Parking Near St Thomas’ Hospital & Evelina London

Most people searching for parking near St Thomas' Hospital are not planning a day out. It is an appointment, a scan, a child at Evelina London, a visit to someone on a ward, or a discharge pickup where a car is genuinely the practical choice. So this guide stays practical: where the nearest pre-bookable car park actually is, what it costs, and the things worth checking before you set off.

We operate that car park, so we are not neutral. But every fact below is checkable, and where the honest answer is "use the hospital's own arrangements" or "do not drive", we say so.

Where the hospitals sit

St Thomas' Hospital stands on the south bank of the Thames beside Westminster Bridge, directly across the river from the Houses of Parliament. Evelina London Children's Hospital is part of the same hospital site, so the driving and parking picture is the same for both.

That location means excellent public transport and difficult driving. Like most central London hospitals, on-site parking is very limited and managed by the trust, with priority given where it is needed most. If you hold a blue badge, or need to be dropped close to a specific entrance, check Guy's and St Thomas' official travel information before you travel. Their own provision should always be your first option, and we would rather point you there than pretend otherwise.

The nearest pre-bookable car park

Our Waterloo car park at 39 York Road, London SE1 7NQ is about an 11-minute walk from St Thomas' Hospital. Evelina London is on the same hospital campus, so allow a few extra minutes to reach its own entrance.

Details that matter when the trip is a hospital visit rather than a day trip:

• Sat-nav to SE1 7NN, not the headline postcode. That lands you at the entrance gate on Leake Street rather than the wrong side of the block, which matters on a tight appointment schedule.
• No barrier, no ticket, no kiosk queue. It is an open forecourt: you pre-book online, your number plate is registered to the booking, and ANPR cameras match your plate to that booking when you arrive. You park and walk away.
• The plate does the work, so double-check the booking carries the registration of the car you are actually bringing (easy to get wrong in a two-car household). If you swap cars, you can update the plate on the booking from your account before you travel.
• Entry and exit at any hour. There is no gate that locks overnight, so an early surgical check-in or a late discharge is fine. Book the hours you need and arrive when you need to.
• A booking is a guaranteed space. The forecourt is capped per booking, so we never overbook.
• From £5 per hour, with day rates for longer stays. The exact price for your times shows before you pay, and the rate locks in when you book.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. Hospital appointments get moved. If yours is rescheduled and you catch it a day ahead, the booking costs you nothing.

Book more time than the appointment

Clinics run late, waits happen, and a discharge that was "this morning" can become mid-afternoon. Our honest advice is to book more time than you think you need: parking a few streets away at an hourly rate is cheap insurance against watching the clock in a waiting room. If you are still inside as the end of your booking approaches, you can extend the booking from your account rather than returning to the car.

The other costs of driving in

St Thomas' sits inside central London's charging zones, and it would be misleading to quote a parking price without the rest:

• Congestion Charge: at the time of writing (July 2026) it is £18 per day, with set operating hours and exemptions. Check your vehicle and travel time on TfL's official checkers 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, it is £12.50 per day at the time of writing. Same checker, same two minutes to confirm.
• Patient reimbursement: some patients attending NHS appointments can have the Congestion Charge reimbursed under a scheme administered through the hospital. Eligibility is specific, so ask the clinic or ward team whether it applies to you, and check TfL's site for the current rules.

If driving is the wrong tool

Honesty cuts both ways. The hospital is within walking distance of Westminster and Waterloo stations, and if you are travelling alone from somewhere with a direct train or Tube connection, public transport will usually beat driving on both cost and stress. Driving earns its place when you are carrying a patient, equipment, a car seat, or an unpredictable schedule.

If you do drive and want the wider picture of the area, our Waterloo Station area guide covers it, and the rest of our London car parks are listed in one place if Waterloo does not suit.

A straight answer on NHS staff discounts

We ran an NHS discount at our car parks during the pandemic as a thank-you to health workers. That scheme was discontinued in June 2023, and we would rather say so plainly here than let an old page imply it still runs. If that ever changes, the current terms will be on the Waterloo booking page, not buried in a blog post.