What does it cost to use your local hospital car park?

A comparison of Ireland’s hospital car parking rates

Car Park at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Car Park at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

Antrim

Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast 
One hour:
£1.60 
Four hours: £2.50 
Six to 24 hours: £5 
Free parking for cancer and dialysis patients receiving treatment. Free parking for parents visiting a sick child, baby or dying relative and for husbands/partners staying with their wives or partners while in labour.

Cork

Cork University Hospital, Cork City 
Spaces:
545 
One hour: €2.70
Four hours: €10.50  
Five-24 hours: €15 
A maximum of €10 is paid by visitors and patients. Patients admitted to the hospital through the emergency department pay a maximum of €15 if their car is parked during their hospital stay. Parents of children on the day unit pay €5 per day. Cancer patients receiving daily treatment pay €5 per week and dialysis patients have free designated car parking. Disabled parking is also free. Three-day/seven-day multi-entry tickets €25/€35.

Mercy University Hospital, Granville Place, Cork City 
Patients and visitors can use Q-park at Finbarrs (a four-minute walk from the hospital) at a reduced rate of €7 for up to 24 hours. Tickets must be validated at the hospital for the discounted rate. Disc parking on street and other multi-storey car parks are other options (See corkdashboard.ie/pages/corktravel for availability).

Donegal

Letterkenny University Hospital (Euro Car Parks) 
Spaces: 350 
One hour: €1.20 
Four hours: €3 
Five-24 hours: €6 
Weekly rate: €15 
Families of sick children have free parking after first 24 hours. Parking is free for families of those in intensive care unit. Also free parking for oncology, dialysis, cardiac rehabilitation patients and disabled drivers.

READ SOME MORE

Dublin

Mater Hospital, Dublin (Euro Car Parks) 
Spaces: 440 
One hour: €3.20 
Four hours: €12.80 
Four-24 hours: €15 
No weekly rate or multiple entry rate. Four free car-parking spaces for visitors to dying patients.

Beaumont Hospital, Dublin (Q-Park) 
Spaces: 600 
One hour: €2.40 
Four hours: €9 
Four-24 hours: €9 
No weekly rate but multi-entry car parking tickets for 24 hours can be purchased in the hospital. Staff will also issue car-parking vouchers to patients or family members at their discretion.

St James's Hospital, Dublin (ParkRite) 
Spaces: 460 spaces 
One hour: €2.50 
Four hours: €10 
Six-24 hours: €15
Patients who access treatment on a frequent and ongoing basis are charged €5 a day or €30 a week. Special rates for visitors of dying patients.

St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 
Spaces:
More than 1,000 spaces in public hospital car park and 239 spaces in private hospital car park. 
One hour: €2.50/€2.60 
Four hours: €9.20/€9.40 
Seven-24 hours: €14/€14.50 
Cancer patients receiving treatment pay €5 per day. Next-of-kin visitors pay €5 daily for a multi-entry pass. And, long-stay patients or their next-of-kin can request 50 per cent discounted car-parking fees from the clinical nurse manager on duty.

Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin 
Spaces:
145 
One hour: €3.20 
Four hours: €7 
5-24 hours: €10 
A weekly rate for parents/guardians/visitors to in-patients is €36 for the first week and €10 per week thereafter. Families can also use the public car park in Iveagh Grounds, Crumlin Road, Dublin 12 at €2 per day.

Tallaght University Hospital (ParkRite) 
Spaces: 500 
One hour: €2.50 
Four hours: €10 
Five-24 hours: €10 
Flexible day pass: €12.50 
Six-entry pass: €25 

Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 
Pre-paid metered car parks on the grounds of the hospital at €2.20 per hour to a maximum of €10 per day.

Galway

University Hospital Galway, Galway City (ParkRite) 
Spaces: 365 
One hour: €2 
Four hours: €8 
Up to 24 hours: €9 
24-hour multi-entry pass: €10 
Seven-day multi-entry pass: €30 
Free car parking in Merlin Park Hospital, Galway. €2 unlimited car parking charge in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe.

Kerry

University Hospital Kerry, Tralee 
Spaces:
160 
One hour: €3 
Four hours: €10 
Up to 24 hours: €12 
Multi-entry pass: €12 
Seven-day pass: €35 
Parking is free for cancer day patients. Patients on dialysis have a designated car park. There is also a designated car park for the palliative care unit.

Kildare

Naas General Hospital 
Spaces:
100 
One hour: €1.20 
Four hours: €4.80 
Five-24 hours: €6

Laois

Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise 
Spaces:
450 
One hour: €3 (long term and short term) 
Four hours: €3 (long term) 
Four hours: €6 (short term and up to 24 hours in long term). 
Four-24 hours: €7 (short term) 
Free car parking for relatives of palliative care patients and families of sick children, at the management's discretion.

Limerick

Limerick University Hospital, Limerick City (Euro Car Parks) 
Spaces: 390 
One hour: €2 
Four hours: €6 
Up to 24 hours: €10 
Cancer patients have free designated car parking close to the Mid Western Cancer Centre. Dialysis patients have free designated car parking in the underground car park. Families of seriously ill patients pay €10 for a weekly car parking ticket on a case-by-case basis.

Louth

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda 
Spaces:
150 
One hour: €4 (short term), €2 (long term). 
Four hours: €16/€8 
Six-24 hours: €25/€15 
Daily reduced rate of €4 for cancer patients and parents of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Mayo

Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar 
Spaces:
340 
One hour: €2 
Four hours: €3 
5-24 hours: €5 
Weekly multi-entry tickets: €15 
Dialysis patients have free designated car parking. Oncology patients have free car parking. And security staff can offer free car parking at their discretion to families of very ill patients.

Offaly

Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore  
Spaces:
120 
One hour: €1 
Four hours: €4 
Six-24 hours: €5 
Maximum fee of €10 if patient is in hospital. People receiving cancer treatment €1 per day (at reception desk). Dialysis patients have designated car parking. Families of patients in palliative care unit are given free exit passes.

Roscommon

Roscommon University Hospital, Roscommon  
Parking in designated spaces is free. Overflow free parking in public car park outside Dr Hyde Park (GAA grounds). There is also newly designated parking for older people at the main entrance to the hospital.

Sligo

Sligo University Hospital (Euro Car Parks) 
Spaces: 90 
One hour: €3 
Four hours: €3 
5-24 hours: €6 
Weekly multi-entry rate: €15 
Cardiac rehabilitation patients get free car parking and dialysis patients have a designated car park. Cancer patients would require staff permission for free parking.

Tipperary

South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel  
Spaces:
890 
One hour: €4  
Four hours: €6 
Four-24 hours: €8 
Two-day pass: €10 
Five-day pass: €20 
15-day pass: €35 
Free parking for cancer patients receiving treatment.

Waterford

Waterford University Hospital  
Spaces:
497 
One hour: €4 
Four hours: €6 
Five-24 hours: €8 
Two-day multi-entry rate: €10 
Five-day multi-entry rate: €20 
15-day multi-entry rate: €35 
The hospital provides free car parking for dialysis patients.

Wexford

Wexford General Hospital 
Spaces:
300 
One hour: €4
Four hours: €6  
6-24 hours: €8 
Two-day unlimited access pass: €10 
Five-day unlimited access: €20 
15-day unlimited access: €35 
Cancer patients have designated free car park. Free car parking for families of critically ill patients.

Read
- Cost of hospital car park near you
- Burden on patients and families
- Fees remain stubbornly high
- Hospital car parking cheaper in UK

Sylvia Thompson

Sylvia Thompson

Sylvia Thompson, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about health, heritage and the environment