Beach Guide

Capitola Beach Parking

Lots, garages, rates & the closest spots to the sand

Arrive early
lots fill fast

Parking at Capitola Beach starts free, with lots from $10/day. Compare 5 nearby lots and garages by price, walking distance and how full each one is right now, plus metered street parking. Lot locations, rates and hours are real and geocoded. Tap a pin for driving directions.

Cheapest: New Brighton State Beach · $10/vehicleFree: McGregor Drive Park & Ride

Watch the Lots Fill

tap a pin · slide the time

Pouring the water…

12 PM today
OpenFillingTight

5 lots · 640 spaces. Scrub the time slider for the crowd estimate.

All Parking

at 12 PM · nearest first

Capitola Village Esplanade

~3 open

60 spaces · $0.50/hr · Village metered · 2 min

McGregor Drive Park & Ride

~47 open

100 spaces · Free · Park & ride · 5 min

Pacific Cove Parking Lot

~20 open

200 spaces · Paid lot · City lot · 9 min

Capitola Avenue Lot

~21 open

80 spaces · Paid lot · City lot · 10 min

New Brighton State Beach

~73 open

200 spaces · $10/vehicle · State beach · 19 min

On-street parking

150 metered spaces · $0.50/hr · 2-hour max on Village streets, fills before 10 AM in summer. Pay by plate or ParkMobile.

Local moves

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Capitola Village parking is famously tight, so arrive before 10 AM in summer or plan to use a lot up the hill.

·

The Pacific Cove lot on Monterey Avenue is the biggest and most reliable, a short walk down into the village.

·

The free McGregor Drive park-and-ride has a seasonal shuttle to the beach and skips the village hunt entirely.

·

Village street meters run 50 cents an hour with a two-hour limit, so they suit a quick meal, not a full beach day.

City parking info (831) 475-6522

Parking Questions

How much is parking at Capitola Beach?

Parking at Capitola Beach starts free, with lots from $10/day. The cheapest paid lot is New Brighton State Beach at $10/vehicle.

Is there free parking at Capitola Beach?

Yes. Capitola Beach has free parking at McGregor Drive Park & Ride. Free spaces are limited and fill first, so arrive early or have a paid backup in mind.

Where should I park for Capitola Beach?

Capitola Beach has 5 lots within walking distance; the largest is Pacific Cove Parking Lot (200 spaces). The lots nearest the sand fill first, so the ones a block or two back usually have room. Use the live map above to compare walking distance and how full each lot is right now.

What time does parking fill up at Capitola Beach?

On warm, sunny weekend days the closest Capitola Beach lots fill by mid-morning. Arrive before 10 AM or after 4 PM for the easiest parking, and scrub the time slider on the map above for the crowd estimate hour by hour.

More Capitola Beach

Beach guideConditionsSunsetWhere to eat

happy hunting

Lot locations, counts, rates and hours are real, geocoded from each address. No live space-count feed is published, so availability is estimated from typical beach crowds and today’s weather. Your location is used only in your browser to sort by distance.

Main parking at Capitola Beach: Capitola Village Esplanade ($0.50/hr) and Pacific Cove Parking Lot (Paid lot), plus street parking at $0.50/hr. Check today’s water, surf and UV on the conditions page.