This is one of the genuine advantages Girvan has over the bigger Ayrshire towns: the car parks are free, they are large, and they are right next to the beach. You can park once and not move the car all day.
In Girvan
- Harbour car park (KA26 9AG) — large and free, beside the boats, the chip shops, the boating pond and the north end of the beach, with toilets nearby. This is the one to use for almost any visit.
- Ainslie Park (KA26 0HW) — free, at the southern end of the promenade beside David's Snack Bar. Toilets, seasonal hours. This is the start of the coastal path south and of Byne Hill.
- Town centre — on-street parking and small car parks off Dalrymple Street, free but with time limits in places. Check the signs.
- Railway station — a small free car park.
- Seafront — on-street along the prom villas.
Motorhomes and campervans
South Ayrshire Council runs a formal motorhome and campervan parking scheme, and in Girvan the site is the Knockcushan Street car park. This is a marked, paid and enforced scheme rather than informal overnight parking, and the rules are worth knowing:
- Maximum three consecutive nights, no return within 24 hours.
- A nightly fee through the cashless parking system, which includes waste disposal.
- Toilet and washroom access during opening hours, for which charges apply.
- Motorhome and campervan-style vehicles only — caravans are not permitted.
- You cannot book ahead — pay only once you have arrived and found a space.
- Attendants patrol, including late evening and early morning, and vehicles that have not paid or that park elsewhere in the car park or surrounding streets are ticketed.
Check the Ayrshire Roads Alliance parking pages for the current fee. Ballantrae's Vennel car park also has motorhome provision. See where to stay.
Further afield
Maidens Harbour Road car park; Culzean (inside the park, included in entry); the Kennedy's Pass lay-bys; the free Varyag memorial car park at Lendalfoot; Bennane Head viewpoint; Ballantrae's Vennel; and free parking at Dunure's Kennedy Park.
A note on the coast road south: the A77 lay-bys are the only safe places to stop between Girvan and Lendalfoot. The road is fast and narrow with no pavement, and verge parking there is genuinely dangerous.
Public toilets
At the harbour and at Ainslie Park — check seasonal opening, as hours are reduced in winter. Otherwise the Quay Zone and the cafés. See visitor information and accessibility.
