Back to Plan Your Visit

Getting Here

Parking

The museums do not offer any free or designated parking, however, visitors may purchase a permit to park at a Harvard University Garage or Lot.

Permits for parking at the Broadway Garage must be purchased online, through the Harvard Campus Services system. Parking permits range in price from $11-$22.

Steps for reserving a permit:

• Go to Harvard University Operations Services
• Register as a “Visitor”
• Search Parking
• Select the reason for your visit from the drop-down menu, such as Museum Tour, Event, or Other
• Enter the desired date and select the type of permit needed (Weekday or Weekend) from the drop-down menu. If you need an accessible parking space, please select that from the Amenity drop down menu.
• In the Harvard University Destination field, enter Harvard Art Museums
• Select a parking location. The Broadway Garage located at 7 Felton Street is the closest garage to the Harvard Art Museums but spaces may not always be available. The Search function will display the closest garages/lots with availability for the date of your visit.
• Choose your lot/garage and click Add to Cart.
• Click the Cart icon in the upper right to pay
• Print out the permit
• Remember to bring your printed permit when you park as you will need to present this to the attendant in the garage booth for admittance and then placed on your dashboard.

For questions related to permits, please contact Harvard Campus Services at 617-496-7827.

While there are some parking meters on nearby streets, parking near the museums is mostly restricted to Cambridge residents, except on Sundays. Visitors are encouraged to use public transit, particularly the MBTA Red Line that provides convenient access to Harvard Square.

Public parking garages in the Harvard Square area:

  • Church Street Lot : 41 Church Street, between Brattle Street and Massachusetts Avenue, 617-482-7740
  • Harvard Square Parking: Corner of Eliot and JFK Streets, 617-354-4168
  • Charles Square Garage : Corner of Bennett Street and University Road, 617-491-6779

For certain evening and weekend events, complimentary parking is available. Check calendar listings for details.