The Ultimate Guide To Cheapest Parking In Orchard and Dhoby Ghaut (All-Day Free Parking Included)

Who says parking in town has to be expensive? We reveal some of our best-kept secret parking spots in Orchard where you can park your car for cheap (and even free) at all hours of the week.

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Drivers, do you find yourself Googling “cheap parking at Orchard”? We’ve been there. Most Singaporeans, like us, get excited over free parking. It’s not that we can't afford it, but owning a car isn’t exactly the cheapest thing in Singapore. So we’d want to save as much as we can on parking fees, especially when we head to town. 

The parking charges in Orchard, as we all know, can get crazy expensive, costing up to S$7 an hour (ahem, Hilton Hotel). But because we’re all about being frugal, here is a list of places with cheap and/or free parking in the Orchard Road/ Dhoby Ghaut area.

Table of Contents

• Cheapest parking in Orchard/Dhoby Ghaut
  • Weekdays before 5/6pm
  • Weekdays after 5/6pm
  • Saturdays before 5/6pm
  • Saturdays after 5/6pm
  • Sundays before 5/6pm
  • Sundays after 5/6pm
• Free Parking in Orchard Road
• Cheapest Paid Parking in Orchard Road
• Free parking on Exeter Road
• Summary of Cheapest Paid Parking
• Parking mobile apps and websites to help you save time and money
• Other parking hacks to help you save more

Cheapest parking in Orchard/Dhoby Ghaut

Weekdays before 5/6pm

Weekdays after 5/6pm (S$4 or less per entry)

This is the best time to head to Orchard for some dinner and shopping, as most car parks kick in “per entry” fees after 5/6pm. Alternatively, if you’re there for only a short while, there are roadside street parking lots that are relatively affordable as well. 

Shaw House and International Building parking both have a per entry cost of S$4 from 6pm onwards and both buildings are well within the Orchard area. The most worthwhile would be parking at ION Orchard, which costs S$3 per entry after 5pm up till 11.59pm. 

If you’re planning to head to Dhoby Ghaut, the cheapest parking would be inside Plaza Singapura itself, as it only costs S$3 per entry after 6pm. 

Saturdays before 5/6pm

As expected, you’ll have to shell out even more for weekend parking in town. If you’re looking to park there for around three hours on a Saturday, the cheapest and most convenient location to park will be at The Cathay at Dhoby Ghaut, at S$1.40 per hour. 

If you are looking to park within the Orchard area, Shaw House has the cheapest parking available at S$2 for the first hour and S$1.50 for every subsequent 30 minutes. 

Saturdays after 5/6pm

Unlike weekdays, Saturday nights tend to see fewer places imposing “per entry” charges, since that’s when most people are out and about. However, there are still a handful of places that do offer per entry parking rates, and the cheapest would be at, again, The Cathay and Plaza Singapura. The only downside is that you may have to walk quite a distance to popular hangouts like Somerset and ION Orchard. But hey, that’s the price you have to pay if you want to save on parking.

Sundays before 5/6pm

Like parking on Saturdays, Sundays are no different. Assuming that you are there for a short period, street parking at Penang Road and Angullia Park might be your best bet if you are heading to Somerset and ION Orchard respectively. 

The most value-for-money place to park your car the whole day would be Forum the Shopping Mall as they charge only S$3.20 per entry from 6am to 6am the following day on Sundays and Public Holidays.

Sundays after 5/6pm (S$4 or less per entry)

Sundays after 5/6pm is probably the cheapest time to park in town. The best place to park while still being in the main Orchard area would be Shaw House at S$4 per entry after 6pm. 

Here’s the best part: The cheapest parking in Orchard Road is… free 24/7

If you’ve scrolled all the way here, congratulations. Here’s my secret to free parking all day, every day in Orchard Road: along the GCBs (Good Class Bungalow) at Jln Kelawar. It’s around a 10-minute walk from ION Orchard, but since it’s free, let’s not complain. 

Should you choose to park there, do always be mindful of and considerate to the residents. 

The next best part: The cheapest paid parking in Orchard Road is... at Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre

It doesn't matter what Google says — sometimes, you just have to scout around the area yourself. Online information about parking charges doesn't necessarily reflect what it is in reality.

Take Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre, for example. Located just behind Centrepoint and Cuppage Terrace, parking here is great for people going to Orchard Central and 313 Somerset.

