Government Center Garage

I just moved to Beacon Hill and needed a place to park my car. Street parking in the area is nearly impossible — the planets have to align in just the right way to get a spot. So in lieu of that, I decided it was imperative to find an underground/​indoor garage that would keep my ride safe overnight and in the bad Boston weather. I did some research, and the two lots closest to me, which had slightly cheaper rates for reverse commuter parking, had unfortunately been filled and I had to be put on a wait list. I called the Government Center Garage and they said they did offer reverse commute monthly parking and spots were available. All I had to do was visit the office and fill out an application. I did that at 7:25AM on a Tuesday morning, and by 7:30AM, I had a parking spot! The staff and service were completely fine, no complaints. The garage is safe, and I haven’t run into any problems finding empty spaces at night.
A couple things to bear in mind:
1. The reverse commute monthly parking fee is $ 125. A few people mentioned in the comments it was $ 110. It might have been before, but the price has gone up.
2. In order to get this rate, you have to pay three months up front, plus the fee of the parking card. It came out to around $ 360 for me, as the staff member prorated the month of December for my account. Even still, this was fine, as I was paying $ 48 a day in the MGH parking lot after failing to find street parking near my apartment.
3. The police station is right next door, so safety is not an issue.

This place is overpriced and annoying. Recently, they had a sandwich sign out front of their entrance advertising an «Early Bird“‘rate of $ 25. In other garages downtown this means get in before nine and exit before 6 and the rate is discounted. So, thinking this wasn’t a bad deal, I parked for the day. When it came time to check out, the machine charged me the amazing full day price of $ 38!
So I stopped at the office on the way out and the staff nicely explained that to get the $ 25 rate I had to fill out an application, deposit $ 100 and then the rate would be awarded.
Being in a rush, I just paid the $ 38 and left.
This is misleading and I will park elsewhere from now on. Avoid this garage if you can.

I have really been impressed by the government center garage. The reverse commuter parking for $ 110/​mo is a great deal, especially considering this means you won’t have to shovel in the winter! It’s also safe… In the 1.5 years parking here, I’ve never felt uncomfortable (even at night).
And the highlight is the staff, with truly exceptional service. I’ve had employees tote me around in the golf cart when I forgot where I parked. And they are always friendly in the office, going above and beyond on a regular basis. Much better service than I ever expected from a parking garage!

Initially I was pretty happy with my experience with the Government Center Garage. The rates seemed reasonable, and sure beat paying the hotel valet. That is, until I tried to leave the garage at the end of my reservation.
Anyone who has been to Boston knows that the Gov’t Center Garage is a fairly convenient location, depending on your needs in and around the city. Finding and entering the garage was no problem. The garage is properly lighted and marked, and fairly easy to navigate, which are the only reasons I’ve given this a 2-​star rating. Even the homeless drunk vomiting behind a car 2 rows down from my location didn’t phase me one bit.
I purchased a 5-​night overnight stay at the Government Center Garage from June 30^th to July 5^th through
, the company that manages the reservations. I pre-​paid for my stay and printed out my parking permit with barcode to scan it at the kiosk upon leaving. The only problem is, my parking permit with barcode was not being accepted by the automated kiosk. There were 3 separate exit lanes, all with automated kiosks. I tried all 3, with the same result (see picture). Since the coupon wouldn’t scan, the gate would not go up, therefore trapping me in the garage unless I paid $ 171 to exit (my original reservation was for $ 105). Of course, this was early on a Sunday morning, the day after a major US holiday, so obviously there wasn’t a single staff member in sight. I reluctantly pulled out my credit card and paid the $ 171 so that I could be freed of my parking garage captivity, thinking I’d simply resolve the matter with the company the following day. That’s when things go from somewhat annoying to ridiculous…
I called ClickandPark first thing the next morning on Monday, July 6^th and was ASSURED by customer service that my issue would be resolved within 72 hours. 3 weeks (and 3 separate phone calls) later, as of Monday, July 27^th, I am still waiting for a response on my support ticket. Today (Monday, July 27^th) I was again reassured for the 2^nd time that my ticket has been «passed to a supervisor» for expedited service.
This review is hard, because I’m not sure if I should be blaming the Gov’t Center Garage, or
. Either way, there is a major lack of communication between the 2 entities that needs to be resolved immediately.
If you are booking a reservation through
, I recommend you call them first to find out what you should do in the event this occurs.
I will update the review once I’ve heard back from
.

