Balmaha car park
Charges, payment, overnight rules and ways to reach Balmaha without a car
Balmaha car park is pay and display, run by Stirling Council. The first hour is free if you display a ticket, then it costs £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours and £5 all day. Charges run from 8:45am to 5pm every day, including Sundays, and sleeping overnight in a vehicle is not allowed.
- Balmaha car park. Stirling Council pay and display. Up to one hour is free if you display the ticket. Check the signs for today’s charges.
- Balmaha harbour. The Inchcailloch ferry leaves from the boatyard, and Cruise Loch Lomond boats call here in season.
- First hour
- Free
- All day
- £5
- Charged 8:45am to 5pm
- Daily
- Overnight
- No
Is Balmaha car park free?
Not for a day out, but the first hour is. Stirling Council lets you park for up to 1 hour at no charge as long as you display a ticket. After that you pay for a band: £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours and £5 for the whole day. We read the council’s page on 13 October 2026, and it was last updated on 30 September 2026.
The charges apply from 8:45am to 5pm. At Balmaha that includes Sundays, because the council lists Balmaha and Callander as pay and display seven days a week. Parking is free in all council car parks on New Year’s Day, 2 January, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The council lists charges only for the hours above, so read the sign for anything else.
Most people come for the hill, the harbour or the ferry to Inchcailloch. A day on the hill usually outlasts the free hour, so work out your band before you pay. If you would rather not drive, routes in by car, train and bus covers bus 309 from Balloch and the boat. For the village itself, see the village of Balmaha.
The car park, the other car park and the car-free options
The council car park set beside the private one 200 m up the road and the ways to arrive without a car. Prices and times are as they stood on the date shown above, and we say where we have no value.
| Option | Cost | Hours | Overnight | Notes | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmaha car parkStirling Council, pay and display. | Up to 1 hour free with a displayed ticket; 2 hours £3; 4 hours £4; all day £5. | Every day, 8:45am to 5pm. Free on the bank holidays listed above. | Not allowed. A motorhome may park in one bay, but not sleep in it. | Cash or RingGo. Spaces count: not published. Postcode: the council gives none; the National Park’s sat nav postcode for the visitor centre area is G63 0JQ. Two electric vehicle charging points and coach and disabled bays, according to the National Park’s 2023 guide. | Open in maps |
| Private car park north of the main oneOperator not stated in our source. | £5 flat fee in the National Park’s July 2023 guide. It may have changed. | Not recorded. | Not recorded. | About 200 m north of the main car park entrance, taking coins and cards in 2023. The guide mentions it as the place to try when the main car park is very busy in summer. Read the signs. | |
| Bus 309 from BallochMcColl’s Travel, via Gartocharn and Drymen. | Fares not recorded: check the operator. | Times not recorded: use Traveline Scotland. | Not applicable. | Pair it with the direct ScotRail train from Glasgow to Balloch. | |
| Boat from LussCruise Loch Lomond. | Balmaha Explorer £20 (adult, from Luss). | From Balmaha to Luss at 10:45, 12:15, 14:00 and 15:30 on the autumn timetable checked on 12 October 2026. | Not applicable. | Scheduled cruises run to the end of October, with a reduced winter service. |
The first row is the only council car park. Everything else is another way to arrive.
What it costs and how to pay
Get a ticket and display it, even for the free hour
The first hour is free, but the council says the ticket must still be displayed. Take a ticket from the machine or pay by app, and put it where an attendant can read it.
Choose your band
The council lists a charge for each band, not an hourly rate: £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours and £5 for all day. Pick the band that covers your outing, with time to spare for the walk back.
Pay with cash or RingGo
Stirling Council takes cash in all its car parks and RingGo for cashless payment. The National Park’s July 2023 guide says the machine takes coins and that mobile phone signal in the area is weak, so bring coins or set up the app before you arrive.
Check the day
Sundays are charged at Balmaha, unlike most council car parks. The bank holidays listed above are free.
Do not sleep in the vehicle
A motorhome may use one bay, but sleeping overnight in a motorhome parked in a council car park is not allowed. For a night out, see Balmaha camping options.
Rules, charging points, toilets and how busy it gets
- Fines: we found no published penalty amount on the council page, so we give none. Display a valid ticket.
- Spaces and fill times: neither is published by any source we found, so we do not guess. The National Park’s 2023 guide says the car park can get very busy in summer, which is why it mentions the private car park.
- Coaches are not permitted beyond the main car park in Balmaha. Only minibuses can use the road on to Rowardennan.
- Electric vehicles: the National Park’s 2023 guide mentions two charging points. We have not confirmed who runs them, the tariff or the connector types, so check the charger on arrival.
- Toilets: the Visitor Centre toilets cost 50p, and the National Park’s list shows 09:30 to 16:00. The page is undated, so check on the day.
- Motorcycles park free with no time limit in any Stirling Council car park.
- Tariffs change part-way through a year. We say when we read each figure, and how we check facts explains how.
From the car park: what is close
Everything below starts in the village, close to the car park.
- Conic HillThe hill behind the village. Conic Hill on foot has the route, and the time on the hill decides which parking band you need.
- InchcaillochThe ferry to the island of Inchcailloch leaves from Balmaha Boatyard, run by Macfarlane and Son on 01360 870 214.
- Shop, coffee and a mealThe National Park’s 2023 guide lists a village shop, a coffee shop and a restaurant. See food and drink in Balmaha for what we can confirm.
Eat, stay and park nearby
For a longer trip, camping around Balmaha covers tents and vans, and the car park prices and rules page compares every village.
Other villages have their own tariffs: parking in Drymen and where to park in Luss.
Questions people ask
Do you have to pay for parking at Loch Lomond?
Mostly, yes. At Balmaha you pay after the first free hour, and Luss and Loch Lomond Shores charge too. The page on car parks around the loch lists each village.
Does Balmaha have shops?
The National Park’s 2023 guide lists a village shop, a coffee shop and a restaurant. Check opening times locally.
Is Balmaha car park free?
Only the first hour, and only with a ticket on display. After that it costs £3 for 2 hours, £4 for 4 hours and £5 all day.
Can I park overnight at Balmaha?
You can park, but you cannot sleep in the vehicle. A motorhome may use one bay, and sleeping overnight in a council car park is not allowed.
How do I pay for parking at Balmaha?
Use cash at the machine or the RingGo app. Mobile signal in the area is weak, according to the National Park, so bring coins.
Is parking free on Sundays at Balmaha?
No. Balmaha is pay and display on Sundays between 8:45am and 5pm. It is free on the bank holidays the council lists.
Is there an electric vehicle charger at Balmaha?
The National Park’s 2023 guide mentions two charging points. We have not confirmed the operator or tariff, so check on arrival.
Are there toilets at Balmaha car park?
The Visitor Centre toilets cost 50p. The National Park’s list shows 09:30 to 16:00, but the page is undated.
Where else can I park if Balmaha is full?
A private car park about 200 m north took £5 in the National Park’s 2023 guide. Check the price and the operator on the signs.
How can I get to Balmaha without a car?
Take the train from Glasgow to Balloch, then bus 309 to Balmaha, or a Cruise Loch Lomond boat from Luss.