Parking Near the London Eye: The Closest Car Park + What It Costs

The first thing to know: the London Eye has no visitor car park. It sits on the South Bank next to County Hall, in one of the most pedestrianised parts of central London, and the official advice has always been to arrive by public transport. If you are coming by car anyway — kids, mobility needs, an early start, or you are simply driving through London that day — this guide is the honest version of your options.

We should say up front: we operate a car park near the London Eye, so we are not neutral. But every fact below is checkable, and we would rather you know exactly what driving in costs before you commit.

The closest pre-bookable car park

Our Waterloo car park at 39 York Road, London SE1 7NQ is about a six-minute walk from the London Eye. You walk out of the car park, head towards the river past County Hall, and the Eye is in front of you.

Practical details that matter on the day:

• Sat-nav tip: route to SE1 7NN — that lands you at the entrance gate on Leake Street. Postcode SE1 7NQ can drop you on the wrong side of the block.
• Pre-book online at our Waterloo page. Your number plate is registered when you book, the ANPR cameras read it as you arrive, and there is nothing to display and no ticket machine queue.
• Hourly rates start from around £5, with day rates for longer visits. The live prices for your exact times show before you pay.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your booking starts, so a change of plan does not cost you anything if you catch it the day before.

The same walk covers most of the South Bank: BFI IMAX is about 4 minutes, the London Dungeon and SEA LIFE London Aquarium about 7 (both inside County Hall, next to the Eye), and the Southbank Centre about 8. If you are doing the classic South Bank day — Eye, aquarium, riverside lunch — one parking spot covers the whole day.

What a car trip to the London Eye really costs

Parking is only part of the bill in central London, and it would be misleading to pretend otherwise:

• Congestion Charge — the London Eye is inside the Congestion Charge zone. The charge is £18 per day at the time of writing (July 2026), with specific operating hours and exemptions. Check your vehicle and travel time on TfL's official checker before you drive.
• ULEZ — most modern petrol cars (roughly 2006 onwards) and diesels (roughly September 2015 onwards) meet the standard and pay nothing. If your vehicle does not meet it, ULEZ is £12.50 per day. Same checker, same two minutes to confirm.
• Parking — for a typical 3–4 hour London Eye visit, budget the hourly rate times your stay; the exact figure for your times is on the booking page before you commit.

If your car is ULEZ-compliant and you visit on a day or time when the Congestion Charge does not apply, driving in can be reasonable, especially with three or four people sharing the trip. A family of four travelling into central London by train is often paying more than the parking costs.

When you genuinely should not drive

Honesty cuts both ways, so: if you are coming alone from somewhere with a direct train to Waterloo, take the train. Waterloo station is a five-minute walk from the Eye, the trains run constantly, and you will not beat that door-to-door. Driving earns its keep when you are carrying people, kit, or plans that go beyond the South Bank.

Making a day of it

One booking, one spot, and everything within ten minutes on foot: the Eye, SEA LIFE, the London Dungeon, Shrek's Adventure, the BFI, the Southbank Centre, and the riverside itself. If you want the full area picture — restaurants, walking routes, what is actually worth pre-booking — our London Eye area guide covers it.

One more thing while your car is with us: our Waterloo site also runs a car wash, and a wash booking includes one hour of parking at the site. If you only need a short South Bank stop, booking the wash and coming back to a clean car sometimes costs less than you expect.