For parking near the north or west ends this is really the only place for you. Especially for reverse commuters. For $ 110 you can park after 330pm and be out by 930 am you get one sick day and any other overstays are $ 15 per day. What really sells me is the amount of spaces and the ease of getting in and out. Other places you may have to wait for them to move several other cars or face a long drive out but they have an express ramp to the outside and you always get your own spot.
When I signed up they did not have any reverse commuter spots available so they made me get an all day pass. When one became available they were very fair in giving me the new rate and crediting the amount I prepaid for the all day parking.
I am happy with this garage.

Overall, I was having a decent experience with government center garage, until today when I was charged $ 15 for not moving my vehicle during a statewide travel ban.
I hold a reverse commuter pass, meaning I pay $ 110/​month to park between the hours of 3:30 PM-9:30 PM on weekdays and all day on the weekends. The rule is if you do not move your car during the week, you are charged a discounted rate of $ 15/​day. A pretty good deal for downtown Boston… but is apparently enforced even if there’s a statewide travel ban?
For the record, I never slam businesses on Unilocal or any other site, and frankly it’s not about the $ 15, it’s the principle of the matter. It would have been completely unsafe and illegal for me to move my vehicle the morning of the travel ban or even the night before the travel ban. What if for some reason I did not get home until right before 12 PM, when the travel ban went into effect?
Bottom line, charging any money to reverse commuters during a travel ban/​snowmageddon is completely asinine and the BBB as well as the City of Boston will be notified about this.

It’s a parking garage, okay deals when it comes to parking for more than 5 hours but what can you do. The staff are very nice and have a good customer service basis. Prime location too, pretty close to the TD Garden, right down the street from Faneuil Hall and Government Center.

The automated pay machines were down when we parked and headed to the bruins. The attendant had tried to help us but we both heard him say «do later» because the machine wasn’t working. We end up staying in the city and were fully prepared for the $ 36+ fee and paid it on the way out.
I get a call that night from my credit card company saying we paid the event fee and full overnight fee. I tried calling and emailing and got nowhere and gave up.
There’s no way to reach out afterwards far as I could tell, very frustrating. The spaces themselves are wide and it is a centrally located and safe garage I just detest the auto payment system.

From reading online, I knew I had to do the park and stay (no in and out privileges) online prior to arrival, and print my pass. Just bought a 3 day park and stay online. It is good from from 5 am the first day to 5 am the fourth day, actually. We will be checking out the 3^rd day, but that might help others who stay late or are staying til early am hours. I checked out their facebook page and found a coupon code that saved me $ 14 (1 day free). So, $ 31 to park for 3 days in Boston?!? I’ll take it! *Also, the drop down menu online wasn’t working to pick a different credit card or expiration date. I called the 866 number and the woman was quite helpful. Did it all for me and I just printed my permit from the confirmation email she sent.
I’ll change my review if I have any issues at the garage, but I doubt I will based on what I’ve read here. Excited to have found such a great deal!

Night/​Evening rates for the Government Center Garage are now $ 11 after 5pm weeknights and all day Saturdays and Sundays, BUT not during TD Garden Events. In those cases it is $ 25 for up to 10 hours of parking.
Since we were out for dinner in the North End just a short walk across the Greenway on a rare winter’s evening when there wasn’t an event going on at the Garden, we got a spot easy in the well enough lit garage with clear signs posted pointing to the (auto) exit. (ps — is there a prize for the longest sentence?) Pay at the machine at the entrance before you head towards your car. Otherwise you could pay with a credit card at the gate, but if you have cash only, you’re kind of stuck — there is no human being minding the exits.
To get back to your car, there is a human entrance is on the side under the overhang facing away from Faneuil Hall/​Government Center Plaza, where resides an Enterprise rent-​a-​car office.
For a head’s up on Garden events:
For an official garage website:
A few things from their website:
The Government Center Garage is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days of the year.
Entrance on New Chardon Street.
Park ‘n Stay
Staying in town? Going away? Park ‘n Stay for $ 15 per day. Store your car for 3 –30 days for only $ 15 per day. Rate valid only with online purchase. No in and out privileges during car storage. Confirmation email must be printed and present at time of exit.

