Many people in Bratislava are used to this: they come to the shopping center, leave their car for a day or even a week — and have no problems. This system almost no longer works, and from August 1, the last two large free parking "islands" will disappear: parking near the Danubia shopping center in Petržalka (a district of Bratislava) and near Avion Shopping Park and IKEA near the airport.
If you kept your car near Danubia overnight or left it at Avion for several days, from Saturday this may end with a fine or towing. Below is what exactly changes and where to park now.
What will change near Danubia in Petržalka
From August 1, parking near the Danubia shopping center will be open to everyone only from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. At night, from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, you can leave your car only with a written permit from the shopping center administration.
The Danubia management explains: they do not mind the parking being used as a park-and-ride (perchopujúca živnosť — park-and-ride živnosť), but they do not want it to become a free long-term parking lot. In recent months, the number of cars parked there for more than three days has increased many times, with a noticeable share of cars having Austrian, Czech, and Hungarian license plates. The administration also does not exclude that later the parking near Danubia will become paid at all.
Avion and IKEA: now paid, with license plate cameras
On the same day, August 1, 2026, parking near Avion Shopping Park and IKEA becomes paid, writes STVR. The reason is the same: the parking was massively used as unofficial park-and-ride (perchopujúca živnosť — park-and-ride živnosť), and real store customers lacked places.
The conditions are:
- On weekdays, the first 3 hours are free.
- On weekends and holidays, the first 5 hours are free.
- Each additional started hour costs €3.50.
- From 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM, parking on the territory is completely prohibited.
There will be no parking tickets: the system works through automatic license plate recognition. You can pay by card or phone right at the exit near the barrier or at the parking meter with cash or card. IKEA itself published detailed conditions on its website, and Startitup wrote about visitors' reactions who do not like the new rules.
Why this is happening now
Both shopping centers respond to the same pressure: the expansion of Bratislava's city parking policy, known as PAAS (parking system of the city with paid zones in residential areas). As soon as the city authorities introduce paid zones, drivers start looking for free pockets and find them near shopping centers. As a result, parking lots for shoppers turn into long-term parking, and retailers close the loophole.
By the way, the city really lacks official park-and-ride (perchopujúca živnosť — park-and-ride živnosť) parking lots: there are only eight in Bratislava — Shopping Palace, Komisárky, Tesco Lamač, Macharova, Prístavný most, Jasovská, Cintorín Vrakuňa, and Lafranconi-sever. If you regularly drive to Petržalka, you can check the current zone rules on the PAAS website.
Where else you can park for free
There are fewer and fewer large completely free parking lots in the city, but there are still some options:
- VIVO! — on weekends parking is free all day, on weekdays the first 3 hours are free.
- Aupark — certain zones P3 and P5 remain free permanently.
- City park-and-ride (perchopujúca živnosť — park-and-ride živnosť) parking lots — eight locations on the outskirts, convenient for switching to public transport.
A review of locations where you can still leave your car for free longer in Bratislava was collected by parking.sk.
What you should do
If you are used to leaving your car near Danubia or Avion overnight or for several days, from August 1 look for another place, otherwise you risk a fine or losing your car. If you just go shopping, almost nothing will change for you: 3 hours on weekdays and 5 on weekends are enough for shopping with a margin. The main thing is not to forget to pay at the exit if you stayed longer: cameras will automatically read the license plate, and "I didn't know" will not be an argument.
