Are Miami and Fort Lauderdale airport garages full? There are parking options nearby
Ahh, vacation. You’re ready to head to the airport and board your flight to paradise.
But wait. If you’re driving, you’ll need a place to park. And then you hear the news:
The garages at Miami International Airport or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are full. So is FLL’s overflow lot.
What do you do now?
You could ask someone to drop you off, or take a taxi or an Uber. Tri-Rail, the bus and Metrorail are available too. Or you could rent a parking spot at a nearby hotel or private parking lot. Then hop on a free shuttle and get dropped off at your terminal.
Wait, you can do that?
Yup. Some hotels and private lots near the airports will rent space through parking reservation apps and websites for travelers who need a place to park. Parking can sometimes cost less or as much as an airport garage. Occasionally, it can also be more expensive.
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Parking near Miami and Fort Lauderdale airport
Here are some of the websites you can use to find parking near MIA and FLL:
▪ Cheap Airport Parking — This website lists nearby hotels and parking lots that offer parking for MIA and FLL travelers. You make a reservation, just like you would for a rental car. Most hotel parking lots you’ll find on this site are generally open around the clock, have security and offer a free shuttle to the airport, plus free cancellations, according to the website’s FAQ guide. Parking prices and shuttle times vary by lot. To learn more, visit cheapairportparking.org.
▪ Park ‘N Fly — This site valet parking and indoor parking near MIA. The Miami location, 3901 NW 28th St., is open 5 a.m. to midnight. The FLL location is permanently closing June 27. The lot offers a free shuttle to and from the airport and cancellations up to a minute ahead of your reservation, according to its FAQ guide. To check prices and availability, visit pnf.com
▪ Park ‘N Go, 1101 Eller Dr. in Fort Lauderdale, and Self Park FLL, 901 Old Griffin Rd. in Dania Beach, are self-parking lots that offer 24-hour shuttle service to and from Fort Lauderdale’s airport. Park ‘N Go’s website notes that during peak times, the lot may occasionally switch to valet parking. To check prices, availability and cancellation policies for Park ‘N Go, visit gator.bookparkngo.com/. For Self Park FLL, visit selfparkfll.com
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▪ SpotHero lets people reserve parking spots at cities across the U.S. and Canada, including near the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports. The Chicago-based parking reservation service website states that its helped park 40 million cars since 2011. Search for a spot using the airport tab to find places that offer free shuttle services. To check prices, availability and cancellation policies, visit spothero.com or download the app.
▪ ParkWhiz and its sister company BestParking can help you find parking near the airports. People who use GasBuddy’s app might find ParkWhiz familiar. That’s because GasBuddy partnered with the parking reservation service in 2018 to let people find and pay for parking through GasBuddy. The service was discontinued in GasBuddy’s app, but you can still reserve a spot using ParkWhiz or BestParking’s websites or apps. For ParkWhiz, visit parkwhiz.com. For BestParking, visit bestparking.com.
Other tips to know:
▪ Do your research before booking a spot. Read customer reviews and check the address of the lot or hotel to make sure it’s close to the airport. Use Google Streetview or drive by the site at least a few days before your trip to check it out. If you’re parking at a hotel, call to double-check its airport shuttle’s hours of operations.
▪ Check Groupon for parking discounts. Also, shop around. There are lots of websites to look at. However, keep in mind that if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
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▪ Don’t wait until the last minute to reserve an off-site airport parking spot, and make sure to check the location’s cancellation policy before you book. Parking spots can fill up fast, especially during popular travel periods like long weekends and holidays, when airport garages get full. If you find a place that lets you cancel your parking reservation a day before your flight, it can give you some flexibility to gauge the parking situation at the airport.
▪ Make sure you follow MIA and FLL on Twitter. The airports usually post updates on how early people should arrive ahead of their flight during popular travel times. The airports also give parking updates and notify followers when garages are full.
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 6:41 AM.