The location is great — and safe. The Garage shares a sidewalk with the Haymarket t-​stop as well as a crowd of people you probably wouldn’t want to get to chatty with. The police station is right across the way so I am never nervous walking home to the North End from this garage.
People are generally pretty friendly and I have always found a space. There was a time when the garage was full, but the garage reimbursed you for your parking for that day.
They have several specials that go on regularly:
— Monthly ²⁴⁄₇ parking: 350/​month
— Reverse Commuter Pass: 110/​month. Overnight access to garage from 3:30 — 9:30am, ideal for those living in Boston, and working outside the city. 1 «sick» day allocated, $ 15/​day for all additional days
— Park N’ Stay — 3 day stay for $ 15/​day.
They are always having promotions, etc. If you «like» them on FB, you are entered for a shot at 1 month free parking!
The only reason this garage isn’t a 5 star review is because the system they use for the monthly parkers to pay is not all that user friendly. They do have the option to set up automatic payment which would probably alleviate this problem for me.

Great place to get your car keyed! I was a monthly pass holder for a year and a half and found my car keyed the day after a Bruins game. I was hoping that they would have video surveillance that would be able to see the person key my car, but it turns out that they only have video surveillance on the entrances, exits, and pay stations. It was upsetting to see that they are only watching out for their interests, and not their customers. I could understand if I parked my car in an area where they did not have any video of it, but to have no video throughout the garage is unacceptable. Being close to the garden for events, $ 10 parking during the weekends for all the bars nearby, and no security cameras means that you are taking a chance by parking your car here. Obviously, there is not much security here and I am taking my business elsewhere.

Ridiculous wait to get out for Celtics games. Long line at payment machine and then 45 minutes in car. Only found out later you are a chump to wait for machine. Better off getting your car in line to get out, and then make eveyrone wait while you pay at gate. Only an idiot could come up with this perverse incentive.

Dear GovCen,
$ 45 for less than 8hrs of parking?!? In after 11PM, out just after 6AM. My schedule hurts my head and breaks my heart sufficiently on its own — I don’t need you devastating my wallet as well. I might as well park on the sidewalk in front of my apartment and pay the $ 50 ticket.
Loss of Love,
LK

Great location in downtown Boston which allows easy access to the TD Garden, Faneuil Hall, the North End and the T. $ 10/​night on non-​Celtics/​Bruins nights makes this the cheapest garage I know of. They also offer a «reverse-​commute» plan for $ 100/​month for professionals who live in the city and work in the surrounding suburbs. Very convenient but try not to get stuck in the post-​game traffic mayhem that usually ensues.

Don’t park here for a celtics game. Complete dysfunction. If you do, don’t waitnin line to pay at the machine. They take credit cards at the gate.

Very convenient to the North End (Hanover Street area) and the TD Garden. At $ 10 flat for the evening, I’ll be coming back.

Gov’t Center Parking went down a notch because they have switched to an automated pay process. It’s ok if it’s not busy but I can’t imagine what it will be like when all the people are trying to pay at those machines when they’re half in the wrapper leaving a C’s or B’s game.

Absolutely the worst. I have ²⁴⁄₇ monthly agreement, they are incompetent (deleted my account twice by mistake) rude and sloppy.
The garage is dirty and it is always a mess after a big game at the arena…
awful

Possibly the easiest location to park your car if you’re headed to the TD Banknorth Garden (gah, can’t I call it the FleetCenter?) for a game, concert, or show.
It seems that there’s always a space to park here. The question is where, as it’s quite easy to get lost in this place! The garage is quite large, and the twists and turns can be very confusing to the would-​be parker. I second Deb’s comments when she says to remember the floor, letter, and number that you parked at. It’s key for getting you out within a reasonable amount of time!