There's no such thing as free parking! (in downtown Vancouver)

Ok, let't talk parking! With the recent 26% Government parking tax and 12% HST, parking rates in Vancouver are working their way up to be on par with some of the biggest cities in the world, like New York or London. Coin parking in downtown Vancouver averages $1 for 20 minutes and escalates up to $1 for 10 minutes in the business district, while parkades will run you $30 to $40 per day. Monthly parking rates downtown range from $150 to $500 or more as the city becomes more croweded with new residents and businesses.

So while we can all agree that there is no such thing as free parking in downtown Vancouver, there are a few tricks to getting discounted parking in the city. Most hotels offer valet parking and although the posted price is usually very expensive, there are ways to get around it. The valets generally work for a low hourly wage and rely on their tips to pay the bills. The way to do it is to be specific about how long you will be and where you would like your car kept. Most hotels have driveway parking available and this is known as "keeping it up top". For example, if you pull up, and tell the valet you're going to be about an hour or two, hand him a $5 bill, and ask him to keep it up top, they will almost always do this for you if they are not busy. The deal is that the valets would rather you give them a $5 tip than give the city $10 for the coin parking. If you want to park all day, for a hockey game or theatre event, then $20 will usually suffice for this duration of parking. It is almost always going to be cheaper than a parkade or street parking, plus your vehicle is much more secure with the valets keeping an eye on it.

Good luck!