Hi, we'll be staying a week at the Park Plaza located on Arlington St. We got a good deal but they're charging us $32/day to park our car...Yikes that's $192 for our stay. Does anyone have any cheaper parking suggestions?? Thanks.

You wont escape the high parking rates by staying in downtown Boston. You might be able to save a few dollars by walking to a lot further away but it's not worth it. Perhaps you don't need a rental car? Most of the attractions can be easily seen on foot and through the use of the excellent public transportation system there. You really don't want to be driving in this area anyways -- traffic is bad!

Agree with above - many recent posts on where to park cheap in Boston. It just is not possible - you can't even play the parking meter shuffle as many spaces without meters are reserved for residents of a specific neighborhood and even meters can't make you safe from tickets if you feed them regularly - there is a time limit and they will catch you.

There is a large underground parking garage under Boston Common, just a couple of blocks from where you're staying. The rate is $20 per day, an dlower on weekends. The entrance is on Charles Street, on the right, on the block where it runs between the Common and the Public Garden.

http://www.mccahome.com/mcca_prop/garage/right.htm

Boston Common garage is often filled and I would never walk through there late at night, and especially not if I were female.

It's true that the Common garage gets filled on weekdays, but if Jilanie is staying for a week, she can surely find a space any evening or weekend day. Since she posted "we'll be staying . . . " I assume she won't be alone, and since she'll be in town all week I assume she's looking for a space to just leave the car for that time, she won't be in and out of the garage alone at night.

Another alternative would be to drive to the Park Plaza, unload and check in, then drive to one of the remote parking lots near the T (Alewife or Braintree on Red Line to name some--there are others). Parking is in a secure lot and $4-5 a day.
You could do the same at the remote lots of the airport but they are more expensive.

Thanks so much! These all great idea's! I should have asked here first before I spent many hours searching the net for parking prices.
You guys are great...we especially like the $4-5 secure parking lots near the T. Looking forward to seeing Boston by foot and public transportation!

Before you leave your car for several days at an MBTA lot, you should check on whether this is permitted. Since these garages are meant for people using the MBTA, extended overnight parking might even be prohibited. I'm not sure how secure these garages are during the night, either.

Thanks so much! These all great idea's! I should have asked here first before I spent many hours searching the net for parking prices.
You guys are great...we especially like the $4-5 secure parking lots near the T. Looking forward to seeing Boston by foot and public transportation!

UPDATE: We contacted the MBTA before we left on our trip to verify over-night parking. It's true, you can. We parked at Riverside station and took the green T into the city. It was easy to get to from the highway, there was plenty of parking and it only costs us $2.75/night. Thanks for the information which saved us a bundle! Boston is a great city! One of our favorites!