Car Park 1

2–3 minute covered walk from Terminal 1

Car Park 1 at Birmingham Airport sits opposite Terminal 1, with a flat, covered walk of around 2–3 minutes to check-in and security. It’s an official on-airport short-stay multi-storey, so you park your own car, keep your keys, and go straight inside without waiting for a shuttle bus.

This is a short-stay setup, so pricing ramps up after a few hours; it’s usually one of the more expensive BHX options for multi-day trips compared with off-airport park-and-ride. Drivers often compare it directly with Car Parks 2 and 3, which offer a similar quick walk, but still find all three cost more than remote lots unless a discount code brings the price down.

Pre-booking online for Car Park 1 can cut the daily rate significantly versus drive-up prices shown on the entry boards. Regulars on comparison sites mention that once Airparks or Holiday Extras promo codes are applied, the total for 3–5 days can land much closer to off-airport products than you’d expect for something this close to the terminal.

Frequent flyers posting on FlyerTalk say they almost always reserve BHX’s official multi-storeys (Car Parks 1–3) through brokers like Holiday Extras or Airparks rather than direct. They report consistent savings over walk-up tariffs, especially on stays of 4–7 nights, and they like knowing exactly which level they’ll roughly hit for arrivals and departures.

Watch out for peak dates: UK school holidays and Friday morning departures can see on-airport multi-storeys at BHX sell out, even at higher prices. Turning up without a booking risks being turned away at Car Park 1’s barrier or pushed into an even pricier alternative rate on the day.

Tip: If you value a 2–3 minute walk with luggage, book Car Park 1 at least a week ahead via a comparison site, then aim to park on a mid-level floor (levels 2–4) to cut both lift queues and ramp time when you exit.