Online states that parking there is S$1.20 per hour every day (HDB price, still not too bad). Weekdays are capped at $13.90 per day, while weekends are capped at S$4.90 per day. Not bad when you consider some nearby areas, such as Paya Lebar, can go upwards of S$20+ on weekdays.

Don't believe us? Take a look at this:

And there you go!

Free parking after 7pm on weekdays, and all day on Sundays and Public Holidays

• Single yellow line at Exeter Road (Opp. Singtel building) 

In the case of a single continuous yellow line along the side of a road, you are allowed to park there from 7pm to 7am. On Sundays and Public Holidays, you can park there for the whole day.

Summary

Cheapest parking in Orchard Road/Dhoby Ghaut on weekdays

Weekdays before 5/6pm, if there for around an hour: The Cathay, S$1.40 per 30 minutes (8am to 9.59am), S$1.40 per hour (10am to 5.59pm)

Weekdays before 5/6pm, many hours: The Cathay, S$1.40 per 30 minutes (8am to 9.59am), S$1.40 per hour (10am to 5.59pm)

Weekdays after 5/6pm, if there for around an hour: 

Weekdays after 5/6pm, many hours:

Cheapest parking in Orchard Road/Dhoby Ghaut on weekends and Public holidays

Saturdays before 5/6pm, if there for around an hour: The Cathay, S$1.40 per hour

Saturdays before 5/6pm, many hours: The Cathay, S$1.40 per hour

Saturdays after 5/6pm, if there for around an hour: 

Saturdays after 5/6pm, many hours:

Sundays after 5/6pm, if there for around an hour: Street parking at Penang Road, S$0.70 per 30 minutes.

Sundays after 5/6pm, many hours: Plaza Singapura, The Cathay and Singapore Shopping Centre have a per entry fee of S$3.

Parking mobile apps and websites to help you save time and money

Besides the aforementioned parking spots, there are a few other ways that you can find cheap parking locations in Singapore at the tip of your fingers (literally), and all you need to do is download a few mobile apps:

Carparkwhere.com

The developers had one main goal: provide a free service that helps drivers find the cheapest and nearest parking spots in Singapore. From shopping malls to URA car parks to even HDB car parks, carparkwhere searches the rates of these car parks and also lot availability so you never have to worry if you will have to waste time in the car park waiting. They also take away the math by calculating your potential final fee when you key in the period of time that you are going to be parking there.

SGCarMart’s Carpark Rates 

The app with over 700 car parks listed, SGCarMart’s Carpark Rates app allows you to search for parking spots based on GPS location or by building name. In addition, you can also check lot availability in real-time (so that you don’t enter a car park that is already full), and the app is frequently updated with the latest car park rates. 

OneService 

Yes, it is that app you use to report municipal issues that happen within your neighbourhood. But that’s not all it does, the OneService app is also filled with handy information about public car parks. From location to parking rates, availability and operating hours, this app makes finding cheap parking spots a breeze. 

Parking.sg 

Gone are the days where you pay for parking at public car parks with a physical coupon. In today’s digital world, all you need is the Parking.sg app. This convenient app gives you information regarding car park rates, allows you to pay for parking by the minute, get notifications before your parking session expires, extend parking sessions, get refunds if your parking session ends earlier than expected, and more.

Other parking hacks to help you save more

1. Head out after 6pm and park at car parks that charge per entry 

If you’re heading out for an entire day or spending a couple of hours at a particular location, the best way to save is to find a car park that changes per entry instead of per hour. Typically, you can find per-entry parking options at office buildings or at smaller shopping malls after office hours or on weekends. 

2. Check out the malls’ parking rebates

Malls such as ION Orchard have parking rebates that allow you to save on parking if you spend in their malls. This could be great for those who are looking to splurge as Singapore slowly reopens its economy.

3. Charge your parking to a credit card

Besides the convenience and flexibility, Parking.sg also allows you to make payments digitally. This means that you can tag your preferred air miles or cashback credit card to your account for payment to make your money work harder for you. 

Charge your car park fees to the right credit card and earn cashback, air miles and points that go into offsetting your car park fees, car insurance or even petrol. Simply use our credit card comparison tool to find the best credit card deals within minutes, and apply for one through us to get rewarded with cash and prizes*.

*Rewards may change at any time. Terms and conditions apply.