A good option for evening excursions (maybe dinner and a show at Rams Head). If you drive between 3:30 to 5:30 PM, you can’t enter Clay Street from Calvert Street, so go down and around from West Street to W. Washington Street to access Clay. Bonus points for the fact that there is a human being there who you can talk to if you have an issue.

Knighton Garage

Location: 1A Colonial Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: Metropolis
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: Up to 1 hour – $3. Up to 2 hours – $5. Up to 5 hours – $8. Daily maximum – $10. Plus transaction fee of $0.45.
Our Two Cents: The day rate costs less than Gott’s Court. It’s on the route of the free Magenta Bus, but it’s out of the range of the Annapolis Current trolley. Otherwise, it’s a 20-minute walk to City Dock.

Park Place

Location: One Park Place, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: Metropolis
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: Up to 1 hour – $2.99. Up to 2 hours – $3.99. Up to 3 hours – $4.99. Up to 4 hours – $7.99. Up to 10 hours – $12.99. Up to 11 hours/daily maximum – $23.10. The service fee is either $0.99 or 5% of total parking fare, whichever is greater.
Our Two Cents: This is the furthest away, but you won’t have to deal with downtown traffic to get in or out. And it’s the first stop for the Magenta Bus. I’ll admit, I’ve always gotten a bit turned around walking out of there. Somehow, I seem to come out of a different building every time. 

South Street Lot

Location: Just south of 140 South Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: ParkMobile (8925) 
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: 2 hours – $5. 4 hours – $10. Day rate – $15. Plus $0.45 transaction fee. 
Our Two Cents: It’s the closest to Church Circle. But many of the spots are reserved for monthly parking only. Costs the same day rate as Gott’s Court, for what it’s worth.

Larkin Lot

Location: 25 City Gate Lane, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: ParkMobile (1214)
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: 15 minutes – $0.50. 1 hour – $2. The maximum time is 2 hours. Plus $0.45 transaction fee. 
Our Two Cents: A good location and price for West Street, but only if you’re there for less than 2 hours.

Street Parking

The costs for the area are the same, $0.50 for 15 minutes and $2 per hour. But closer to Church Circle, the parking is capped at 2 hours. Go farther west on West Street and the maximum time increases to 3 hours.

Eastport

Annapolis City Marina

Location: 410 Severn Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403
App: None. You grab a ticket and pay via credit card as you exit.
Open: 24 hours.
Prices: Less than 15 minutes – free. $4 per hour up to 7 hours, then a day rate of $40. 
Our Two Cents: Expensive when compared to Eastport street parking (free), but it’s a large lot. It’s easy to walk across the Spa Creek bridge to City Dock. You can also go down to the water taxi stop, but getting there requires maneuvering lots of stairs.

Street Parking

Free, but it’s a residential area, so pay attention to signs. There are one-way streets and dead ends to navigate, as well.

West Annapolis

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Location: 551 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401
App: ParkMobile
Open: 6 AM to 10 PM
Price: $10 all day. 
Our Two Cents: There are three different lots, but the one you can use is on the south side of the stadium (follow the signs). The State Shuttle to downtown is very low-cost, but it’s only available on weekdays or during special events. It can get you as far as Church Circle at the top of Main Street. My kids love that the stadium has planes—including a Blue Angel—just sitting right there next to the lot!

Street Parking

On the other side of Rowe Boulevard, street parking is free if you can find it. Pay attention to any signs so you don’t accidentally park in a resident-only zone.

I hope this helps take the stress out of planning your day in Annapolis. Whether you want the cheapest option (anything free!), the closest, or the easiest, these recommendations will be safe bets no matter what you get up to.