Southmead Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) are now both run by the same organisation, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, formed when North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston merged on 1 July 2026. They still have separate car parks, separate charges, and no single published price list, so the honest answer is: check the signage or call ahead, and use Blue Badge or public transport where you can.
Parking at Southmead Hospital
Southmead's main visitor parking is in the Brunel building multi-storey, with further pay car parks at Gloucester House, the Emergency Department and the Women & Children's building. You pay on foot at a machine or through the Trust's parking app. Blue Badge holders park free, and if the disabled bays are full you can use a standard bay for free as long as your badge is displayed. Women in active labour at the Mendip Birth Centre or Central Delivery Suite, and their partners, also park free.
For current prices, the car park signage is more reliable than anything printed here, since tariffs are reviewed periodically and the Trust only merged its two parking systems in 2026. If you need a long-term parking option or you're struggling to find a space, the Trust's parking team takes calls on 0117 414 3334.
Parking at the Bristol Royal Infirmary
On-site parking at the BRI, on Upper Maudlin Street, is very limited, and the Trust actively encourages patients and visitors to use public transport or one of the nearby public car parks instead of driving in. Blue Badge holders can park free for up to four hours in most spaces (not the drop-off bays) once their badge has been scanned at a car parking machine. Given how tight space is around the BRI, factor in extra time to find a spot, or skip driving altogether.
What it actually costs
We couldn't confirm a single current tariff for either site that reflects the 2026 merger, and third-party parking-finder listings don't count as an official source. Rather than print a number that might already be wrong, check the rate on the signage when you arrive, or ring the hospital switchboard on 0117 950 5050 and ask for the car park you're using by name, since Southmead and the BRI are priced separately.
Free and reduced parking
- Blue Badge holders: free at both sites, with conditions as above.
- Active labour and birth partners: free at Southmead's maternity units.
- Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day: North Bristol NHS Trust has previously offered free onsite parking at Southmead over the festive period; check closer to the date, since this isn't guaranteed to repeat every year.
- Frequent visitors and families of seriously ill patients: both trusts have historically offered reduced rates for people visiting regularly over a long stay. Ask at the ward or the parking office rather than assuming the standard rate applies.
Cheaper alternatives to driving
Both hospitals sit on regular First Bus routes from the city centre, and neither has anywhere near enough space to guarantee a visitor parking spot at a busy time of day. If you don't need a car for anything else that day, check the current route and fare on our Bristol bus fares guide or see our guide to getting around Bristol without a car for the full picture, including taxis. If you live nearby, also check whether your street falls inside a residents' parking zone, since some zones near both hospitals restrict all-day visitor parking on surrounding streets, which pushes more people into the hospital car parks anyway. A licensed Bristol taxi direct to the hospital entrance is often less hassle than circling for a space, especially for appointments with a fixed time.
If you're coming for a one-off appointment
For a short outpatient appointment rather than a long visit, being dropped off at the entrance avoids the parking question altogether. Both hospitals have designated drop-off points near their main entrances, separate from the paid car parks, for picking up and setting down only.
Why prices aren't printed here
Bristol's hospital parking has drawn criticism for being some of the more expensive NHS parking in the region, and prices change. With the two trusts only merging in mid-2026, we'd rather send you to the car park's own signage or the Trust switchboard than publish a figure that's already out of date by the time you read this.